The Roman goddess Fortuna (Greek goddess Tyche) is the goddess of luck -- hopefully of good luck. She stands holding a large cornucopia from which spills forth an abundance of coins. We hope the coins represent good fortune for us. But her blindfolded eyes suggest that luck is capricious and ever changing. Modern depictions of the Blind Justice Lady embraced by lawyers and judges borrow this symbolism.
As the goddess or spirit of fortune, chance, providence and fate, se was usually honored in a more favorable light as Eutykhia, goddess of good fortune, luck, success and prosperity.
Represented with different attributes; holding a rudder, she was conceived as the divinity guiding and conducting the affairs of the world, and in this respect she was called one of the Moirai (Fates); with a ball she represented the varying unsteadiness of fortune--unsteady and capable of rolling in any direction; with Ploutos or the horn of Amalthea, she was the symbol of the plentiful gifts of fortune.
Nemesis (Fair Distribution) was cautiously regarded as the downside of Tykhe, one who provided a check on extravagant favors conferred by fortune. The pair were often depicted as companions in Greek vase painting. In the vase (right) Nemesis (Indignation) with her arm around Tykhe (Fortune) points an accusing fingure at Helene, who Aphrodite has persuaded to elope with Paris.
Widely worshiped as the guardian spirit of a city's good fortune. As such she was usually depicted crowned with the turrets of a city-wall and holding a cornucopia (horn of plenty) brimming with the fruits of the earth.
In most of her representations she is barely distinguishable from Demeter: the crown, cornucopia and Ploutos-child being common attributes of both goddesses. Indeed Tykhe (Lady Fortune) often appears to be merely an aspect of the goddess Demeter.
http://www.theoi.com/Cult/TykheCult.html
Post je objavljen 19.01.2011. u 11:29 sati.