Founded: October 25, 2018
Members: 0
Tax: 0%
u'FORTIS FORTUNA ADIUVAT should never be translated as \u201cFortune Favours the Bold/Brave\u201d; nor is this the motto of the US Marine Corps. (who use, \u2018fortES fortuna Juvat\u2019); Nor is it Christian\u2014 In fact, it\u2019s a proverb about a pagan goddess. One could also note that revenge is thoroughly Un-Christian, to say nothing of super-multiple homicide sprees. <br><br>With this spelling in particular, the Latin is the oldest kind \u2014 much older than the modern latin the US Marine Corps uses, and older even than medieval or Church Latin; A proverb that was considered ancient even in the pre-christian times of Caesar. It is quite pagan in spirit. Moreover, it is this very pagan-ness that is critical to understanding the latin in the context of this Anti-Hero\u2019s scratched out and contradictory tattoos.<br><br>You can skip my notes, but you shouldn\u2019t.<br><br>fortis = \u201c(The) Strong (ones)\u201d. A plural noun \u2014 it refers to a specific class of people, not to an abstract like \u2018Strength\u2019, nor the intention or attitude of \u2018boldness\u2019 or \u2018bravery\u2019 \u2014 for which there are robur, audacia or fortitudo respectively.<br><br>Fortuna = is a Roman Goddess, the personification of Luck and/or Fate. A spiritual force that could be just as much bad as good. Note that Her name is placed at the centre of the tattoo and \u2014 if you look closely \u2014 slightly capitalised in the tattoo\u2019s calligraphy, in the same way that we Capitalise proper nouns in english. It is not mere \u2018good fortune\u2019, in the sense of good luck, nor of \u2018a fortune\u2019 in the sense of money. This is the goddess of fate and luck.<br><br>adiuvat = AD \u2018to/toward\u2019 + IUVAT \u2018help/aid/save\u2019 \u2014 particularly of a goddess, \u2018comes to save\u2019/\u2019comes to the aid of\u2019 is the best choice here. Not \u2018favours\u2019 which takes poetic license to give an F-F alliteration in English.<br><br>Knowing these things you can render it into modern english, and english word order, to catch the sentiment better like this:<br><br>fortes Fortuna aduivat:<br>\u201cIt is only The Strong ones that Fortuna (The Goddess) comes to save.\u201d'
