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Fortune, something all individuals who take part in lotteries hope will shine upon them. But where does the concept of fortune derive from?

Fortuna was the Roman goddess of fortune, the very personification of luck. Just as today we have good and bad fortune, Fortuna could bring good or bad luck. Fortuna was also revered as the Goddess of fate and was believed to have taken the lives of the Augustus’ grandsons Gaius and Lucius who were to be the heirs of the Roman Empire.

An impressive cult surrounded the goddess Fortuna in Roman culture. It is believed that the cult was begun by Servius Tullius whom Romans believed had sexual intimacy with Fortuna as Servius Tullius seemed so exceptionally lucky. Fortuna had a temple erected to her at the Gorum Boarium and also a sacred precinct on the Quirinalis. The identity of Fortuna was closely bound with that of strength of character, those lacking in virtue being seen to invite ill-fortune upon themselves.