Fortuna

Fortuna is a term which has been used since ancient Fontaine, but its meaning and significance in Fontainian culture has changed over time.

Ancient Fontainians believed that Fortuna controlled the world and described it as being woven from countless fibers, like strings on a harp.^[1] It was later used to refer to the inevitable, cyclical nature of civilizations' rise and fall,^[2] and was particularly used in relation to the God King Remus and his empire, Remuria.^[3] It eventually came to be understood as the name of Remus' ship, which he used to establish his empire and gather the various tribes scattered across Fontaine.^[4][5]

Ancient Usage

Some ancient Fontainians believed that Fortuna controlled the world. Made from strings of countless fibers, majestic music played on it would bring happiness to all; dissonance, however, would "destroy the fabric of the universe."^[1] This is likely why the Remurian Dynasty centered itself around music to a degree which baffled even ancient scholars,^[6] such as their written language resembling musical notation.^[7] Remus' Grand Symphony, which aimed to unite Fontaine through a harmonious melody and suppress all "discordant sounds,"^[4] was sometimes referred to as Fortuna. Remus himself was said to rule with the power of symphonies,^[6] and is referred to as the King of Fortuna at one point.^[8]

Books written by an ancient order, discovered by Rene sometime after the cataclysm 500 years ago, used Fortuna to refer to the cycle of civilizations: "Kingdoms rise and fall, and when a civilization is annihilated, a new one will be born after from the ashes."^[2] Later research into Fontaine's ancient orders, conducted by Rene's Narzissenkreuz Ordo, concluded that their usage of "Fortuna" was based on myth and assumption, and was not a scientifically proven phenomenon.^[7]

"Fortuna" is mentioned a total of three times in The History of the Decline and Fall of Remuria, written about 100 years after Remuria fell.^[9] In Volume I, it is first mentioned while recounting how Remus "descended" on Meropis "in his golden Fortuna." Later in the same volume, it is used to describe Remuria's prophesied fall: "The greatest empire will face the most utter destruction, and this is Fortuna." In Volume II, Fortuna is the name of an imperial ship, anchored at a port located between the Ocean Pillars and a massive lighthouse-tower. The book's author, Pulteney, notes that his depiction of Remuria's history is extrapolated from the myths and superstitions that became popular after the nation's collapse, given that Remuria's sudden and swift destruction left few survivors.

Modern Usage

Wriothesley recounts one of the present-day versions of Remus' legend to the Traveler: Remus received a divine revelation to come to Fontaine, where he encountered the seer Sybilla in the form of a Golden Bee. Together with the Golden Bee, Remus rode on a giant golden ship named the Fortuna and created Remuria above the waves. After establishing Remuria as an empire, he sailed on the Fortuna once more to conquer every island under Remuria, calling the tribes to join the empire.^[5] The Fortuna thus became known as the bringer of civilization and glory.^[10]

Through inmates with academic backgrounds, Wriothesley became acquainted with the theory that the sea which once swallowed Remuria would one day rise again and destroy civilization again, and that the prophesied flood is simply an extension of the idea that "oceans will rise, empires will fall."^[10] Once he suspected that the Primordial Sea, which was capable of dissolving Fontainians, was located directly below the Fortress of Meropide, Wriothesley began building a massive ship inspired by the Fortuna — the Wingalet — hoping that if such a disaster came to pass, the ship would be a source of hope for others.^[5]

Trivia

Etymology

• Fortuna is the Roman goddess of fortune and the personification of luck. She is often depicted holding a ship's rudder.
  • In the Middle Ages, Fortuna gained renewed popularity due to the works of the Roman historian and philosopher Boethius, the namesake of the in-game Remurian Harmost Boethius.
  • Fortuna is the Roman counterpart of the Greek goddess Tyche, who in some Greek traditions was believed to be an Oceanid.

Other Languages

Language	Official Name
English	Fortuna
Chinese (Simplified)	法图纳 Fǎtúnà
Chinese (Traditional)	法圖納 Fǎtúnà
Japanese	フォルトゥナ Forutuna
Korean	포르투나호 Poreutunaho
Spanish	Fortuna
French	Fortuna
Russian	Фортуне Fortune
Thai	Fortuna
Vietnamese	Fortuna
German	Fortuna
Indonesian	Fortuna
Portuguese	Fortuna
Turkish	Fortuna
Italian	Fortuna

Change History

References