Humanity, since the dawn of civilizations, has worshiped luck and the favor of chance, personified by the goddess Tyche (Τύχη) in ancient Greece and the goddess Fortuna in ancient Rome.
The second name is well-known today and can be considered a semantic analogy (almost a synonym) for the words “luck” and “fate.”
Fortuna and her wheel
The word “fortuna” is of ancient Roman origin and literally translates from Latin as “fate.” Initially, it was associated with the cult of Fortuna, which emerged long before the rise of the Roman Empire, probably in Latium among the Italic peoples, between the 10th and 7th centuries BCE.
It is possible that the Latins worshiped this cult before migrating to the Apennine Peninsula and brought the tradition with them. Although there are no definitive facts to confirm this, it is known that by the 6th century BCE, Fortuna was worshiped in ancient Rome. Evidence of this is the ancient temple built by the sixth king of Rome, Servius Tullius (Servius Tullius), on the banks of the Tiber River between 578 and 534 BCE.
Initially, Fortuna was worshiped by farmers, who celebrated the festival of Fortis Fortunae on June 24 each year. It was believed that the goddess's favor brought good conditions for a bountiful harvest: warm weather, rain, and river floods. Later, shepherds also adopted the tradition, as their prosperity depended on fertile pastures.
During the same period, ancient Rome already had a fertility goddess, Ceres (Cerēs), which raises doubts about the Roman origin of Fortuna. It is more likely that the cult was borrowed from the Italic tribes or the ancient Greeks and developed alongside traditional Roman mythology.
Late Roman Fortuna
It is unknown exactly when the cult of Fortuna began in Rome, but during its height, the goddess's popularity was immense. Thousands of altars and chapels dedicated to Fortuna, along with tens of thousands of images and engravings, have been found throughout the former Roman Empire during archaeological excavations.
The goddess’s image appeared on ancient coins, household items, artisan products, and home altars. In terms of the number of followers, Fortuna could be compared to Mercury (Mercurius) — the god of trade, wealth, and profit.
Fortuna was also part of the imperial cult under the name Fortuna Augusta, receiving special reverence in 19 BCE after Octavian Augustus (Octavianus Augustus) returned victoriously from the East.
She was often depicted with a cornucopia (horn of plenty) and a wheel, accompanied by other personifications such as Felicitas, Hilaritas, Concordia, and Fides. From the 1st century CE, she was frequently portrayed alongside Isis (Isis), the goddess of femininity and motherhood.
In addition to the ancient temple built by Servius Tullius in the 6th century BCE on the Tiber River, other grand temples were later dedicated to Fortuna. Among them were the Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia (built in 194 BCE), the Temple of Fortuna Equestris (Aedes Fortunae Equestris, built in 180 BCE), and the Temple of “Fortune of This Day” (Fortuna Huiusce Diei, built in 101 BCE).
The worship of Fortuna continued even after the fall of the Roman Empire, surviving unofficially throughout the Middle Ages in Western Europe. In modern times, the goddess’s name was honored in 1852 when an asteroid was named after her.
Today, the word “fortuna” is more commonly associated with “luck” and “fate” than with the ancient Roman goddess. The “wheel of fortune” (roulette) is a staple in every casino, and the phrase “fortune’s favorite” refers to a person who is consistently lucky.
Despite living in the digital age, many people around the world still place more faith in luck than in reason and precise calculations. The expression “trust in fortune” seems never to go out of style — although today, the goddess’s role is often played by a random number generator.