Oswald Wirth

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Oswald Wirth (1860–1943) was a Swiss occultist, artist and author. He studied esotericism and symbolism with Stanislaus de Guaita, and created a set of Tarot trumps based on the Marseilles deck. His interests also included Freemasonry and astrology.

Wirth is the artist responsible for the so-called Baphomet or Leviathan design of a goat head inside a pentagram that was modified for use as the logo for Anton LaVey's Church of Satan. Wirth was not a Satanist; LaVey appropriated the illustration from a French encyclopedia of occultism by Maurice Bessey that reprinted Wirth's drawing as an interior illustration and also used it as a stamped device on the cover.

[edit] Selected bibliography

• Introduction to the Study of Tarot: A beginner's guide to the symbolism and use of Tarot cards by one of the greatest tarot designers and theorists ISBN 0877285594
• Tarot of the Magicians ISBN 0877286566