Le Mat is The Fool from the Marseilles Tarot, it is also sometimes known as Le Fou, which in Modern French has the meaning "fool." The word fool is from Old French fol "madman, insane person; idiot; rogue; jester," also "blacksmith's bellows," from Medieval Latin follis "foolish," from the original meaning of "bellows, leather bag"(follis), from PIE root *bhel-(2) "to blow, swell." This word fool, then, seems somewhat appropriate for the card, given that the element of The Fool is said to be Air. The follis (bellows) is literally full of air, and a fool may be thought to have his or her head up in the clouds.
In Italian The Fool card is Il Matto (or sometimes it is called Il Pazzo "madman, lunatic," but not Il Folle "mad, insane"). However, neither il matto, nor le mat, are generally translated to English from modern Italian or French precisely as "fool." Il Matto as a noun is translated as "madman/madwoman or nut," and as an adjective, the sense of matto is "crazy." In French Le Mat is an archaic term, perhaps taken from Italian(the cards first came to France from Italy), and the term is said to have possibly arisen due to the card's roll in card games. In certain card games the Fool was part of a suit of permanent trumps(the 22 tarot cards), where it was used either as a trump card (sometimes the highest trump), or other times, an "excuse" card.
The excuse is an exception to the above rules. If you hold the excuse you may play it to any trick you choose - irrespective of what was led and whether you have that suit or not. With one rare exception. - pagot.com, French Tarot
The Fool being the unnumbered card of the trumps, is in some ways the most enigmatic. It is sometimes labeled as 0, but other times it is not labeled at all. It can be lowly, but other times it comes out on top and isn't constrained by all the usual laws and rules. Therefore the word would have some connotation of the trickster, idiot, and jester, and not simply a crazy or insane person. Although, that distinction is often blurred in those who embody this archetype.
The meaning of the term Le Mat, is said to be possibly related to the origin of the term "checkmate." Checkmate is originally from two separate words, from eschec mat "checkmate" in Old French / échec et mat in Modern French (scacco-matto in Italian), these were borrowed ultimately from the Persian game playing terminology, shah mat meaning "the king is helpless, stumped," however, the game was brought to Europe by the Islamic world, and in Arabic the word mat has a different, although similar, meaning. In Arabic mat is a of a form of the verb "to die," therefore some people say the meaning is "the king is dead." But either way the game terminology came from the Persian and was borrowed by Arabic. Whether the king (shah) is helpless or dead is not really important, once put in checkmate, the effect is that the game (of chess [from the plural of eschec in French, i.e., esches - Old French, éschecs - Modern French, like "checks / shahs"]) ends. You can feel foolish when put in check, and you didn't see it coming. The person put in checkmate doesn't die (mat), but they might feel like a fool(le mat) or feel helpless(mat). And the winner may be a lucky fool. If you identify with your game pieces then you are the shah [check] "king" who is the mat (helpless), you are le mat. People sometimes act crazy (matto) when they loose a game, after they have been [check]mated. They may have been fooled or were acting foolish to be mated, then they are il matto.
Mat as an adjective meaning "lusterless, dull (of a color or surface) is from 1640's, from French mat "dull, dead surface," from Old French mat "beaten down, withered, afflicted, dejected; dull [OE]." This is interesting given that the fact the first examples of court jester/joker/buffoon are taken from Old Kingdom Ancient Egypt, around 2500 BC, and often these "fools" were people who were in some way afflicted.
Troops of musicians, tigers, dancers, and almahs whiled away the tedious hours, supplemented by buffoons and dwarfs. The great Egyptian lords evinced curious liking for these unfortunate beings, and amused themselves by getting together the ugliest and most deformed creatures. They are often represented on the tombs beside their masters in the company with his pet dog, or a gazelle, or with a monkey which they sometimes hold on a leash, or sometimes are engaged in teasing. Sometimes Pharaoh bestowed his friendship on his dwarfs, and confided to them occupations in his household. -History of Egypt, Chaldea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, Vol. II, by G. Maspero
This Old French mat ("beaten down, withered, afflicted, dejected; dull) is said to be perhaps from Latin mattus "maudlin with drink," from madere "to be wet or sodden, be drunk," from PIE root *mad- "to be wet, drip [OE]." At times a jester or joker may play a drunk, or act dejected, and be sodden with tears.
In ancient Egypt, the goddess Mut / Maut / Mout, mwt, which means "mother" was associated with the primeval waters of the universe, Nu / Nun, from which all life arose.
The Greatness of the mother Mut, however, seems to have the connotation of primeval, that Mut is the primeval mother goddess. In a Ramesside hymn to Mut, it is said that both mankind and the gods are her offspring and, in a ritual spell for different incense to Mut, one had to recite that the gods came into being from her tears, and that (even) Atum (the Primeval God) was vivified through her flesh. Ptolemaic texts say Mut is 'The one who came into existence in the beginning' or that she is 'the mother who was together with Nun in the beginning, the mother (mwt) who has given birth, but who has not been born herself,' or 'the mother of the mothers, who has given birth to every god.' Mut is indeed the great and primeval mother goddess. -Mut and other Ancient Egyptian Goddesses, by Herman te Velde
The Precinct of Mut / Mut Temple Complex in South Karnak, ancient Thebes(near present day Luxor), has a crescent shaped Isheru, "sacred lake." Mut was called "Mut the great, mistress of Isheru," and the lake was employed for ritual navigation during her festivals, the body of water(the isheru) being a representation in the microcosm of the waters above.
"The Mut Temple Proper is surrounded by a lake in the shape of a horseshoe. During the festival of Mut, a boat with a statue of the goddess was sailed around the lake." -Gods and Goddesses
So the temple of Mut/Mout was surrounded by a kind of moat.
Moat meaning "ditch or deep trench dug around the rampart of a castle or other fortified place," is from an earlier, now obsolete, use of the word meaning "a mound, a hill," which was from Old French mote "mound, hillock, embankment; castle built on a hill," from Medieval Latin mota "mound, fortified height."
The Mut Temple Complex looks as if it could inspire both meanings of the word. It is both on a mound and surrounded by water.
Women whose monthly cycles are ruled by the moon and the water element, are often accused of being moody. But sometimes strong emotions and passions can be appreciated, when you are the one in need of protection from the mama bear. Mothers definitely can have a mood. The moodiness of the mother (mut) can cause her to exhibit great courage, which is Mut "courage, heart, spirit, boldness, pluck" in German, and muot in Old High German is "anger, wrath," in Old Norse this is moðr (mothr), and Gothic moþs (moths). Being Mut-y, i.e., Mother-y can be a good thing. And, it is often easy to mitigate this moðr (anger) of the mother . . . don't threaten her children. Mitigate, from Latin mitis "gentle soft," like a mother, so perhaps we could say Mut-igate. There is a duality to the nature of a mother.
In Thebes the goddess Mut was combined with the goddess Sekhmet / Sakhmet, sḫm (meaning "She who is Mighty / Strong / Powerful"), as Sekhmet-Mut. The Festival of Drunkenness (celebrated at the Mut Temple) pertained to the story of Sekhmet and Ra. In the story, the ravenous lion goddess is set upon mankind as punishment, but after a time Ra takes mercy upon the people, and has to devise a way to stop the mighty goddess from her slaughter. He does this by tricking her into drinking 7000 jars of ochre stained beer (which she mistakes for blood). Sekhmet becomes drunk on the beer and passes out. When she awakens she is transformed as the peaceful mother goddess Hathor, who has one epithet "Lady of Drunkenness."
Then Re said: "You come in peace, sweet one." And her name was changed to Hathor, and her nature was changed also to the sweetness of love and the strength of desire. And henceforth Hathor laid low men and women only with the great power of love. But for ever after her priestesses drank in her honour of the beer of Heliopolis colored with the red ochre of Elephantine when they celebrated her festival each year. -The Story of Re
So the beer in fact muted Sekhmet's desire to kill, and made her mitis "gentle, soft."
In ancient Egypt the vulture hieroglyph represented the phonogram (word forming sound) mwt as well as having the meaning "mother," and also "griffon vulture." Vultures were thought of as being good and protective mothers to their young, and their large outstretched wings were a sign of protection. Vultures had very positive symbolic significance in ancient Egypt.
Vultures tend to have mottled feathers, that is, a varigated mixture of light and dark feathers.
We might even say they are motley (adj), from late 14c., which is "parti-colored, variegated in color" (originally of fabric). Motley is from Anglo-French motteley, and is said to be of unknown origin. Motley (n.) meaning "jester, fool" is from (1600), named allusively from the dress thereof [OE].
The parti-colored vultures depicted in ancient Egyptian art and jewelry especially bring to mind this term, motley.
When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. The chief priests and scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid, clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. Luke 23:8-11
