Fates, the three goddesses
who determined human life and destiny. Known as Moirai in Greek and Parcae
in Latin, the Fates apportioned to each person at birth a share of good
and evil, although one might increase the evil by one's own folly. Portrayed
in art and poetry as stern old women or as somber maidens, the goddesses
were often thought of as weavers. Clotho, the Spinner, spun the thread
of life; Lachesis, the Dispenser of Lots, decided its span and assigned
a destiny to each person; and Atropos, the Inexorable, carried the dread
shears that cut the thread of life at the appointed time. The decisions
of the Fates could not be altered, even by the gods.
