Fates: Clotho, Lachesis, And Atropos

The Fates were the goddesses who controlled the destiny of everyone from the time they were born to the time they die (Atsma). The three fates: Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos; were originally derived from an original goddess of fand destiny who was known as Moira or Aisa. The fates are commonly referred to as the Spinners because mortal lives are likened to thread that is spun, measured, and then finally cut (Destinies). They are also referred to as Moirae or Parcae. They are known to be the daughters of Zeus and Themis and the sisters to the Horae. The fates embodied a law which even the gods could not break without endangering the equilibrium of existence (Grimal). The three goddesses sat in attendance of their father’s throne, presiding over the sacred laws of heaven. They were always present at the birth of gods to declare their divine privileges and functions (Three). All the gods feared the Fates, even the most powerful ones, because those three had they power to end any mortal or immortal life. They were always shown as very ugly and old women who were very cold and had no mercy upon others. They had violent, blood-thirsty spirits. The fates operate as a symbol of half-philosophical, half-religious concept of the world (Grimal).
CLOTHO …show more content…
Her names means “parts”. Clotho was responsible for making major decisions such as who was born and if someone should be sacrificed or spared (Three). She is frequently represented by thread because she spun the thread of life or destiny with a distaff, a staff holding the bundle of unspun fibers, which determined the time of birth of an individual (Hatzitsinidou). Clotho was often shown as a young girl or woman who is typically