ISIS FORTUNA - The Union of Two Goddesses

FORTUNA

Fortuna comes from the west as the Roman goddess of luck, and is both capricious and arbitrary. The Romans revered a number of deities with which they endeavoured to encapsulate the nature of luck—Fatum was harsh and immutable destiny, while Fors was unforeseeable chance, and was often worshipped jointly with Fortuna as Fors Fortuna. Both Fors and Fortuna find their roots in the Latin word ferre, meaning to bear, bring or endure/suffer (destiny).

The cult is introduced to Rome by Servius Tullius, the last of the Etruscan kings to rule Rome. Legend has it that Servius Tullius and Fortuna were lovers. To meet with him in secret Fortuna would flee through a window and he, to symbolise his love and gratitude, erected a temple in her honour on the banks of the Tiber.

Fortuna too had many names, including Caelestis, Grata and Regina. She was also known as Fortuna Brevis, denoting fleeting luck, or Primigenia, meaning first born or original, that which comes before all others. Certainly the most significant in the eyes of the Romans was Fortuna Bona, the bringer of good luck, often equated with Bonus Eventus. He was revered at the time when Rome was still a primarily agrarian state and is, as such, associated with agriculture and it was only in later Roman phases that his activity is broadened to encompass circumstances in general and to become the divinity associated with a “Good Outcome”. In her beginnings Fortuna Bona was also an agrarian goddess, responsible for the fertility of the land and good harvests. The origins of this goddess, however, are unknown.

Although her origins are uncertain, it does appear that Fortuna walked a long path from the primordial deity of earthly fertility to goddess of luck and fate, along the way absorbing imported cults, including that of the Egyptian Isis.

Syncretism

Syncretism is a concept derived from the Greek notion of συγκρητισμός (synkretismos), meaning amalgamation or union, and is formed from the words σύν (sin): together and Κρής σσσσ(Kres): Cretan or from its plural form Κρῆτες (Kretes): Cretans. Plutarch first expressed the idea in the first century in describing the coalition of all Cretans, joining forces in spite of internal squabbles and divisions in the face of a shared external enemy. The word is now used in philosophy, linguistics and, above all, in the history of religion to denote the fusion and union of diverse cults and religious concepts.

Syncretic religions are most frequent in Hellenism, between the fourth and second centuries BCE, when oriental deities are introduced into the body of Greek and Roman religion. As the Roman Empire grew, new syncretic deities emerged from the fusion of indigenous and Roman gods. In Istria, besides Isis-Fortuna, we have the well-attested cult of Jupiter Ammon, the depiction of which clearly shows both Roman and oriental iconographic attributes.

The syncretic form of Isis merged with Roman Fortuna was exceedingly popular and widespread. Isis-Fortuna is an excellent example of religious syncretism, with the melding not only of iconographic characteristics but also of the powers attributed to the two deities. The question that stands out, however, is the motivation to fuse two or more deities into one entity.

Given that Fortuna is both pure elusive luck and destiny, this merger of deities helps tame her nature, introducing order into chaos. For the worshippers this was the motivation for the syncretism of these deities—to enhance their attributed powers by the merger of their various characteristics. Thus they invoked not only blind luck, but appealed also to the wisdom of Isis, who assured followers a surer destiny.

This is why the goddess holds the gubernaculum (rudder) in her right hand, with which she guides luck and fate. The rudder also denotes her role as protector goddess of navigation and mariners, a role held both by Isis and Fortuna. The prosperity and wealth brought by Fortuna is symbolised in her imagery by the cornucopia, the horn of plenty she holds in her left hand.

The goddess wears the chiton, a sleeveless and open-sided shirt with folds reaching to the ground. Over the left shoulder she wears the himation, a mantle tied under the breast in the typical tyet or Knot of Isis, representing a plexus of mystic energies. The beautiful and sophisticated face is framed with hair set in the style of Isis, parted at the middle and gathered in a chignon above the nape.

She wears a complex crown depicting her numerous attributes and imparting a magnificent appearance. The Isis crown consists of the lotus flower, the solar disc divided into four fields, and the horns of a cow, which are at times interpreted as the crescent moon. At the back we see the modius, a recipient and measure of grain that, like the horn of plenty, symbolises Fortuna—the bearer of good gifts and abundance.

This depiction of Isis-Fortuna had a number of variants that differ only by the workshop in which they were crafted, the moulds used and the quality of workmanship. The symbols of Isis and Fortuna were fused into a single iconography, creating a syncretic goddess that achieved great popularity and was widespread throughout the Empire.

 Catalogue

1. Inv. no. A – 4620 Bronze statuette of Isis-Fortuna wearing the chiton; with the cornucopia in her left hand and a ship’s rudder in her right hand. She wears the headdress of Isis consisting of the crescent moon, a tall lotus flower and the solar disc divided into four fields, with the modius visible on the back. The lower section of the statuette is hollow.

Material(s)/technique: bronze, cast

Dimensions: height 9 cm, width 3.8 cm, length 3 cm; weight 109.79 g

Site: Savudrija, 1929; chance find

Location (collection): Temple of Augustus, Archaeological Museum of Istria, Pula Date: 1st – 3rd century