Wheel of fortune

Is that finally summer I see?

June is a welcome month in the northern hemisphere. But in the southern hemisphere it's now the equivalent of December. Winter weather without the Christmas? Seems kind of sad.

The month of June is named after the Roman goddess Juno. She was married to Jupiter and was the guardian of women and happy marriages. June is the most popular month for weddings, at least in the U.S. and Canada. June marriages are considered lucky-- this goes back to ancient mythology and superstition. "Marry in May and you'll rue the day" is an old proverb, but the Roman saying went "Prosperity to the man and happiness to the maid when married in June." For Roman women, June was a busy month at the temples.

Juno

June 1. The ancient Roman festival of Juno Moneta (Latin source of the word money.) On this day the goddess Juno warned women who were about to make bad marriages. Along with love advice, her temple also contained the original mint. Money and marriage...

Roman Juno Moneta coin

Vesta

June 9. The day was set aside for the pubic festival of Vesta and the vestal virgins. Women walked barefoot around Vesta's shrine with offerings of ritual salt and grain. June 9 eventually became a holiday for millers and bakers.

Mater Matuta

June 11. Women celebrated Matralia on this day. They asked the blessings of the goddess for their children and their sister's children. As part of the ritual, the women drove a slave girl who represented night from the temple to symbolize the arrival of dawn.

Fortuna

June 24. Romans celebrated the goddess of good fortune. Fortuna randomly spins her wheel. Some suffer, others gain. The wheel of fortune was a religious allegory into the middle ages, reminding us of the temporal nature of earthly things and the eventual downfall of the mighty.

Oh yes. On this day in Iceland, folklore says if you bathe naked in morning dew you will keep aging at bay for another year.

A grim Wheel of Fortune
Boccaccio manuscript

Wheel of Fortune
ala Victorian painter Edward Burne-Jones

Hang on-- Fate still cranks the handle.

And of course the one wheel everyone recognizes!