The Fiery Daredevil

The Knights (sometimes Princes) of the suits in Tarot most often represent an aspect of the questioner's personality, or a person in the questioner's life. They may also be symbolic of an event in the person's life.

Knights/Princes can sometimes symbolize male sexual potency and virility, or they may symbolize a young man, age 14-40 (hopefully, if your gut is saying both sexuality and a 14 year old in the questioner's life, it is because it is a mother concerned that her son is taking it too fast with his girlfriend, and not some Mary Kay LeTourneau).  The questioner himself (or herself!) may also be feeling rather sexy. If a Knight shows up in a reading, especially one about whether a seduction will be successful, you should probably stack up on the Trojans.

Which is a lovely segue into the Knights themselves! Most Knights are shown on horseback, and our Knight of Wands (or Staves, or Clubs) is no exception. The horse itself is a symbol of power, bravery, and virility, and, ridden by the Knight of Wands, there is a swiftness and energy that may be hard to contain. This could mean a very healthy libido, or a hot temper. Also, beware of those who start strong and then burn out, if you know what I'm saying.

Robin Wood's Knight of Wands has got it goin' on. 

But the Knight of Wands isn't just a flaming-hot sex monkey. He is also quite potent (there I go again!) in matters of business and creativity. He is the spark of an idea. He is the fire under your seat that motivates you to get up and go. If you've been having writer's block, and the Knight of Wands shows up, you can look forward to some inspiration and the courage to put that inspiration on paper.

Courage is another hallmark of the Knight of Wands. In a reading about a future significant other, he could be telling you to keep an eye out for paramedics or firefighters, or just one of those guys who isn't afraid to bungee jump, ATV, or cruise 90 miles per hour on a Harley. Just make sure the Knight is cooled with a little common sense, and you won't have to spend Valentine's Day holding your heartthrob's brain inside his skull.

The Knight of Wands may also be telling you that you are braver than you think. Probably sexier, too.

The Celtic deck has a Prince, illustrated by Mary Guinan. 

Let's get back on the horse, shall we? (sorry) The horse is also a messenger--think the Pony Express.  Because of this, Knights are associated with messages. The exact message depends on the suit and the surrounding cards. Let's say you pull the Knight of Wands when asking about whether or not you'll get a raise. A possible interpretation (and let's stress possible, as you must go with your gut on these things) is that you will get that raise, but you have to be brave, put yourself out there, and ask for it.  If asking about whether you'll get engaged, the Knight of Wands is a very good sign of your loved one's passion.

Kris Waldherr's Prince of Staves

As can be seen in Kris Waldherr's and Robin Wood's decks, Wands/Staves/Clubs are associated with fire colors--colors of passion, lust, rage, and vitality. Also, the Wands themselves are important, as they symbolize the phallus. Now, many people immediately jump to conclusions with that word, which is natural, but phallus is not necessarily always the male member.  It is masculinity in general, a driving force, an active, subjective energy.

This guy knows what I'm talking about.

Barbara G. Walker's Prince of Wands is Dagon, an ancient Babylonian god. I believe she made a good choice appointing him as the Prince of Wands because he is a bull (an animal associated with both young male masculinity and fire; remember The Last Unicorn?), but that is not the only reason. Dagon is both land and sea--he has a fish tail and a bull's head--and carries both the wand for fire and masculine energy and the cauldron of feminine energy. On his altar are both sun and moon. The combination of fish and bovine is irrational and illogical--just think of the Wuzzles from the '80s--and that, according to Barbara G. Walker, is another aspect of the Prince/Knight of Wands (Walker 30). Like the lightning bolt that cleaves a tree in two, or a ember popping from a bonfire into a puddle of gasoline, the Prince/Knight of wands is unpredictable and hard to pin down.  If it represents an aspect of the reader or questioner, it might signify those intense emotions that she is afraid of--the lust, rage, passion, love--that may very well consume her.

Source: Walker, Barbara G. Barbara Walker Tarot: Instructions. Stamford,CT: U.S. Game Systems, Inc. 1986. Print.