Fortuna Salutaris is an aspect of the Roman Goddess of Luck,
Fortuna, as a Health or Healing Goddess. She is associated with Fortuna
Balnearis, Fortuna of the Bath-Houses, and the two were often found mentioned
on altars in the baths of military outposts on the frontiers of the Roman Empire.
In these places Roman soldiers were a long way from home, surrounded by alien
tribes who were probably regarded by the Romans as rather uncivilized; and they
seem, not unsurprisingly, to have been especially concerned with their own well-being
and health, and whether they would ever make it home again.
Salutaris can also mean "She Who Wishes Well", or "Of
Salvation", and it is probable that the soldiers looked to Fortuna as a
Goddess who could protect them in these distant lands, and as one who could
save them from the hostility of the locals.