Tarot cards go back to the 1400s. Based on a series of epic poems written by Francesco Petrarca, the cards mimicked the entire human existance from love, chastity, death, time, fame and eternity.
As time went on the Tarot deck evolved from the 6 suits to the 4 suits we have today, staves, wands, cups and swords.
Since Petrarca was the master of Humanism, the cards themselves gained a mythical power. Those with the ability were able to decipher the hidden meanings in the cards and by using the cards a person's past and future could be determined.