The Rider: meaning of Lenormand card 1
The Rider is the first card of the Lenormand, and fittingly so: it is the card of everything that begins to move. A man on horseback crosses the countryside towards the person asking the question. He is bringing something — a piece of news, a person, a new matter — and he is bringing it fast.
Like every Lenormand card, the Rider has almost no meaning on its own: it says that something is arriving, and it is the neighbouring cards that say what. Next to the Heart it is news of love; next to the Letter, a written message; next to the Scythe, sudden news that cuts. That is why the Rider is one of the best cards for learning how the Lenormand is read: in sentences, not in single cards.
The card at a glance
| Number | 1 |
|---|---|
| Playing card | Nine of Hearts (9♥) |
| Lenormand names | Der Reiter (German); The Rider (English); Le Cavalier (French) |
| Type | Event — movement, arrival |
| Keywords | news, visit, arrival, speed, movement, sport, a young man |
| Timing | Very fast: hours or a few days |
| Yes or no | Yes — and soon |
The image on the card
In the Sol da Alma Lenormand, the Rider is a young man in an embroidered blue tunic galloping across a flowering meadow on a chestnut horse, its mane streaming in the wind. His arm is raised and in his hand he holds an envelope closed with a red wax seal. In the background there are hills, a castle, a low sun and a rainbow: the news comes from far away and it comes at a run. In the corner, the number 1 and the nine of hearts.
In the Engraved Lenormand, in the manner of the decks of the 1800s, the scene is more restrained: a man in a tailcoat, sitting upright in the saddle, rides at a walk across open country, with a castle in the distance. This is the classic image of the Lenormand — the mounted messenger who, ever since the very first deck, has opened the series of thirty-six cards.
The symbolism, detail by detail
- The horse
- Speed, energy, the body in motion. Before the train and the motor car, it was the fastest way of getting someone or something to where they needed to be.
- The rider
- The messenger, and also the visitor himself. He may be a real person — often a young, active man — or simply the bearer of a matter.
- The sealed envelope
- In the Sol da Alma painting, it makes clear what the Rider is carrying: news. The unbroken seal says that no one yet knows what it contains.
- The gallop
- Speed. The Rider is the fastest card in the deck, and it speeds up everything it touches.
- The castle in the distance
- The point of departure: the news comes from outside, from a place other than that of the person asking.
- The nine of hearts
- In cartomancy with an ordinary pack of cards, the nine of hearts is the wish card, the wish come true. It gives the Rider a positive leaning: as a rule, what arrives is welcome.
The history of the Rider
The Lenormand descends from a board game. Around 1799, in Nuremberg, Johann Kaspar Hechtel published ‘Das Spiel der Hoffnung’ — the Game of Hope —, thirty-six illustrated cards that were laid out on the table like a board and moved across with dice. Each card had a picture and, in one corner, a miniature playing card, so that the same deck could also be used to tell fortunes. The Rider was already card number 1, with the nine of hearts.
After the death in 1843 of Marie Anne Lenormand — the most famous fortune-teller in Paris, who was said to have read the cards for Josephine and Napoleon —, German publishers began selling these thirty-six cards under her name, to cash in on her fame. It has never been proved that she used them, but the name stuck: ‘Petit Lenormand’.
In Portugal and Brazil, the same deck became known as the ‘Baralho Cigano’, the Gypsy Deck, a popular name that links it to Romani fortune-tellers — and not to any historical Romani origin, which does not exist. The pictures and the order of the cards, however, are the same as in the European Lenormand, and the Rider still opens the series.
The meaning of the Rider
The Rider is the card of arrivals: news, messages, visits, invitations, offers, a matter that gathers pace. It says that something is on its way and will not be long. In a spread where everything is at a standstill, it is the first sign of change — the door that opens to what comes from outside.
It also speaks of everything that involves movement: short journeys, sport, physical activity, horses and vehicles, haste. As a person, it describes someone dynamic, young at heart, who can never keep still.
The Rider is neutral by nature. It is the news, not what the news contains. If the cards around it are good, the news is good; if they are heavy, it is a warning that something less pleasant is approaching. Its leaning is slightly positive, because of the playing card it carries.
The Rider in love
In love, the Rider announces someone who is arriving: a new admirer, a date, a message from the person you have been waiting to hear from. For anyone who is single, it is one of the most encouraging cards in the deck — it says that things are about to start moving. In a relationship, it speaks of news, of contact picked up again, of a step the other person is about to take.
It also has its lighter side: the Rider is the lover who arrives quickly and may leave just as fast. Next to the Ring or the Dog, he stays; next to the Ship or the Crossroads, he is only passing through.
The Rider at work and with money
At work, it brings offers, contacts, replies to applications, new clients. It is excellent for anyone waiting for an answer: the answer is coming. It favours professions that involve movement — sales, transport, communication, sport.
With money, it points to income or opportunities that arrive quickly, without necessarily being large. With the Fish, it is money on its way; with the Mice, news of an expense or a loss.
The Rider in health and wellbeing
In questions of wellbeing, the Rider speaks of energy, physical activity and quick recovery, and sometimes of the legs and of movement. As always with the Lenormand, a reading shows tendencies and attitudes, and it is no substitute for any consultation or any medical care.
The Rider as a person
When it stands for someone, the Rider is traditionally a young man, or a person with a young spirit: active, sporty, attractive, quick to decide and quick to change their mind. It may be a messenger, a go-between, someone who brings news of another person. In the Grand Tableau, the direction in which the horse is facing can show where he is coming from or whom he is going to.
The Rider as advice
As advice, it says: get moving. Take the initiative, send the message, make contact, reply quickly. The moment favours whoever acts first.
The timing of the Rider
Of the thirty-six cards, the Rider is the fastest: what it announces usually happens within hours or a few days. Next to slow cards, such as the Mountain or the Anchor, the news comes, but the matter it brings takes a long time to resolve.
In the Grand Tableau: house 1
In the Grand Tableau — the spread in which all thirty-six cards are laid out in four rows —, the first position is the house of the Rider. The card that falls there tells what is arriving in the life of the person asking. And the Rider itself, wherever it falls, brings movement and news to the theme of that house.
Combinations with other cards
Heart — News of love, an admirer, a declaration.
Letter — A written message, an email, a document that arrives.
Scythe — Sudden, cutting news; a quick decision.
Ship — News from afar, a journey coming up soon, someone who comes from outside.
House — A visitor at home; family news.
Ring — A proposal of commitment, or of a contract.
Fish — Money coming in, good financial news.
Mountain — News that is delayed, or an obstacle to an arrival.
Clouds — Confused or unclear news; a visitor with doubtful intentions.
Sun — Excellent news, a success that arrives quickly.
Coffin — News of an ending; a visit that will not be repeated.
Birds — Conversations, phone calls, messages going back and forth.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Rider mean in the Lenormand?
News, visits and arrivals: something or someone on the way, and coming quickly. Exactly what it is, the neighbouring cards will tell.
Is the Rider a good card?
It is neutral, with a positive leaning. It announces movement; whether the news is good or bad depends on the cards beside it.
Which playing card corresponds to the Rider?
The nine of hearts, ever since the first deck of 1799. In cartomancy with an ordinary pack, it is the wish card, the card of the wish come true.
Does the Rider represent a person?
It can: traditionally a young man, or someone dynamic and active. Often, however, it is only the messenger of a matter.
How much time does the Rider indicate?
Very little: it is the fastest card in the deck. It speaks of hours or a few days.
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