Parcae

Parcae are the three Roman goddesses of fate, counterparts of the Greek Moirai. In Roman tradition they are typically named Nona, Decima, and Morta, and they govern the destinies of mortals as well as gods by weaving, measuring, and ultimately cutting the thread of life. They are commonly identified with the Greek Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos, reflecting a shared mythological framework of life’s course being determined by unseen forces.

Nona spins the thread of life, Decima measures its length, and Morta cuts the thread when a life ends. Their work is viewed as inexorable and final, with fate shaping each person’s birth, experiences, and ending. The Parcae are usually depicted as calm, solemn figures who operate beyond the reach of personal appeal or interference, emphasizing the limits of human agency.

In Roman literature and art, the Parcae appear as symbolic embodiments of fate, appearing in poetry, drama, and visual representations with a spindle or thread. They are invoked to explain events beyond mortal control and to underscore themes of destiny, mortality, and the inevitability of death. The concept of the Parcae influenced later cultural works and the broader Western idea of fate, threading through medieval, Renaissance, and modern interpretations of life’s inescapable limits.