Odyssey Playing Cards

Jackson Robinson’s love of ancient Greek mythology can be seen throughout this deck. The suit signs all have Greek motifs: the diamonds are mini labyrinths evocative of the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, the spades are stylized seashells, the hearts are composed of amphora handles, and the clubs plants. The tuck box and the Ace of Spades feature a cyclops head in the style of a gorgoneion¹.

The courts are humans, divinities, and monsters from Homer’s epic, drawn in the style of ancient Grecian urns; indeed, the deck’s color scheme is of terracotta pottery. The King of Hearts is Antinous of Ithaca – one of Penelope’s suitors – portrayed with an arrow through his throat in an homage to the Suicide King. The two jokers form a diptych with an image from the same climactic scene: Odysseus dispatching the suitors with his bow.

Odyssey Playing Cards created by Jackson Robinson / Kings Wild Project, USA.

The Odyssey deck comes in three variants – standard, limited, and gilded – with slightly different color patterns (the cards shown are from the standard variant). It’s a companion to Robinson’s Iliad deck.

Reference

1. Wikimedia : Gorgoneion ►