![]() ![]() ![]() In time, the name Clotho, with its reference to spinning thread, became the basis for images of the three Fates as controlling the thread of each person's life. Hesiod called the Fates Clotho (pronounced KLO-thoh, “the spinner”), Lachesis (pronounced LAK-uh-sis “the allotter”), and Atropos (pronounced AY-truh-pos “the unavoidable”). They were called the Keres (pronounced KARE-ays), which means “those who cut off” or the Moirai (pronounced MOY-rye), “those who allot.” They may have originated as goddesses who were present at the birth of each child to determine the course of the child's future life. Another poet, Hesiod, portrayed the Fates as three old women. The poet Homer, credited with composing the Iliad and the Odyssey, spoke of Fate as a single force, perhaps simply the will of the gods. ![]() The Greek image of the Fates developed over time. Hesiod described them as daughters of Nyx (pronounced NIKS), the goddess of night, but he also said that they were the children of Zeus (pronounced ZOOS), the chief of the gods, and Themis (pronounced THEEM-is), the goddess of justice. The parentage of the Fates is something of a mystery. Although a number of cultures held the notion of three goddesses who influenced human destiny, the Fates were most closely identified with Greek mythology. In particular, they determined how long a man or woman would live. The Fates were three female goddesses who shaped people's lives. Hesiod's Theogony, Ovid's Metamorphoses, Homer's Iliadĭaughters of Zeus and Themis Character Overview ![]()
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