Fortuna ( la, Fortūna, equivalent to the Greek goddess

Tyche Tyche (; Ancient Greek: Τύχη ''Túkhē'', 'Luck', , ; Roman equivalent: Fortuna) was the presiding tutelary deity who governed the fortune and prosperity of a city, its destiny. In Classical Greek mythology, she is the daughter of Aphrodite a ...

) is the goddess of fortune and the

personification Personification occurs when a thing or abstraction is represented as a person, in literature or art, as a type of anthropomorphic metaphor. The type of personification discussed here excludes passing literary effects such as "Shadows hold their b ...

luck Luck is the phenomenon and belief that defines the experience of improbable events, especially improbably positive or negative ones. The naturalistic interpretation is that positive and negative events may happen at any time, both due to rand ...

Roman religion Religion in ancient Rome consisted of varying imperial and provincial religious practices, which were followed both by the people of Rome as well as those who were brought under its rule. The Romans thought of themselves as highly religious, ...

who, largely thanks to the Late Antique author

Boethius Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, commonly known as Boethius (; Latin: ''Boetius''; 480 – 524 AD), was a Roman senator, consul, ''magister officiorum'', historian, and philosopher of the Early Middle Ages. He was a central figure in the tr ...

, remained popular through the Middle Ages until at least the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

. The blindfolded depiction of her is still an important figure in many aspects of today's Italian culture, where the dichotomy ''fortuna / sfortuna'' (luck / unluck) plays a prominent role in everyday social life, also represented by the very common refrain "La eafortuna è cieca" (

latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''Fortuna caeca est''; "Luck oddessis blind"). Fortuna is often depicted with a

gubernaculum The paired gubernacula (from Ancient Greek κυβερνάω = pilot, steer) also called the caudal genital ligament, are embryonic structures which begin as undifferentiated mesenchyme attaching to the caudal end of the gonads (testes in male ...

(ship's rudder), a ball or Rota Fortunae (wheel of fortune, first mentioned by

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the estab ...

) and a cornucopia (horn of plenty). She might bring good or bad luck: she could be represented as veiled and blind, as in modern depictions of Lady Justice, except that Fortuna does not hold a balance. Fortuna came to represent life's capriciousness. She was also a goddess of

fate Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate (from Latin ''fatum'' "decree, prediction, destiny, fate"), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although often ...

: as ''Atrox Fortuna'', she claimed the young lives of the princeps

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

' grandsons

Gaius Gaius, sometimes spelled ''Gajus'', Kaius, Cajus, Caius, was a common Latin praenomen; see Gaius (praenomen). People *Gaius (jurist) (), Roman jurist *Gaius Acilius *Gaius Antonius *Gaius Antonius Hybrida *Gaius Asinius Gallus *Gaius Asinius Pol ...

and Lucius, prospective heirs to the Empire. (In antiquity she was also known as ''Automatia''.)

Ancient cult

Fortuna's father was said to be Jupiter and like him, she could also be bountiful (''Copia''). As ''Annonaria'' she protected grain supplies. June 11 was consecrated to her: on June 24 she was given cult at the festival of ''Fors Fortuna''. Fortuna's name seems to derive from ''Vortumna'' (she who revolves the year). Roman writers disagreed whether her cult was introduced to Rome by Servius Tullius or

Ancus Marcius Ancus Marcius was the legendary fourth king of Rome, who traditionally reigned 24 years. Upon the death of the previous king, Tullus Hostilius, the Roman Senate appointed an interrex, who in turn called a session of the assembly of the people who ...

. The two earliest temples mentioned in Roman Calendars were outside the city, on the right bank of the Tiber (in Italian

Trastevere Trastevere () is the 13th ''rione'' of Rome: it is identified by the initials R. XIII and it is located within Municipio I. Its name comes from Latin ''trans Tiberim'', literally 'beyond the Tiber'. Its coat of arms depicts a golden head of a lio ...

). The first temple dedicated to Fortuna was attributed to the Etruscan Servius Tullius, while the second is known to have been built in 293 BC as the fulfilment of a Roman promise made during later Etruscan wars. The date of dedication of her temples was 24 June, or Midsummer's Day, when celebrants from Rome annually floated to the temples downstream from the city. After undisclosed rituals they then rowed back, garlanded and inebriated. Also Fortuna had a temple at the Forum Boarium. Here Fortuna was twinned with the cult of

Mater Matuta Mater Matuta was an indigenous Latin goddess, whom the Romans eventually made equivalent to the dawn goddess Aurora, and the Greek goddess Eos. Her cult is attested several places in Latium; her most famous temple was located at Satricum. In Rome ...

(the goddesses shared a festival on 11 June), and the paired temples have been revealed in the excavation beside the church of

Sant'Omobono Sant'Omobono is a church in Rome at the foot of the Capitoline Hill in rione Ripa. It was built in the 15th century and called ''San Salvatore in Portico''. When the church was given to the "Università dei Sarti" (the association of tailors) in ...

: the cults are indeed archaic in date. Fortuna Primigenia of

Praeneste Palestrina (ancient ''Praeneste''; grc, Πραίνεστος, ''Prainestos'') is a modern Italian city and ''comune'' (municipality) with a population of about 22,000, in Lazio, about east of Rome. It is connected to the latter by the Via Pre ...

was adopted by Romans at the end of 3rd century BC in an important cult of ''Fortuna Publica Populi Romani'' (the ''Official Good Luck of the Roman People'') on the

Quirinalis The Quirinal Hill (; la, Collis Quirinalis; it, Quirinale ) is one of the Seven Hills of Rome, at the north-east of the city center. It is the location of the official residence of the Italian head of state, who resides in the Quirinal Palace ...

outside the Porta Collina. No temple at Rome, however, rivalled the magnificence of the Praenestine sanctuary. Fortuna's identity as personification of chance events was closely tied to ''

virtus ''Virtus'' () was a specific virtue in Ancient Rome. It carries connotations of valor, manliness, excellence, courage, character, and worth, perceived as masculine strengths (from Latin ''vir'', "man"). It was thus a frequently stated virtue o ...

'' (strength of character). Public officials who lacked virtues invited ill-fortune on themselves and Rome:

Sallust Gaius Sallustius Crispus, usually anglicised as Sallust (; 86 – ), was a Roman historian and politician from an Italian plebeian family. Probably born at Amiternum in the country of the Sabines, Sallust became during the 50s BC a partisan o ...

uses the infamous Catiline as illustration – "Truly, when in the place of work, idleness, in place of the spirit of measure and equity, caprice and pride invade, fortune is changed just as with morality". An

oracle An oracle is a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. As such, it is a form of divination. Description The word '' ...

at the Temple of Fortuna Primigena in

used a form of divination in which a small boy picked out one of various futures that were written on

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

rods. Cults to Fortuna in her many forms are attested throughout the Roman world. Dedications have been found to ''Fortuna Dubia'' (doubtful fortune), ''Fortuna Brevis'' (fickle or wayward fortune) and ''Fortuna Mala'' (bad fortune). Fortuna is found in a variety of domestic and personal contexts. During the early Empire, an amulet from the

House of Menander The House of Menander (Italian: Casa del Menandro) is one of the richest and most magnificent houses in ancient Pompeii in terms of architecture, decoration and contents, and covers a large area of about occupying most of its '' insula''. Its ...

Pompeii Pompeii (, ) was an ancient city located in what is now the ''comune'' of Pompei near Naples in the Campania region of Italy. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area (e.g. at Boscoreale, Stabiae), was buried ...

links her to the Egyptian goddess

Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingd ...

, as Isis-Fortuna. She is functionally related to the god

Bonus Eventus Bonus Eventus ("Good Outcome") was a divine personification in ancient Roman religion. The Late Republican scholar Varro lists him as one of the twelve deities who presided over agriculture, paired with Lympha, the goddess who influenced the water ...

, who is often represented as her counterpart: both appear on

amulet An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word amuletum, which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects ...

s and intaglio engraved gems across the Roman world. In the context of the early republican period account of Coriolanus, in around 488 BC the

Roman senate The Roman Senate ( la, Senātus Rōmānus) was a governing and advisory assembly in ancient Rome. It was one of the most enduring institutions in Roman history, being established in the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in ...

dedicated a temple to Fortuna on account of the services of the matrons of Rome in saving the city from destruction. Evidence of Fortuna worship has been found as far north as Castlecary,

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

and an altar and statue can now be viewed at the

Hunterian Museum The Hunterian is a complex of museums located in and operated by the University of Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland. It is the oldest museum in Scotland. It covers the Hunterian Museum, the Hunterian Art Gallery, the Mackintosh House, the Zoology M ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. The earliest reference to the

Wheel of Fortune The Wheel of Fortune or ''Rota Fortunae'' has been a concept and metaphor since ancient times referring to the capricious nature of Fate. Wheel of Fortune may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Art * ''The Wheel of Fortune'' (Burne-Jo ...

, emblematic of the endless changes in life between prosperity and disaster, is from 55 BC. In

Seneca Seneca may refer to: People and language * Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname * Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America ** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people Places Extrat ...

's tragedy ''Agamemnon'', a chorus addresses Fortuna in terms that would remain almost proverbial, and in a high heroic ranting mode that Renaissance writers would emulate:

Ovid Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the th ...

's description is typical of Roman representations: in a letter from exile he reflects ruefully on the “goddess who admits by her unsteady wheel her own fickleness; she always has its apex beneath her swaying foot.”

Middle Ages and Renaissance

Fortuna did not disappear from the popular imagination with the ascendancy of Christianity. Saint Augustine took a stand against her continuing presence, in the '' City of God'': "How, therefore, is she good, who without discernment comes to both the good and to the bad?...It profits one nothing to worship her if she is truly ''fortune''... let the bad worship her...this supposed deity". In the 6th century, the ''

Consolation of Philosophy ''On the Consolation of Philosophy'' ('' la, De consolatione philosophiae'')'','' often titled as ''The Consolation of Philosophy'' or simply the ''Consolation,'' is a philosophical work by the Roman statesman Boethius. Written in 523 while he ...

'', by statesman and philosopher

, written while he faced execution, reflected the Christian theology of ''casus'', that the apparently random and often ruinous turns of Fortune's Wheel are in fact both inevitable and providential, that even the most coincidental events are part of God's hidden plan which one should not resist or try to change. Fortuna, then, was a servant of God, and events, individual decisions, the influence of the stars were all merely vehicles of Divine Will. In succeeding generations Boethius' ''Consolation'' was required reading for scholars and students. Fortune crept back into popular acceptance, with a new iconographic trait, "two-faced Fortune", ''Fortuna bifrons''; such depictions continue into the 15th century. The ubiquitous image of the Wheel of Fortune found throughout the Middle Ages and beyond was a direct legacy of the second book of Boethius's ''Consolation''. The Wheel appears in many renditions from tiny miniatures in

manuscripts A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in ...

to huge stained glass windows in cathedrals, such as at

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

. Lady Fortune is usually represented as larger than life to underscore her importance. The wheel characteristically has four shelves, or stages of life, with four human figures, usually labeled on the left ''regnabo'' (I shall reign), on the top ''regno'' (I reign) and is usually crowned, descending on the right ''regnavi'' (I have reigned) and the lowly figure on the bottom is marked ''sum sine regno'' (I have no kingdom). Medieval representations of Fortune emphasize her duality and instability, such as two faces side by side like

Janus In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus ( ; la, Ianvs ) is the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, frames, and endings. He is usually depicted as having two faces. The month of January is named for Janu ...

; one face smiling the other frowning; half the face white the other black; she may be blindfolded but without scales, blind to justice. She was associated with the cornucopia, ship's rudder, the ball and the wheel. The cornucopia is where plenty flows from, the Helmsman's rudder steers fate, the globe symbolizes chance (who gets good or bad luck), and the wheel symbolizes that luck, good or bad, never lasts. Allegory of Fortune mg 0010

Fortune would have many influences in cultural works throughout the Middle Ages. In ''

Le Roman de la Rose ''Le Roman de la Rose'' (''The Romance of the Rose'') is a medieval poem written in Old French and presented as an allegorical dream vision. As poetry, ''The Romance of the Rose'' is a notable instance of courtly literature, purporting to provid ...

'', Fortune frustrates the hopes of a lover who has been helped by a personified character "Reason". In Dante's ''

Inferno Inferno may refer to: * Hell, an afterlife place of suffering * Conflagration, a large uncontrolled fire Film * ''L'Inferno'', a 1911 Italian film * Inferno (1953 film), ''Inferno'' (1953 film), a film noir by Roy Ward Baker * Inferno (1973 fi ...

'' (vii.67-96),

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: t ...

explains the nature of Fortune, both a devil and a ministering angel, subservient to God. Boccaccio's ''De Casibus Virorum Illustrium'' ("The Fortunes of Famous Men"), used by John Lydgate to compose his ''

Fall of Princes ''The Fall of Princes'' is a long poem by English poet John Lydgate. It is based on Giovanni Boccaccio's work ''De Casibus Virorum Illustrium'', which Lydgate knew in a French translation by Laurent de Premierfait, entitled ''Des Cas des nobles h ...

'', tells of many where the turn of Fortune's wheel brought those most high to disaster, and Boccaccio essay ''De remedii dell'una e dell'altra Fortuna'', depends upon Boethius for the double nature of Fortuna. Fortune makes her appearance in '' Carmina Burana'' (see image). The Christianized Lady Fortune is not autonomous: illustrations for Boccaccio's ''Remedii'' show Fortuna enthroned in a triumphal car with reins that lead to heaven. Fortuna also appears in chapter 25 of Machiavelli's ''

The Prince ''The Prince'' ( it, Il Principe ; la, De Principatibus) is a 16th-century political treatise written by Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli as an instruction guide for new princes and royals. The general theme of ''The ...

'', in which he says Fortune only rules one half of men's fate, the other half being of their own will. Machiavelli reminds the reader that Fortune is a woman, that she favours a strong, ambitious hand, and that she favours the more aggressive and bold young man than a timid elder. Monteverdi's opera '' L'incoronazione di Poppea'' features Fortuna, contrasted with the goddess Virtue. Even

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

was no stranger to Lady Fortune: Ignatius J Reilly, the protagonist in the famous John Kennedy Toole novel '' A Confederacy of Dunces'', identifies Fortuna as the agent of change in his life. A verbose, preposterous medievalist, Ignatius is of the mindset that he does not belong in the world and that his numerous failings are the work of some higher power. He continually refers to Fortuna as having spun him downwards on her wheel of luck, as in “Oh, Fortuna, you degenerate wanton!” The Wheel of Fortune also has concerns with

occultism The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism an ...

and

Satanism Satanism is a group of ideological and philosophical beliefs based on Satan. Contemporary religious practice of Satanism began with the founding of the atheistic Church of Satan by Anton LaVey in the United States in 1966, although a few hi ...

Pars Fortuna in astrology

astrology Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of Celestial o ...

the term ''Pars Fortuna'' represents a mathematical point in the

zodiac The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north or south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, the Sun path, apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. ...

derived by the longitudinal positions of the Sun,

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

and Ascendant (Rising sign) in the birth chart of an individual. It represents an especially beneficial point in the horoscopic chart. In Arabic astrology, this and similar points are called Arabian Parts. Al-Biruni (973 – 1048), an 11th-century mathematician, astronomer, and scholar, who was the greatest proponent of this system of prediction, listed a total of 97 Arabic Parts, which were widely used for astrological consultations.

Aspects

* Fortuna Annonaria brought the luck of the harvest * Fortuna Belli the fortune of war *

Fortuna Primigenia Palestrina (ancient ''Praeneste''; grc, Πραίνεστος, ''Prainestos'') is a modern Italian city and ''comune'' (municipality) with a population of about 22,000, in Lazio, about east of Rome. It is connected to the latter by the Via Pren ...

directed the fortune of a firstborn child at the moment of birth *

Fortuna Virilis In ancient Roman religion, Fortuna Virilis was an aspect or manifestation of the goddess Fortuna who despite her name ''(virilis'', "virile, manly") was cultivated by women only. She shared a festival day with Venus Verticordia on April 1 ''( Kal ...

("Luck in men"), a woman's luck in marriage *

Fortuna Redux ''Fortuna Redux'' was a form of the goddess Fortuna in the Roman Empire who oversaw a return, as from a long or perilous journey. Her attributes were Fortuna's typical cornucopia, with her specific function represented by a rudder or steering oar s ...

brought one safely home * Fortuna Respiciens the fortune of the provider * Fortuna Muliebris the luck of a woman. * Fortuna Victrix brought victory in battle * Fortuna Augusta the fortune of the emperor * Fortuna Balnearis the fortune of the baths. * Fortuna Conservatrix the fortune of the Preserver * Fortuna Equestris fortune of the Knights. *

Fortuna Huiusce Diei ''Fortuna Huiusce Diei'' ("The Fortune of This Day" or "Today's Fortune") was an aspect of the goddess Fortuna, known primarily for her temple in the Area Sacra di Largo Argentina at Rome. Cicero lists her among the deities who should be cultiv ...

fortune of the present day. * Fortuna Obsequens fortune of indulgence. * Fortuna Privata fortune of the private individual. * Fortuna Publica fortune of the people. *Fortuna Romana fortune of Rome. *Fortuna Virgo fortune of the virgin. * Fortuna Faitrix the fortune of life *Pars Fortuna *Fortuna Barbata the fortune of adolescents becoming adults

Notes

References

David Plant, "Fortune, Spirit and the Lunation Cycle"
*"Homer" (1827) ''Classical Manual; or, a mythological, historical, and geographical commentary on Pope's Homer and Dryden's Æneid of Virgil, with a copious index''. (Longman). *Howard Rollin Patch (1923), ''Fortuna in Old French Literature'' *Lesley Adkins, Roy A. Adkins (2001) ''Dictionary of Roman Religion'' *Howard Rollin Patch (1927, repr. 1967), ''The Goddess Fortuna in Medieval Literature'' *Howard Rollin Patch (1922), ''The Tradition of the Goddess Fortuna in Medieval Philosophy and Literature'' *J. Champeaux, ''Fortuna. Vol. I. Recherches sur le culte de la Fortuna à Rome et dans le monde romaine des origines à la mort de César; Vol. II. Les Transformations de Fortuna sous le République'' (Rome, École Française de Rome, 1982-1987). *Narducci, Emanuele, Sergio Audano and Luca Fezzi (edd.), ''Aspetti della Fortuna dell'Antico nella Cultura Europea: atti della quarta giornata di studi, Sestri Levante, 16 marzo 2007'' (Pisa: ETS, 2008) (Testi e studi di cultura classica, 41). *

Michele Chiaruzzi Michele Chiaruzzi (born September 12, 1983 in City of San Marino, San Marino) is the current ambassador of San Marino to Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was the first sammarinese ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina at unusually young age and suppose ...

(2016), ''Martin Wight on Fortune and Irony in Politics''

External links

*
Michael Best, "Medieval tragedy"
* (login required) o
Darius Andre Arya, "The Goddess Fortuna in Imperial Rome: Cult, Art, Text"
* *
Fors Fortuna in Ancient Rome
// S. Billington - The Concept of the Goddess, 1996 {{subject bar , commons=y , commons-search=Fortuna Fortune goddesses Personifications in Roman mythology Time and fate goddesses Heraldic charges Roman goddesses