Fortuna was the goddess of fortune and personification of luck in Roman religion. She might bring good or bad luck and consequently was also a goddess of fate.

Fortuna‘s identity as personification of chance events was closely tied to virtus, a specific virtue in Ancient Rome of strength of character. Public officials who lacked virtues, invited ill-fortune on themselves and Rome.

Carmina Burana is a scenic cantata composed by German composer Carl Orff in 1935 and 1936, based on 24 poems from the medieval collection Carmina Burana.

The first and last movements of the piece are called Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi ‘Fortune, Empress of the World’ and start with the very well known ‘O Fortuna‘.

Carmina Burana is the name given to a manuscript of 254 poems and dramatic texts mostly from the 11th or 12th century.

They were written principally in Medieval Latin; a few in Middle High German, and some with traces of Old French or Provençal.