In order to find the character letter for a particular name, we have to replace the digital system of ten figures (zero and 1-9) with one of twenty-seven figures (zero and A-Z). (To avoid confusion with the letter O, zero will be represented by a '-' .) As long as we don’t examine certain words of Joyce’ novels, the letter-numbers should not consist of more than two figures. The last figure represents 27 to the power of zero (which is 1), and the second last 27 to the power of one (which is 27).
We take the numbers of all letters in the chosen name (according to their place in the alphabet) and add them up. Then we divide the whole by 27, and we write down the result (of full 27s) in form of a letter (A for 1, B for 2 etc.). The rest is written behind this figure as a letter as well. Finally, we add up the numbers of the two letters in the same way until we have a total of less than 27 which represents the character letter (see examples).
Of course everybody is the master of his own fate, and as the cards in the Tarot deck may turn up reversed, the character traits in Ludwigian Letterology may display themselves in a positive as well as in a negative way.
(To help you find the right letter, there’s a list at the end of the essay.)
Example:
E l v i s P r e s l e y
5+12+22+ 9+19 + 16+18+ 5+19+12+ 5+25 = 167 167/27 = F(162)rest E(5), F(6)+E(5) = K(11)
The A-person achieves his goals through patience and moderation. He is a careful person and tends to be a perfectionist in every way.
On the other hand, rash decisions and thoughtless actions can cause major disasters (like John F. Kennedy’s attempted invasion of Cuba and his ignition of the Vietnam War).
Famous A- persons: Ludwig van Beethoven, George Byron, John F. Kennedy, Robert Louis Stevenson, Orson Welles
B. The Sun
The B-person is very sociable and driven by a force of activity. He is focused on his goals (which won’t change throughout his life) and will do anything to achieve them.
On the other hand, he may lose control and the powers released by him may turn against himself.
Famous B-persons: Napoleon Bonaparte, James Joyce, Sophia Loren, Roman Polanski, Frank Sinatra
C. The Tower (The House of God)
The C-person tends to be rough and intolerant, and he will try to destroy everything that displeases him in order to impose his own ideas upon others.
On the other hand, he may overcome this destructive tendency and call for tolerance and humanity, often with a good sense of humour.
Famous C-persons: Bette Davis, W.C. Fields, George Harrison, Martin Luther
D. The Rods (Batons, Wands)
The D-person is inspired by the element of fire. He finds it easy to convince others of his ideas and thoughts because he firmly believes in what he says himself.
On the other hand, he may misuse his power and lead others into difficult and sometimes disastrous situations.
Famous D-persons: Kim Basinger, Erich Fromm, George Gershwin, Jack Nicholson
E. The Moon
The E-person completes or dominates developments or movements which began long before his time; after his activities, nothing will stay the same.
On the other hand, he may take advantage of changes that are in progress without participating constructively.
Famous E-persons: Michael Collins, Francis Drake, John D. Rockefeller, William Shakespeare, George Washington, Oscar Wilde
F. The High Priestess
The F-person creates a mystic aura around himself and tends to spellbind his fellowmen. Many F-persons use this effect to open their eyes by means of black humour and social criticism.
On the other hand, the misuse of this power can cause others to deny their humanity and lead to widespread barbarism and destruction of biblical proportions.
Famous F-persons: Luis Bunuel, Adolf Hitler, Ronald Reagan, Frank Zappa
G. Strength
The G-person is a born leader. In his field he will be regarded as an authority because of his profound knowledge, his continuous efforts and his obvious results.
On the other hand, he may become a tyrant who creates a cult around himself and who won’t respect the rights of anybody else.
Famous G-persons: Idi Amin, Friedrich Nietzsche, Ian Paisley, Mary Robinson
H. Chance (The Wheel of Fortune)
The H-person may be talented, but he also needs a great deal of flexibility and a sixth sense to seize the right opportunity when it arises. If this is the case, nothing will stand in his way.
On the other hand, if fate should turn against him, he may be subject to total defeat.
Famous H-persons: Fidel Castro, Tony Curtis, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Liz Taylor
I. Justice
The I-person feels strongly about wantonness and injustice and will always help the righteous course.
On the other hand, he may create a dogma of his own and fight everybody who opposes his idea of justice.
Famous I-persons: Nicolaus Copernicus, Sylvester Stallone, Ringo Starr, Tuesday Weld
J. The Hierophant (The Pope)
The J-person is a typical patriarch, a traditionalist for the sake of tradition who refuses to reflect on the rules he takes over from others.
On the other hand, he may overcome his stubborn views and become an ambassador of tolerance and progress.
Famous J-people: Willy Brandt, Joseph Goebbels, Friedrich Schiller, Margaret Thatcher
K. The Reaper (Death)
The K-person, in order to find his destiny, has to undergo one or more major changes in life, usually concerning his career or his way of thinking. If this happens, a broadened view as well as good fortune can bring satisfaction and success.
On the other hand, if a necessary change is avoided, he may become depressive and finally withdraw from the world.
Famous K-persons: Roald Amundsen, Christopher Columbus, Heinrich Heine, Edgar Allen Poe, Elvis Presley
L. The Emperor
The L-person has the gift of foresight; when he makes plans and structures plots, he will take events into consideration that others don’t even think about.
On the other hand, if this gift is combined with excessive narcissism, it may be misused to sacrifice friends or dependants in order to increase one's own popularity.
Famous L-persons: Friedrich Engels, Galileo Galilei, Thomas Moore, George Orwell, Albert Schweitzer, Eamon de Valera
M. The Lovers
The M-person has a positive attitude towards life; he wouldn’t harm anybody and expects the same from others.
On the other hand, if this positive view of the world is seriously shaken, he may come to think that all people are bad and turn into a sarcastic cynic.
Famous M-people: Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Rudyard Kipling, Theodore Roosevelt, Thornton Wilder
N. The Cup
The N-person is inspired by the element of water. His actions are the result of feelings, emotions and dogmata that he absorbed in his childhood and youth. Therefore he can be a loving and caring character, provided he grew up in an adequate environment.
On the other hand, if he has been filled with morbid ideas and hatred towards others, he may become the complete opposite and in this case often develops a liking for fascist doctrines.
Famous N-persons: Salvador Dali, Guy Fawkes, Benito Mussolini, Edgar Wallace
O. The Hanged Man
The O-person has a viewpoint that is different from standard opinions, and he will try to acquaint others with his way of thinking (which, in his eyes, is the only reasonable one).
On the other hand, he may get a fixation on a certain idea and create an inhuman structure without any consideration for others.
Famous O-people: Otto von Bismarck, Al Capone, Charlie Chaplin, Bob Marley, Malcolm X
P. Judgement (The Angel)
The P-person knows when a decision is to be made, and he will know which is the right one. Because of his sound judgement, others will ask for his advice.
On the other hand, if he reflects too much on the possible consequences of potential actions he may become a rather weak and indecisive character.
Famous P-persons: Marilyn Monroe, Heinrich Schliemann, Alfred Tennyson, Leonardo da Vinci
Q. The Empress
The Q-person is convinced of his abilities and easily convinces others as well (whether or not he is right about it). He will dedicate his life to one aim or message he thinks is worth living (and dying) for.
On the other hand, he may not find his destiny, and in this case he will get confused and spread one doctrine after the other. In this state, he’ll be as easily influenced by others as he influences others himself.
Famous Q-people: Hernan Cortez, Franz Kafka, John Lennon, Algernon Charles Swinburne, W.B.Yeats
R. The Arsenal (Swords)
The R-person is inspired by the element of air. He is a fighter for what he believes is right, but he’s not a fighter for the sake of fighting. He will stand up for his right and for the rights of others, but only in order to come to a satisfactory agreement.
On the other hand, he may develop a liking for continuous fighting and become a fiend or a notorious grumbler.
Famous R-persons: Bertold Brecht, John Cleese, Bill Clinton, Hermann Goering, Martin Luther King
S. The Conjurers (The Magician, The Juggler)
The S-person can make a lot out of little and sometimes a little out of nothing while his spellbound audience watches. He can see potential in anything, and success proves him right.
On the other hand, he may use his ability in order to deceive others for his own advantage.
Famous S-persons: Leonard Bernstein, Terry Gilliam, Mata Hari, Abraham Lincoln
T. The World
The T-person has an ideal picture of how the world should be, and he will do his best to convince others of his ideas as well.
On the other hand, he may lose his idealism due to discouraging experiences and become a simple opportunist.
Famous T-people: James Dean, Robert Graves, Michael Jackson, Karl Marx, Isaac Newton
U. The Hermit
The U-person may appear as a strange character to us. He enjoys the solitude he lives in while he works or makes plans, but he also loves to bathe in the applause of the crowds when presenting the results.
On the other hand, either of these tendencies may come to dominate his character and turn him into an isolated misanthrope or into an unintellectual showperson.
Famous U-persons: Mark Chapman, Joseph Haydn, Grace Kelly, Helmut Kohl, Evita Peron
V. The Fool
Like a child the V-person will always say what he thinks and do what he wants to do without considering the possible consequences. Although this behaviour is inclined to cause problems, it is also likely to open other people’s eyes and allow them to see the world in a new light (the Emperor's New Clothes Effect).
On the other hand, he may just act childish in order to get attention and avoid responsibility.
Famous V-persons: Woody Allen, Sarah Ferguson, Jodie Foster, Mahatma Gandhi, Alfred Hitchcock, Robin Hood, Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Paul McCartney, Steven Spielberg, Richard Strauss
W. The Treasury (Coins, Pentacles)
The W-person is inspired by the element of earth and concerned about the material wellbeing of the world’s population. Therefore he is inclined to do a lot of charity work and give all his energy for the struggle against hunger and poverty.
On the other hand, he may only be concerned about his own finances and become a selfish money-grubber.
Famous W-persons: Roald Dahl, Bob Dylan, Albert Einstein, Jim Morrison
X. The Charioteer
The X-person is torn between different ambitions and goals and constantly strives to find his own way, only to change directions again at the next crossroads.
On the other hand, should he be strong enough to stick to one decision (which particularly happens after he has been successful with it), he may become an institution in the field he chose.
Famous X-persons: Dave Allen, Kirk Douglas, Stephen King, Pablo Picasso, Peter Sellers, Cat Stevens
Y. The Stars
The Y-person is blessed with incredibly great stamina, and there seems to be no end to his energy. Whatever he starts, he will not rest until the project has been successfully concluded.
On the other hand, he may overestimate his reserves and, thinking of nothing else than the goal he wants to achieve, end up in a ruinous cycle of constant stress which may even cost his life.
Famous Y-persons: Agatha Christie, Janis Joplin, John Keats, Nelson Mandela, Robert Scott, Richard Wagner
Z. The Devil
The Z-person follows his instincts. He doesn’t necessarily hate those people he has to step over, but nothing will stand in his way when he pursues his goal.
On the other hand, if he is man enough to be aware of his base instincts, he may overcome them and render his services for the good of mankind.
Famous Z-people: George W. Bush, Winston Churchill, Oliver Cromwell, Aristotle S. Onassis, Guiseppe Verdi
Second Last Numbers/Last Numbers
(27(1)=27)/(27(0)=1)
A- = 27/A = 1
B- = 54/B = 2
C- = 81/C = 3
D- = 108/D = 4
E- = 135/E = 5
F- = 162/F = 6
G- = 189/G = 7
H- = 216/H = 8
I- = 243/I = 9
J- = 270/J = 10
K- = 297/K = 11
L- = 324/L = 12
M- = 351/M = 13
N- = 378/N = 14
O- = 405/O = 15
P- = 432/P = 16
Q- = 459/Q = 17
R- = 486/R = 18
S- = 513/S = 19
T- = 540/T = 20
U- = 567/U = 21
V- = 594/V = 22
W- = 621/W = 23
X- = 648/X = 24
Y- = 675/Y = 25
Z- = 702/Z = 26