Goddesses Of Fate And Destiny In Greek, Roman And Slavic Mythology
A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - An Italian humanist philosopher of the early Renaissance, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463-1494) said that the human being is the master of his own life because human nature is a repository of instruments by which each individual can shape his/her life.
However, those who oppose this belief say that human life is the result of the action of fate - the final and irreversible will of the higher powers. There is no choice, fate is unavoidable, and it is simply our destiny, followed by the end of everything, which means - death.
Through the ages, myths and legends dealing with fate have reflected our beliefs. People have often wondered about fate and its power.
The idea of a person’s fate being spun was widely known in ancient Europe.
See also:
Meskhenet: Egyptian Goddess Of Household And Childbirth Who Governed Over Fate And Destiny
The Norns – Shapers Of Destiny Who Recorded Days In Person’s Life In Norse Mythology
Evil God-Bird Anzu Who Stole The Tablet Of Destiny To Control Universe and Fates Of All
Graeae: Three Sisters Of Fate Who Shared One Eye And Tooth In Greek Mythology
Three mythological goddesses known as “Fates” (with many names in respective languages) represent a common motif in European beliefs. The idea of a person’s fate being spun by divine beings was respected by ancient people.
The Norns were responsible for fate according to Norse beliefs. They spun the thread of life at the roots of the World Ash, Yggdrasil.
Greek myths and legends make it clear that our attempts to outmaneuver an unavoidable fate are totally pointless. To the Greeks, fate and its influence on human life were of great concern and can be found in countless myths and texts, describing them as ugly old women, sometimes lame.
Their fate goddesses were the Moirai/Moerae (sometimes called ‘daughters of night’) who span for each mortal and it is said that they were concerned with death but later began to decide what must happen to individuals.
They may have originated as birth-goddesses, also concerned with death; only later acquired their reputation as the agents of destiny and those who control the Threads of Fate.
"The Parcae," ca. 1885) by Alfred Agache. Image via wikipedia
The Moerae sisters are known as Clotho ("the spinner"), who spins the thread of life, Lachesis ("the allotter or 'drawer of lots'), who assigns each person's destiny and Atropos ("the inevitable"), with scissors in her hands, decides when to snip the thread of life at its end.
They were worshipped as goddesses and it is said that brides in Athens offered them locks of hair and women swore by them. The Moirai were independent and Zeus and other gods as well as man had to submit to them.
In Roman mythology, the Parcae (the equivalent of the Moirai) were the female goddesses of destiny. They were usually depicted as women weaving a tapestry, covered with the destinies of men.
Like the Norse and Greek goddesses of fate, they exercised the same arts. One was busy with spinning the yarn, another was drawing out the thread, and yet another was cutting it.
The three Parcae sisters - Nona, Decima and Morta - controlled the thread of life of every mortal and immortal from birth to death. Both gods and humans feared their unlimited power.
In Slavic mythology, the Sudice are spirits of fate and judgement.
In the mythology of Slavic people, the Sudice (known after different names among the ancient Slavs) were responsible for the fates and destiny of humanity, they judged and meted out fortune and fatality. They could appear as a single goddess or as three sisters, at the birth of a child, just in time, when a newborn’s fortune was foretold and destiny was sealed. The oldest of the sisters spoke last, and her words could never be revoked or contradicted.
Fate was determined for all, regardless of whether he or she was a good or a bad person.
The Sudice were beautiful old women with white skin and white clothes, who wore necklaces of gold and silver, white kerchiefs, and sometimes carrying lit candles. The ancient Slavs made offerings to them in form of bread, candles and salt.
Written by – A. Sutherland AncientPages.com Staff Writer
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Expand for referencesReferences:
Cotterell, A. A Dictionary of World Mythology
Monaghan P. Encyclopedia of Goddesses and Heroines
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