symbols of luck and prosperity

Close-up of a roulette wheel with a white ball resting on number 30

Wheel of Fortuna: Meaning, Origins, and Symbolism

Orin Vale

The Wheel of Fortuna is a lasting symbol of fate’s unpredictability, linking Roman ideas of Fortuna with medieval philosophy, literature, and art. Its turning wheel captures the rise and fall of human fortune, inviting readers to explore how this powerful image shaped Western ideas of luck, destiny, and loss.