Different faces of variable Fortune

Abstract

In this article I present some images of the goddess Fortune in ancient literature and iconography. The starting point for discussion is the Latin text of the funeral speech published by the University Viadrina in Frankfurt an der Oder in 1699. The concept of this speech is based on metaphor: life is like a river. I pay attention to the initial letter with an image inside of female figure, which can be identified with Fortune, Occasion and Death.