The ace of hearts (A♥) is a card in a deck of

playing card A playing card is a piece of specially prepared card stock, heavy paper, thin cardboard, plastic-coated paper, cotton-paper blend, or thin plastic that is marked with distinguishing motifs. Often the front (face) and back of each card has a fi ...

s: the

ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the c ...

in the suit of hearts (♥). There is one ace of hearts in a standard deck of 52 cards.

Gameplay

In the 17th century French game '' Le Jeu de la Guerre'', the ace of hearts represented the cavalry. In the game Bankafalet, the second best card in the deck is the ace of hearts. In the Irish game Five Cards, the ace of hearts is the second highest card in the pack, below the five fingers (aka five of trumps).

Symbolism

Literature

American author

Zane Grey Pearl Zane Grey (January 31, 1872 – October 23, 1939) was an American author and dentist. He is known for his popular adventure novels and stories associated with the Western genre in literature and the arts; he idealized the American frontie ...

used the cartomantic meaning of playing cards in his novels. For example, in his book '' The Border Legion'', he describes the character Joan Randle as an Ace of Hearts, after she "outwit and outtalk her would-be-seducer, outlaw Kells". The very same card is pinned by Kells to a tree, where he shoots at with many bullets, "every one of which touch ngthe red heart and one of them...obliterat ngit", and then signs his name below. This foreshadows the climax described above. These uses of the ace of hearts by Grey utilize the many symbolic meanings of the card including intimidation, eroticism, and death. Referring to the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

, the author of ''The true history of Pope Joan'' says: "a certain prince of ours did compare unto them a game of cardes, in which the gamesters like loadem play and bring them forth last that are of most price, to beat downe the adverse play: or like the ace of hearts at Mawe (the game which is with us called Rumstich)". This is said to provide the answer to the origin of the card game Mawe. In '' Tess of the D'Urbervilles'' by

Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry of William Word ...

, the murder of the main villain is given away by a spot on the ceiling that "speedily grew as large as the palm of rs. Brooks'hand" and " rs. Brookscould perceive that it was red". The narrative goes on to say: "the oblong white ceiling, with this scarlet blot in the midst, had the appearance of a gigantic ace of hearts".

Asexuality

The ace of hearts is a symbol for those who are asexual, but not aromantic. Those who are both asexual and aromantic use the

ace of spades The Ace of Spades (also known as the Spadille and Death Card) is traditionally the highest and most valued card in the deck of playing cards in English-speaking countries. The actual value of the card varies from game to game. Design The orn ...

as a symbol.

References

External links