moirai

The Moirai, also known as the Fates, are a triad of female deities in ancient Greek religion who govern the thread of life, shaping the destinies of gods and mortals from birth to death. They are typically depicted as three sisters who hold the power to determine the course of a life, from its beginning to its end.

The three sisters are Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. Clotho spins the thread of life, Lachesis measures its length, and Atropos cuts the thread, thereby deciding the moment of death. Their imagery often centers on thread, spinning, and a loom or spindle, underscoring the idea that life is woven and unchangeable once set in motion.

Origins and authority differ among sources. In Hesiodic poetry, the Moirai are commonly described as daughters of Nyx, the Night, though other traditions name their parents as Zeus and Themis or as Themis alone. Regardless of parentage, their authority is universal: even the gods are bound by the fates, and humans are ultimately subject to their judgments.

In culture and literature, the Moirai appear across Greek tragedy, poetry, and myth, serving as a reminder of fate’s inescapable reach. The Roman equivalent of the Moirai is the Parcae, and the concept of fate in Greco-Roman literature often centers on their power to determine each individual's lifeline.

Their legacy lies in the enduring symbol of fate as an impersonal, governing force within the cosmos. The Moirai represent the belief that life proceeds according to a fixed order, a motif that has influenced later philosophical and literary treatments of destiny and free will.