The Goddesses

• The ancient Greek name for the Fates was "Moirae," which meant "Allotted Portion," "Parts" or "Shares." They were seen as giving out each person's portion of the grand scheme of things. Klotho, or "Spinner," spun the thread of life. Lakhesis, or "Apportioner of Lots," measured the thread of life. Atropos, or "She who cannot be turned," cut the thread. However, the Greeks believed that Zeus, in his role as god of fate, could sometimes change a person's fate, although this ability was considered limited. For example, in the "Iliad," Zeus contemplates saving one of his sons from his fated death. Hera warns Zeus that intervening would upset the natural order of things and call down the wrath of the Furies.
  
  

Parentage and Relationships

• The Fates' parentage was attributed to several different deities. In the "Theogony," the 8th century B.C. poet Hesiod describes them as the fatherless daughters of Nyx, goddess of night. However, he also says that their parents were Zeus and Themis, goddess of law. Other parents included the primeval deities Okeanos, god of the ocean, and Gaia, goddess of Earth; Erebos, god of darkness and Nyx; Kronos, god of time and Nyx; Ananke, goddess of inevitability and Khaos, goddess of the lower atmosphere. The Fates' sisters included Dike, goddess of Justice, Eirene, goddess of Peace, Eunomia, goddess of lawfulness and the Horae, the goddesses of the seasons.
  
  

Ancient Sources

• Modern scholars knowledge of the Fates comes several ancient sources. Besides the "Theogony," other sources include Aeschylus's plays "Prometheus Bound" and "Eumenides," Aristophanes's play "The Frogs," Hesiod's poem "Shield of Heracles," Euripides's play "Alcetis," Homer's epics the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey" and Pindar's poems the "Pythian Odes." Homer only describes one Fate; the other sources generally describe them as a trio.
  
  

Similar Figures

• As Roman culture developed, they blended the "Moirae" with their own goddesses of fate, the "Parcae." The Scandinavian and Germanic peoples believed in three similar goddesses called the "Norns," which included Wyrd, goddess of the past, Verthandi, goddess of the present and Skuld, goddess of the future. The Norns were depicted as spinning the thread of each person's fate and weaving it into a cloth representing the fate of all mankind. The three witches in Shakespeare's play "Macbeth" play a similar role, giving Macbeth prophecies which he sees as his fate.