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The Fortunatus stories were some of the most well known in Renaissance Europe. They originated in Germany, and the earliest known print version is a 1509 Augsburg copy. The printing press allowed the stories to be reworked and disseminated to many different countries. William Wordsworth, in his poem The Prelude (1805), mentions that Fortunatus was one of the tales that children used to enjoy (before the invention of the more moralistic children's books).
Once upon a time there was a young man, named Fortunatus , who lived on the island of Cyprus. His father squandered all of his family's wealth, so he set out on his own to find his fortune. He joined the entourage of the Earl of Flanders, and in Flanders the young man won a tournament. A fellow chamberlain became jealous of Fortunatus' success though, and spread a rumour that the earl wanted to kill him. The man from Cyprus, who didn't know this was a lie, fled fearing for his life.
Fortunatus traveled to London and lived a life of decadence. He moved around Europe and when he reached Brittany he had already become destitute. As he wandered through a forest, a certain Lady Fortune saw and took pity on him. She offered him the choice of wisdom, beauty, health, wealth, long life or strength. The lad chose wealth and she gave him a magic purse that would never cease to give money.
Fortunatus returned to Cyprus and found out that his parents had died while he had been away. With the magic purse he was able to restore the family name and marry a young lady from a noble family. He started to travel again after his two sons were born. In Cairo he became the guest of the sultan. The ruler took him on a tour and showed him the many treasures he had in his possession. Among them was an old napless hat, which could transport the wearer to any place he desired. Fortunatus yearned to be home, and so he stole the hat and transported himself back to Cyprus.
Years later Fortunatus died as a respected member of society. His two sons fought each other for the possession of the hat and purse, and because of their greed, they lost both magical items.
Thank you for reading!
The Fortunatus stories were some of the most well known in Renaissance Europe. They originated in Germany, and the earliest known print version is a 1509 Augsburg copy. The printing press allowed the stories to be reworked and disseminated to many different countries. William Wordsworth, in his poem The Prelude (1805), mentions that Fortunatus was one of the tales that children used to enjoy (before the invention of the more moralistic children's books).
Tales of Fortunatus
Once upon a time there was a young man, named Fortunatus , who lived on the island of Cyprus. His father squandered all of his family's wealth, so he set out on his own to find his fortune. He joined the entourage of the Earl of Flanders, and in Flanders the young man won a tournament. A fellow chamberlain became jealous of Fortunatus' success though, and spread a rumour that the earl wanted to kill him. The man from Cyprus, who didn't know this was a lie, fled fearing for his life.
Fortunatus traveled to London and lived a life of decadence. He moved around Europe and when he reached Brittany he had already become destitute. As he wandered through a forest, a certain Lady Fortune saw and took pity on him. She offered him the choice of wisdom, beauty, health, wealth, long life or strength. The lad chose wealth and she gave him a magic purse that would never cease to give money.
Fortunatus returned to Cyprus and found out that his parents had died while he had been away. With the magic purse he was able to restore the family name and marry a young lady from a noble family. He started to travel again after his two sons were born. In Cairo he became the guest of the sultan. The ruler took him on a tour and showed him the many treasures he had in his possession. Among them was an old napless hat, which could transport the wearer to any place he desired. Fortunatus yearned to be home, and so he stole the hat and transported himself back to Cyprus.
Years later Fortunatus died as a respected member of society. His two sons fought each other for the possession of the hat and purse, and because of their greed, they lost both magical items.
Thank you for reading!
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