The ancient Greeks had a strong sense of fate and destiny that appeared frequently in their myths. A person might learn about one’s fate in one of two ways. First, the three Fates were depicted as three old, but godlike, women called the Moirae. The Moirae could appear directly to the person’s parents and create the destiny of the child prior to or just after their birth. The first Fate was named Clotho meaning “spinner.”
She spun the thread of each individual’s life and determined the complexities and major features of that life. Lachesis, the second Fate, measured the length of the life. Her name means “distributor of fortunes” as in a long or short life. The third Fate was named Atropos meaning “inflexible.”
She was the most feared since she cut the threads of the mortal lives (Rosenburg & Baker, 1992). In general, the fates decided what type of life (e.g. glorious or quiet) a person would have, how long that life would be and how death would come (e.g. tragic or peaceful) to that person.
Read more