Feather and plume in tarot

A feather is lightness, air and the freedom of birds, and a plume in the hat was a mark of rank and swagger in Renaissance and later dress. Smith repeats one red feather across the Major Arcana: it streams from the Fool's wreath, rises from the helmet of Death and stands in the garland of the child in the Sun, linking beginning, ending and renewal. Plumes also decorate the Page and Knight of Wands, where they are drawn like flames, and a red plume or ribbon trails from the satisfied man's red cap in the Nine of Cups. Readers take it as spirit, lightness and the urge to set out.

Cards that show feather and plume

The Fool
The Fool: The red feather
A red feather rises from the green wreath on his head and streams behind him. Feathers suggest lightness and the freedom of air; red is life and appetite. The detail gives a dreamy figure a flash of vitality.
Death
Death: The armoured skeleton
Death is a skeleton in black plate armour with a red-plumed helmet, holding the reins and banner but no scythe or weapon. Armour makes him impersonal and unstoppable; Waite noted that he 'carries no visible weapon', so he does not need to strike.
The Sun
The Sun: The wreath and red feather
The child wears a garland of small flowers with a single red feather standing up from it, the same kind of feather that the Fool wears. It links the beginning of the Major Arcana with its sunniest card: innocence returning with experience behind it.
Page of Wands
Page of Wands: The plumed hat
A pale grey hat carries a curling orange plume shaped like a flame. The feather gives him a messenger's flourish and a touch of swagger; its shape ties him to the suit of fire.
Knight of Wands
Knight of Wands: The flame plumes
Long orange plumes stream from his helmet and from his elbows and back, drawn like flickering fire. He trails flames wherever he goes, and leaves a little heat behind in every place he passes through.
Nine of Cups
Nine of Cups: The red cap and feather
He wears a broad, soft red cap with a curling feather. Red adds warmth and appetite to the picture, and the feather is a small mark of flourish, pride or celebration.