Laetitia (goddess)

First side of the image: O: draped and cuirassed bust with radiate crown IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG
Second side of the image: R: Laetitia holding wreath and anchor

LAETITIA AVG N

(Joy of our Emperor)
silver antoninianus struck by Gordian III in Rome late 240 - July 243 AD; ref.: RIC 86

In Roman mythology, Laetitia, also spelled Laëtitia, was a minor goddess and the personification of happiness and celebration.[1]

Etymology

Laetitia is derived from laetus ("happy"), with the added feminine modifier -itia. The exact origins of laetus is unknown. Laetitia broadly means "joy," "pleasure," "exultation," "delight," and "gladness."[2][3] It could also be used to denote a "pleasing appearance" or "sweetness" of speech, and the "fertility" of plants or soils.[4] The 6th century philosopher Boethius connected laetitia to similar concepts that represented abstract forces of good, including sufficientia, reverentia, potentia, and claritudo.[5]

Depictions

Laetitia was most commonly depicted as a woman holding a wreath or garland in one hand and resting the other hand on an anchor or ship's rudder. As she was frequently depicted with sea and ship-related motifs, Laetitia may have been associated with seafaring.[6]

The image was occasionally modified; she is holding a cornucopia on an antoninianus minted by the emperor Claudius Gothicus, a symbol commonly associated with the goddess Fortuna. Coins minted by the emperors Septimius Severus, Caracalla, and Geta— who were family and members of the Severan dynasty— depict a ship unloading exotic animals, including tigers and lions. These coins are inscribed with LAETITIA AVG ("joy of the emperor"). On the reverse of a denarius depicting the empress Julia Maesa, Laetitia is shown holding a globe. This coin is inscribed with LAETITIA PVBL ("joy of the public"), potentially implying that the Roman population finds joy in the expansion of the Empire.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ ClassicWorldCoins (2024-10-23). "Laetitia : Roman Goddess of gaiety, joy, and prosperity". ClassicWorldCoins. Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  2. ↑ Lewis, Charlton T. "An Elementary Latin Dictionary, laetitia". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 2026-07-21.
  3. ↑ Vaan, Michiel de (2018-10-31). Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, laetus. Leiden · Boston, 2008. p. 323. ISBN 978-90-04-16797-1.
  4. ↑ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles. "A Latin Dictionary, laetĭtĭa". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 2026-07-21.
  5. ↑ Boethius, Consolatio Philosophiae, Book 3, Prosa 2
  6. 1 2 "Happiness, Cheerfulness, and Joy". Forum Ancient Coins. 14 August 2009.
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