Fortuna
From Association of Independent Readers and Rootworkers
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Fortuna is the ancient Roman goddess who grants success and luck, especially in matters of Prosperity, Money Drawing, Business, and Gambling. She is classically depicted as a beautiful young woman holding a cornucopia or horn of plenty, from which she draws forth an endless supply of golden coins, casting them upon her devotees. In Roman times, Fortuna was depicted as the keeper and mover of the "Rota Fortuna," or Wheel of Fortune. Fortuna was often depicted as veiled or blind, in keeping with her association with the unpredictability of life. The Roman playwright and politician Seneca referenced her in his play "Agamemnon," as did the Roman author Ovid in his letters from exile. Her festivals were held in the month of June: the festival of Fortuna Annonaria on June 11 for Fortuna as protector of the grain stores, the general cult festival for Fortuna on June 24.
Fortuna was particularly popular in the city of Rome. The Temple of Fortuna Muliebris was dedicated in 486 BCE in honor of the Roman women who engineered the end of the war with the Volsci; it has disappeared to time and no ruins remain. The Temple of Fortuna Primigenia was founded in 204 BCE within the larger Roman Praeneste temple complex. The Sanctuary of Fortuna, which still stands, was dedicated in 80 BCE in honor of the victory over Gaius Marius. The Temple of Portunus or Fortuna Virilis -- a male version of Fortuna -- was founded in the 3rd or 4th century BCE near the Pons Aemilius on the Tiber river, and was subsequently rebuilt, remaining one of the better-preserved Roman temples into the modern day, having been converted into a Christian church during the Middle Ages.
After Rome fell and Europeans converted to Christianity, veneration of Fortuna faded and her temples fell into ruin, but her Rota Fortuna persisted. During the European Middle Ages and Renaissance, Fortuna and her Wheel of Fortune had become allegorical figures, appearing in literature, music, and visual art, often as a expression of the Divine Will of God as in Dante, or as an admonition such as "Fortune favors the bold" in the writings of the 16th century author Machiavelli. In popular iconography, the Rota Fortuna become well known as the central image on the Wheel of Fortune card in the tarot deck.
In astrology, the Part of Fortune refers to the arc distance from the Sun to the Moon (by day) or the Moon to the Sun (by night) projected from the Ascendent or rising point. Astrologers calculate the Part of Fortune for clients to represent conditions experienced by the client due to circumstances arising from outside their own will or spiritual inclination. The Part of Fortune may also speak to the overall bodily health of the native. Because it is a calculated point, it is most activated or potentiated when it is conjunct an actual planet or fixed star, or when a transiting planet passes over it.
Fortuna's equivalent in the Greek pantheon is Tyche, a young woman depicted with a Sphere of Fortune. She also resembles, but is not the same as, Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth and good fortune, who also casts golden coins upon her devotees. In England and America, Fortuna has become secularized as Dame Fortune or Lady Luck, who may be shown holding a lucky horseshoe or a four-leaf clover, and may be accompanied by gambling symbols such as cards, dice, or poker chips.
Credits
This page is brought to you by the AIRR Tech Team:
- Authors: catherine yronwode and Lukianos
- Contributors: nagasiva yronwode, Papa Newt
- Image: Jean Francois Armand Felix Bernard
