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West Virginia State Capitol

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This is a contributing entry for West Virginia State Capitol and only appears as part of that tour.Learn More.
This façade of the West Wing of the Capitol Building faces into the central courtyard. The three figures that grace this entrance are Heracles, Jupiter, and Fortuna. Heracles and Jupiter are respectively known as Hercules and Zeus in Greek mythology. On the left is Heracles, son of Jupiter and a mortal woman. In this sculpture, Heracles is cloaked in the skin of the Nemean Lion, a beast invulnerable to normal weapons but who Heracles wrestled to death. Jupiter is the ruler of the heavens and greatest of all gods. His wild hair and beard recall the lightning he controls, while his resolute gaze reminds the viewer of his divine sovereignty. Fortuna, as the name suggests, is the goddess of fortune and chance. The three amorphous tendrils behind her head could be references to the three fates who control human life.

Heracles, Jupiter, and Fortuna

Architecture, Photograph, Sculpture, Beard

The Nemean Lion, Perseus. Accessed January 13th 2021. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Herakles/lion.html.

Sedgwick, Icy. Meet Fortuna, Goddess of Luck, Abundance, and Fate, Icy Sedgwick. March 7th 2020. Accessed January 13th 2021. https://www.icysedgwick.com/fortuna/.

West Virginia Capitol Building, MH3WV. Accessed January 12th 2021. https://mh3wv.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/West-Virginia-State-Capitol-Building-MH3WV.pdf.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Accessed January 13, 2021. https://mh3wv.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/West-Virginia-State-Capitol-Building-MH3WV.pdf.