Felicitas

Felicitas is a Latin noun meaning happiness, good fortune, or success. In ancient Rome, Felicitas also functioned as a personification and deity representing prosperity and favorable outcomes for individuals and the state.

In Roman religion, Felicitas was one of the many personifications invoked in prayers, dedications, and public propaganda. She was associated with Fortuna (fortune), Pax (peace), and other virtues as a symbol of desirable results—such as military success, agricultural abundance, and civic well-being. On coins and monuments, she could appear beside other deities to emphasize the prosperity of the Roman people and the legitimacy of rulers.

In modern usage, Felicitas survives as a given name in various languages and as a philosophical term for well-being or flourishing. The Latin concept continues to influence discussions of happiness and success in literature, theology, and ethics, where felicitas denotes favorable circumstances or a state of contentment rather than a purely divine persona alone.

See also: Fortuna, Pax, felicity.