Fortune favors the brave (2024)

Hi,

I am very new to the latin language and am researching latin mottos that have a military or war / conflict meaning / association.

The second motto I am looking for is "Fortune Favours The Brave" and would refer to a male who believed that bravery will bring about swift victory.

Thanks for your time and your help will be very much appreciated.

Lara

Hi again,

That phrase has in fact a Latin origin: fortis fortuna adiuvat

Thankyou So Much.

I read through the whole thread and it makes for very interesting reading as everyone highlights the various angles of interpretation.

So glad I found this forum, I will donate on a regular basis.

Kindest Regards

Lara

Nikolaos dixit:

Re: translation "FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE"

Edited - I had my browser scrolled under the first variation when I was replying. I only saw the bottom three.

The second (not first, as I said before the edit) one, I think, is the best form. It means "Fortune aids (favors) the brave". Don't go in for a tattoo on my word, though. Wait for someone who knows more about this than myself.

"Audaces", from the first one, can also mean "brave", but in a somewhat "foolhardy" sense.

In the third and fourth, "fortes" means "the strong". They basically mean the opposite of the first two - no matter how brave you are, the "strong" will win.

I am unsure of the third one - I still have trouble discerning what difference the prefix "ad" makes on a verb. I can't think of any real change it would make to the meaning.

Also - I just looked this up. The second is the one used by Virgil in Aeneid.

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Hi,

May I take this opportunity to "beg to differ" on the statement ""no matter how brave you are, the "strong" will always win"" such a statement is naive and misguided to say the least. The strong do not allways win, Bravery & Courage rises above all else, strength, size, ability etc etc. It is bravery that makes you carry out your abilities to the max, especially when confronted with fear. A prime example is "David & Goliath", Goliath's size & strength didn't serve him well at all, David's bravery & courage enabled him to stand fast in the face of such overwhelming odds and emerge triumphant.

So depending upon the message you are trying to get across, especially for purposes of a tattoo, I would suggest that BRAVE would be the better option and the latin motto should reflect that.

As we English like to say : "It's Never About The Size Of The Dog In The Fight - More So, The Size Of The Fight In The Dog"

Pacis puella dixit:

Hi again, That phrase has in fact a Latin origin: fortis fortuna adiuvat

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Abbatissæ Scriptor dixit:

Confirming the translation as well as the observation.

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Thank you both, One little thing concerns me though, Nikolaos dixit posted a message on page 2 of this thread (to which I have added a specific reply to) where reference is made to AUDENTES means the brave and FORTES means the strong.

So can I safely assume that FORTIS FORTUNA ADIUVAT is correct for my circ*mstances of Fortune Favours The Brave meaning that Bravery & Courage is fundamental in achieving and securing victory.

Nikolaos dixit:

That wasn't a statement of my belief, that was an attempted translation of a phrase :/

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Hi, Please don't think I was chastising you for an opinion, merely trying to highlight the differences between each underlying beliefs so that in reality it's vital to choose the right option especially as a tattoo is a pretty final thing that's not easily rectified.

Kind Regards

Lara

Lara Croft dixit:

Thank you both, One little thing concerns me though, Nikolaos dixit posted a message on page 2 of this thread (to which I have added a specific reply to) where reference is made to AUDENTES means the brave and FORTES means the strong.

So can I safely assume that FORTIS FORTUNA ADIUVAT is correct for my circ*mstances of Fortune Favours The Brave meaning that Bravery & Courage is fundamental in achieving and securing victory.

Kind Regards

Lara

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Nikolaos was wrong in what he said then years ago. Fortis means "brave", even if it can also mean "strong", but it's more usually used to refer to mental strength, courage, than to physical strength. Audentes means "bold", "daring".

Ok, that's good enough to me

Thanks so much, I've also posted a reply to one of your messages in my Angel Of Vengeance & Retribution topic.

You're really a great help.

Lara

Pacis puella dixit:

Nikolaos was wrong in what he said then years ago. Fortis means "brave", even if it can also mean "strong", but it's more usually used to refer to mental strength, courage, than to physical strength. Audentes means "bold", "daring".

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Agreed. I thought about mentioning that, but I opted to stay to the point and just throw in the word "attempted"

Lara Croft dixit:

Thank you both, One little thing concerns me though, Nikolaos dixit posted a message on page 2 of this thread (to which I have added a specific reply to) where reference is made to AUDENTES means the brave and FORTES means the strong.

So can I safely assume that FORTIS FORTUNA ADIUVAT is correct for my circ*mstances of Fortune Favours The Brave meaning that Bravery & Courage is fundamental in achieving and securing victory.

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This was already addressed by me in post #50.

Okay, so much like the original poster I want to get a tattoo that means something similar but that includes Venus. I'm not sure if Latin requires the use of an article so I wanted to know if this correct:

Audentis Fortuna Venus Iuvat

I've seen Venusque used based on the links to another forum discussion and the other two links didn't work. Not sure why, but regardless of that, which would be the most correct? Yes, I'm using Virgil's version.

WhoIsJohnnyRook dixit:

Okay, so much like the original poster I want to get a tattoo that means something similar but that includes Venus. I'm not sure if Latin requires the use of an article so I wanted to know if this correct:

Audentis Fortuna Venus Iuvat

I've seen Venusque used based on the links to another forum discussion and the other two links didn't work. Not sure why, but regardless of that, which would be the most correct? Yes, I'm using Virgil's version.

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So, if I understand you aright, you want it to say "Fortune and Venus favor the bold"?

Imber Ranae dixit:

So, if I understand you aright, you want it to say "Fortune and Venus favor the bold"?

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That would be correct.

WhoIsJohnnyRook dixit:

That would be correct.

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OK, then you need a conjunction of some sort as well as a plural verb, so either Fortuna Venusque Iuvant or Fortuna et Venus Iuvant.

I figured. I wanted to use "et" but wasn't sure how to accurately use it without committing a grammatical faux pas. Adding the "n" to make Iuvat plural I was not aware of. So then this is what I have:

Audentis Fortuna et Venus Iuvant
or
Audentis Fortuna Venusque Iuvant