The troops who received the Ace of Spades-only decks reportedly used them as a means of promoting fear among the Viet Cong.

According to the company’s account, Bicycle honored this request, sending thousands of such decks at no charge. Thus, two Lieutenants from Company C, Second Battalion, 35th Regiment, 25th Infantry Division actually contacted the Bicycle playing card company asking if they’d provide decks containing only the Ace of Spades. United States troops in the Vietnam War heard this caused some superstitious Vietnamese to fear the card to such a degree that they’d retreat at the very sight of it. In the French fortune-telling tradition, an Ace of Spades indicates bad luck or death in one’s future. They brought with them a range of customs. While it’s true that beliefs about the Ace of Spades symbolizing death date back centuries, in modern times, people began commonly referring to the Ace of Spades as the Death Card after the Vietnam War.īefore the Vietnam War, the French occupied the Indo-China region to which Vietnam belongs. Why Is the Ace of Spades Called the Death Card? » MORE: If a picture is worth a thousand words, an online memorial is worth an eternity of memories. That means some might easily associate a spade with digging a plot for a casket or coffin. There’s also reason to suspect these beliefs stem not only from the card’s dark color but also from the fact that we use spades to dig into the earth. In numerous cultures, its dark color (or lack thereof) associates it with imminent death, bad fortune, disaster, hatred, war, and even the end of the world. The Ace of Spades symbolizes many different fearful ideas or experiences depending on the context. What’s the Meaning of the Ace of Spades, or the Death Card? It will also explore how pop culture has kept these superstitions alive (no pun intended) throughout the years.

This brief guide will cover some of those beliefs, describing how their roots in early fortune-telling influenced modern interpretations of the Ace of Spades.

Examples of the Ace of Spades in Popular Culture.

Why Is the Ace of Spades Called the Death Card?.

What’s the Meaning of the Ace of Spades, or Death Card?.

Like symbols of mourning and euphemisms for death, such traditional and/or superstitious beliefs can potentially help us cope with our own mortality by forcing us to confront it, even if they also induce fear. People and cultures throughout the world have long considered the Ace of Spades to be a symbol of bad luck and death. However, to some people, this card carries a heavy energy.

Many readers might see the Ace of Spades as nothing more than another innocuous card in the deck.

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