Few people know that poker is actually a card game that originated in China. It was invented during the Tang Dynasty with the use of woodblock printing technology, and quickly became popular throughout Asia. It was not until about the 11th century that the related technologies and game methods of playing cards were spread to European countries and evolved independently in Europe and other regions.
△ Early Chinese playing cards
In the past, all parts of the world had their own unique forms of playing cards, but today we all play mostly international playing cards, which evolved from French playing cards and contain 52 commonly used cards - 13 types of cards from A to K, each with four suits, and sometimes two clowns (also called kings and kings).
The reason why international playing cards follow some settings of French playing cards is mainly because European countries such as France had a high economic and cultural influence on the world in the 19th and 20th centuries.
In international playing cards, there are three special cards, namely J, Q, and K. They are called "head cards".
Many people know that these three types of head cards represent the Knight (Jack), the Queen (Queen) and the King (King) respectively.
But few people really understand who each of these three cards represents, and what information is hidden in each one?
In fact, each suit of poker cards J, Q, and K basically represents a famous figure in history or mythology, as well as some of the main characteristics of these figures.
K represents famous kings from four different cultures in history:
Diamond K is: Julius Caesar! He was a military commander and politician at the end of the Roman Republic.
It is the only profile portrait in K. This is because it represents Roman culture, and characters in Roman works of art usually like to appear in profile.
In addition, the King of Diamonds is the only head card holding a battle axe.
The King of Hearts is: Charlemagne! He was one of the most important monarchs in medieval Europe and was sometimes called the "Father of Europe", representing Frankish culture!
It is the only figure in K without a beard. It is believed that this is because early playing cards were printed from woodblocks and the sculptor accidentally carved out his beard.
In addition, the K of Hearts and the K of Diamonds were both originally holding tomahawks, but the other parts of the K of Hearts tomahawk were gradually lost in the printed version, leaving only the head of the tomahawk, and later this part slowly evolved into a strange appearance with a sword inserted into the head.
The K of Clubs is: Alexander the Great! He was the king of Macedonia, but he represented Greek culture.
It was originally the only K with a sword. Now its sword is usually the most gorgeous, and its clothing is also very gorgeous, often equipped with lion-related emblems. This is because Alexander the Great claimed to be a descendant of Hercules, and the symbol of Hercules is the lion skin. .
The King of Spades is: King David! He was the second king of ancient Israel! represents Jewish culture.
King David was good at playing the harp, so initially the image on the K of Spades was often accompanied by a harp pattern, but later it also evolved into a long sword.
The "queen" represented by Q is basically a mythical or fictional character:
Q of diamonds is: Rachel! She is Jacob’s favorite wife in the Bible Genesis!
It symbolizes peace and prosperity, so it is the only portrait among the four Qs that does not have any offensive implications. At the same time, her clothes are the most gorgeous. The flower in her hand cannot be distinguished in the printing. Modern people usually think it is a tulip, symbolizing wealth.
The Queen of Hearts is: Judith! She is the widowed hero of the Bible!
It symbolizes heroine and revenge. Initially, she held a dagger instead of a flower because she had assassinated enemy generals. Nowadays, the flower in the hand of the Queen of Hearts is usually a red rose, highlighting blood and danger.
The Queen of Clubs is: Argine! This is a completely fictitious character, reconstructed from the Latin word "Regina" (Queen).
It symbolizes royal struggle and compromise! It is holding a rose flower. Among some older playing cards, it is the only gesture that turns its head and looks back. This indicates that the character is alert and observing the situation, because the prototype of this fictional "Queen" may be Agnès Sorel, the mistress of King Charles VII of France.
The Queen of Spades is: Athena! She is the goddess of wisdom and war in Greek mythology.
It symbolizes war and wisdom! This is the only Q that in addition to holding flowers, also has a spear, to highlight its uniqueness.
J represents all famous warriors in history:
The jack of diamonds is: Hector! He is a Trojan prince and is often called the first warrior of Troy.
This is the highest status among all jacks. Initially, the weapon in its hand was something similar to a halberd, but now playing cards have slowly evolved into long swords.
The jack of hearts is: Rahel! He was a follower of King Charles VII of France and the closest comrade-in-arms of Joan of Arc.
It is also a profile portrait, but unlike the K of Diamonds, which symbolizes Roman culture, its profile is to show anger. In addition, it is the only character among all J that holds something in both hands, with a cloak in one hand and a battle ax in the other (some cards have now evolved into spears).
The jack of clubs is: Lancelot! He is the most famous Knight of the Round Table in the legend of King Arthur.
It is the most versatile knight, so its image is usually relatively well-equipped and holding a spear in its hand.
The jack of spades is: Hojir! One of the twelve followers of Charlemagne and a national hero of Denmark.
It is also a profile portrait, showing his coldness. In addition, its weapon was originally a broken-tip sword, but as it evolved, it gradually became different.
at last
Most of the face cards we see now only show one hand, or sometimes some face cards cannot see the hand and the thing in the hand at all. This is because the card was shrunk by the merchant when it was produced, resulting in the image information away from the center being hidden.