Kloto

Kloto, often transliterated as Clotho, is a figure in ancient Greek mythology and one of the Moirai, the three Fates who govern human destiny. The name derives from the Greek klōthō, meaning to spin, and Kloto is traditionally identified as the spinner who creates the thread of life at birth.

Along with her sisters Lachesis, who measures the length of the thread, and Atropos, who cuts it, Kloto presides over the beginning of a person’s life. The length and course of each individual’s existence are thus determined by the Fates, seen as cosmic forces rather than ordinary deities. They appear across classical literature, drama, and art, often as a stern reminder of mortality and inevitability.

Iconography typically portrays Kloto as a young woman with a spindle or distaff, spinning the thread that represents a person’s life. The three sisters are frequently shown together in works of art, underscoring their collective control over fate.

Etymology and variants: Kloto is the Greek form (Κλωτώ), with Clotho being the Latinized version. The Moirai are discussed in sources such as Hesiod’s Theogony and in ancient Greek tragedy, where they function as primary arbiters of mortal life and fate.