Contrary to popular belief, the Wheel of Fortune is not just a game show featuring Vanna White and Pat Sajak. The idea of ever changing fate dates back thousands of years and has ties in Roman mythology.
Who is Fortuna?
In Roman mythology, Fortuna is the goddess of fortune, luck, and fate. She is often depicted with her wheel, known as Rota Fortunae (Wheel of Fortune). Fortuna holds a cornucopia and a ship's rudder, symbolizing the abundances of life and her ability to alter the lives of humans, respectively (4). She is often depicted as being larger than humans in order to put emphasis on her importance (2).
The idea of the wheel is simple. When someone is at the top of the wheel, their life is considered to be in its prime. One at the top of the wheel would be experiencing a life of luxury or royalty. They would have everything they could ever imagine. Subsequently, those on the bottom of the wheel would be incredibly unlucky. They would have family members dying, no money, and could only pray that they would go to the top (7). As stated by an article on Exploratory Shakespeare, "Someone at the bottom hoped that Fortuna would eventually spin her wheel often enough for the individual to come back on top, both metaphorically and financially" (1). This idea that fate was ever changing and unpredictable is presented by the wheel and Fortuna.
Severinus Boethius was the name of the philosopher who first described this concept in writing. In the book "De consolatione Philosophiae", the concept of fate being sly or cheating was presented (3). His works brought up this idea of fate being unpredictable and in lack of better words, made it mainstream. Philosophy states that "Who has composed himself in the face of fate and crushed it beneath his heel? Who has a life in proper order, prepared for good fortune or bad? Only he can hold his head high, untroubled by the tides of contingency” (5). This means that those who witness the changes in fortune can get ahead and save themselves when it comes to their turn at the bottom. The same article that the philosophy was quoted in has a great summary of this idea that states, "Virtue is not indicated as impacting fortune: instead, it is virtuous to be prepared for fortune to change" (5). One must be ready for change in order to promptly be able to deal with said change. Living in a state where you never believe you can fall will eventually lead to torment.
The concept of fragile power touched on in the last statement would have been very known during the Middle Ages. Power was incredibly fragile and we saw this in Lancelot, Knight of the Cart. Within the story, we saw Lancelot lose his power by getting into the cart. He made a choice that set him on a path of torment and trial for the rest of the story. His fate was determined by that one choice and life continued to throw struggle after struggle towards him. In a post on the History Jar, it was stated that "...the rota fortunae was being used to remind people that it was probably best to concentrate of God and the hereafter rather than earthly things because Fortuna can bring luck, fortune and power or can remove all those things at a slip of the wheel..." (6). Essentially, the Wheel of Fortune was used to remind people that God was always watching, and your sin could drastically change the outcome of your life, just like Lancelot.
This idea of Wheel of Fortune both in philosophy and in Roman mythology is explained pretty well inthis video:
Sources
By. “Fortuna & The Wheel of Fortune.” Exploratory Shakespeare, 14 July 2015, journeys.dartmouth.edu/exploratoryshakespeare/2015/07/14/fortuna-the-wheel-of-fortune/. (1)
“Decameron Web.” Decameron Web | Themes & Motifs, 10 Mar. 2010, www.brown.edu/Departments/Italian_Studies/dweb/themes_motifs/fortune/iconography.php. (2)
Ercolani, Flaminia. “The Wheel of Fortune.” Literature- No- Trouble, 28 Feb. 2023, www.literature-no- trouble.com/the-wheel-of-fortune/. (3)
Hafiz, Omar. “What Is the Role of the Wheel of Fortune?” Witnessing Medieval Evil, 17 Apr. 2020, voices.uchicago.edu/witnessingmedievalevil/2020/04/17/what-is-the-role-of-the-wheel-of-fortune/. (5)
Hickey, Julia A. “The Wheel of Fortune.” The History Jar, 16 Feb. 2021, thehistoryjar.com/2021/02/16/the-wheel-of-fortune/. (6)
McGlone, Rachel. “‘The Wheel of Fortune’: How a Medieval Metaphor Is Still Relevant Today.” This Crafty Historian, 22 Apr. 2020, thiscraftyhistorian.wordpress.com/2020/04/22/the-wheel-of-fortune-how-a-medieval-metaphor-is-still-relevant-today/. (7)
Hi Rachel! I love your joke at the beginning. I think it is really interesting how people in medieval times viewed fate through this wheel of fortune. I had no idea a goddess like Fortuna even existed in literature/belief. It holds true today that fate (if you believe in it) is ever-changing, so it's cool to see that concept go back to a long time ago. Sometimes, humans remain the same haha.
Hi Rachel! I loved the reference to Wheel of Fortune in the beginning. I thought it was interesting that during this time people thought you were fortunate to be at the top of the wheel and unlucky if at the bottom. I feel like they took it a bit too literal. I did not know there was a Greek goddess named Fortuna. I love Greek Mythology so I was shocked this was the first time I've heard of her. I personally believe it luck and fate so I found the whole blog quite interesting to read.
Hello Rachel, I really enjoyed the videos at beginning and end of your blog. I also find it neat how the idea of the wheel of fortune was repeated and is revelant from the TV show today. I was shocked to find it traces back to a divine goddess. I liked the part where you talked about Lancelot getting into the cart because we just read and discussed that in class .The idea that fate was ever changing and unpredictable is neat to me, and reminds me of the tarot card definition for the Wheel of Fortune card.
Hi Rachel! This surprised me because I did not ever think of the Wheel of Fortune beyond the show. I thought maybe historically it'd have something to do with cryptography, but I definitely didn't realize it was somewhat of a religious idea. Putting fate in God's hands and having faith seems to be the idea of this historical wheel of fortune. It manifests in that people will pay for their sins or be rewarded for their good deeds. It feels similar to karma in that way. I did not know about the goddess, Fortuna. I find mythology very interesting, so it was cool to learn a little about a goddess I was unfamiliar with.
Hey Racheal! First of all I have to compliment your visuals, both the first one for its humor and the others for how informative they were, especially with your inclusion of a video. I had never heard of the Wheel Of Fortune outside of the gameshow before so honestly the way you eased readers into the blog was perfect. I had no idea how deeply routed the idea of a wheel of fortune is in our culture and history and that it ties back to a goddess no less. This was a very interesting read and very well though out and explained
Medievalism in Shrek (4) The Shrek franchise has become well-known by almost everyone. Originated as a book, Shrek was made into a movie in 2001 (1), followed by Shrek 2 in 2004 (2), Shrek the Third in 2007 (3), and a few more after that. The films were created through DreamWorks Animation and have become popular with children. I personally remember watching Shrek as a child even though I had no idea what was actually happening in the movie. All three movies allude to famous characters in the literary world: Prince Charming, Snow White, Three Blind Mice, Pinocchio, Captain Hook, Peter Pan, etc.. Along with these characters, all three movies have some form of medievalism included, starting with a few references in Shrek and Shrek 2 and ending with quite a few references in Shrek the Third. Shrek In the first movie, Shrek goes on a quest to rescue Princess Fiona. The clip above shows the scene where Lord Farquaad informs Shrek of the quest he will go on. He is supposed to rescue her
The Medieval World: Hermits, Monks, & Friars Hermits: During the Middle Ages, hermits were a group of people that withdrew from society. When people think of hermits, they may think of someone who is quiet or strange and has limited social skills. This assumption cannot be based on Medieval hermits since they did not withdraw from society for these reasons; they withdrew from society for religious reasons (5). Their religious beliefs are what made them stand out from others. They devoted their lives to praying and many people sought them out for wisdom (5). They enjoyed living in solitude and relying on nature to support their lifestyle. Hermits originated as men devoting their life to solitude but eventually gathered followers. Many hermits found their solitude in caves, forests, or mountains and practiced meditating to deepen their relationship with God (6). Although this may seem like a simple life, that was not always the case. Hermits had only nature to provide for them, whi
Hi Rachel! I love your joke at the beginning. I think it is really interesting how people in medieval times viewed fate through this wheel of fortune. I had no idea a goddess like Fortuna even existed in literature/belief. It holds true today that fate (if you believe in it) is ever-changing, so it's cool to see that concept go back to a long time ago. Sometimes, humans remain the same haha.
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel! I loved the reference to Wheel of Fortune in the beginning. I thought it was interesting that during this time people thought you were fortunate to be at the top of the wheel and unlucky if at the bottom. I feel like they took it a bit too literal. I did not know there was a Greek goddess named Fortuna. I love Greek Mythology so I was shocked this was the first time I've heard of her. I personally believe it luck and fate so I found the whole blog quite interesting to read.
ReplyDeleteHello Rachel, I really enjoyed the videos at beginning and end of your blog. I also find it neat how the idea of the wheel of fortune was repeated and is revelant from the TV show today. I was shocked to find it traces back to a divine goddess. I liked the part where you talked about Lancelot getting into the cart because we just read and discussed that in class .The idea that fate was ever changing and unpredictable is neat to me, and reminds me of the tarot card definition for the Wheel of Fortune card.
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel! This surprised me because I did not ever think of the Wheel of Fortune beyond the show. I thought maybe historically it'd have something to do with cryptography, but I definitely didn't realize it was somewhat of a religious idea. Putting fate in God's hands and having faith seems to be the idea of this historical wheel of fortune. It manifests in that people will pay for their sins or be rewarded for their good deeds. It feels similar to karma in that way. I did not know about the goddess, Fortuna. I find mythology very interesting, so it was cool to learn a little about a goddess I was unfamiliar with.
ReplyDeleteHey Racheal! First of all I have to compliment your visuals, both the first one for its humor and the others for how informative they were, especially with your inclusion of a video. I had never heard of the Wheel Of Fortune outside of the gameshow before so honestly the way you eased readers into the blog was perfect. I had no idea how deeply routed the idea of a wheel of fortune is in our culture and history and that it ties back to a goddess no less. This was a very interesting read and very well though out and explained
ReplyDelete