The king of hearts isn't actually killing himself; he only appears to be due to a historical misinterpretation and artistic evolution.
Here's a breakdown:
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The Misinterpretation: The king of hearts is often called the "suicide king" because he is depicted holding a sword that seems to be piercing his head.
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The Original Design: Originally, the king was drawn with an axe.
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Copying Errors: Over centuries, particularly during the era of hand-drawn cards, errors in copying the design by English card makers led to the axe head disappearing. This made the weapon look like a sword and, more specifically, as if he was stabbing himself in the head.
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Artistic Evolution & Standardization: As card designs became more standardized, this altered image became the accepted depiction.
Therefore, the "suicide king" is not intentionally killing himself; it's simply an artifact of design evolution and historical copying errors. The depiction is a result of changes in the card design over time.
