Fortuna
Roman goddess of fortune and chance, equivalent to the Greek Tyche
The Myth of Fortuna
Fortuna was one of the most widely worshipped deities in the Roman world, with temples and shrines in almost every city. Her most famous sanctuary at Praeneste (modern Palestrina) housed a celebrated oracle. She was depicted with a cornucopia of abundance and a ship's rudder, steering the course of human affairs. Fortuna had dozens of epithets — Fortuna Redux brought travellers home safely, Fortuna Virilis governed women's relations with men, and Fortuna Primigenia was a great mother goddess. The philosopher Boethius wrote his Consolation of Philosophy largely about coming to terms with Fortuna's wheel, the idea that she spins mortals from prosperity to ruin and back again. Her image appeared on countless Roman coins.
Parents
Jupiter
Symbols
Fun Fact
Fortuna's Wheel, the idea that luck constantly turns, became one of the most enduring symbols in all of Western culture
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Tyche
⚡ godGoddess of fortune and chance
Tyche was the goddess of fortune and chance — embodying life's unpredictability.
Fortunate
💭 conceptLanguage and chance
An English adjective meaning lucky or favoured by chance, derived from Fortuna, the Roman goddess of fortune who was identified with the Greek goddess Tyche
Lachesis
goddessfate, life allotment, chance, measuring destiny
The second of the three Moirai, Lachesis measures the thread of each mortal life and assigns the portion of fortune and misfortune.
Minerva
⚡ godWisdom, strategy, crafts, education
Roman goddess of wisdom, strategic warfare, and the arts, equated with the Greek Athena
Venus
⚡ godLove, beauty, desire, fertility
Roman goddess of love, beauty, and fertility, identified with the Greek Aphrodite but also revered as ancestress of the Roman people
Agathos Daimon
⚡ godGood fortune, household protection
A benevolent spirit of good luck and prosperity venerated in domestic Greek religious practice
Aphrodite
⚡ godGoddess of love, desire, and beauty
The goddess born from sea-foam whose power over desire could override the will of gods and mortals alike.
Juno
⚡ godMarriage, childbirth, women, the state
Queen of the Roman gods and protector of women and the state, counterpart to the Greek Hera
Pax
⚡ godPeace, harmony, prosperity
Roman goddess of peace and civic harmony, equivalent to the Greek Eirene
Pluto
⚡ godUnderworld, death, riches
Roman god of the underworld and mineral wealth, derived from the Greek Plouton, a euphemistic title of Hades
Victoria
⚡ godVictory, triumph, success
Roman goddess of victory, equivalent to the Greek Nike
Athena
⚡ godGoddess of wisdom and strategic warfare
The warrior-goddess born from Zeus's head who embodied strategic intelligence, craft, and the civilising arts of the city.