Moirai (The Fates): Greek Incarnations Of Destiny And Personification Of A Single, Unavoidable Fate

Angela Sutherland  - AncientPages.com - The first forms of religion appeared in prehistory because humans understood that there are many natural phenomena, such as floods, drought, thunder, and lightning, that no one could stop or control.

Strudwick, A Golden Thread. (1885). Source

It was believed that everything beyond human capabilities controlled it due to the existence of a "higher power." Thus, the first forms of "gods" emerged in the human mind.

People worshiped impersonal supernatural forces, deprived of personality and even names, or even dead objects believed to have magical power. At one point, deities were worshiped under the animal's figure, symbolizing different forces of nature.

Later, the deities were depicted as people with individual names, appearances, and attributes, including the power to dominate people and the world of nature.

The gods decided about the fate of people and revealed their will and ideas using signs, prophecies, oracles, and fortune-telling. However, above the all-powerful gods, there were Moirae (sometimes one or three of them).

They were the goddesses of fate, destiny, and irrevocable necessity. Ancient Romans identified them with the Parcae. In Norse mythology, the Norns were spinning fate goddesses; in Slavic beliefs, the Sudice were considered the spirits of fate and judgment.

The Moirai were in charge of the thread of life which ran through every mortal being, leading them from birth to death.

There was only one Moirai, according to Homer, who considered them as a singular powerful force. Still, the poet Hesiod, on the other hand, mentioned the Moirae were three daughters of Zeus and Themis, but in earlier tradition, they were daughters of Nyx (or Night).

The three Moirai, or the Triumph of death, Flemish tapestry, c. 1520 (Victoria and Albert Museum, London)  source

One was Klotho ("Spinner"), spinning the thread of life, Lachesis ("Guardian") was guarding it, and the third of them, Atropos ("Irreversible"), was responsible for cutting it.

Atropos is considered the most unremarkable and modest but also the most terrible. Her decisions are unchangeable; she cuts the thread of life; she decides the outcome of battles and the fate of the warriors; her choices are always irrevocable.

Moirai Personified Eternal Unchanging Order

Moirae are usually depicted as ugly and older women, often dressed in white robes. Each of them has its attributes associated with her.

Clotho (Klotho) is usually depicted with a spindle or a roll (the book of fate); Lachesis is pointing with a staff to the horoscope on the globe; and Atropos with a pair of scales, or a sun-dial, or a cutting instrument.

They determined the span of life of every mortal from birth to death. They represented the unavoidable fate with no exceptions. They personified the eternal, unchanging order of the world. Their decisions were indisputable, even by the actions of the gods, who were also subordinated to the Moirae - the personification of a single fate.

They were so powerful that even the gods feared them, as they had neither the rights nor the means to alter their decisions. It has never been possible to avoid the Moirai, who symbolize the universal law – fate.

It is said that even the great Zeus was subjected to the Moirai's power, as the Pythian priestess at Delphi once admitted. However, no classic writing explains to what extent the Fates's decisions impacted the lives of immortals.

"The question of whether or not fate or destiny is an overruling power to which the gods must bow has been earnestly discussed. Some critics believe that in the poems, fate is absolute and stands above the gods. One critic maintains that Zeus is at one time subject to Moira and that at another time, he takes her [their] place as he spins out to men their fortune. Others say that the will of Zeus and fate are the same. Still, others believe that fate and religion, in general, are used by Homer to suit his poetic needs…" (J. Duffy).

The ancient Greeks believed that man has a predetermined destiny and that the course of life events cannot be avoided. It was fate that determined the lives of the heroes and ordinary people. What has been done by the gods, foretold by the oracle, must meet a man, and he has no escape.

The Moirai were deeply respected as the guardians of the order that prevailed in the universe and earthly relations. They had their altars and temples. Human life depended on the Moirai; they were called at the child's birth, and the bride and groom offered them a sacrifice on the wedding day. Brides in Athens offered the Moirai locks of hair, and women swore by them. People knew their future and tried to change it thanks to prophecies but to no avail.

Written by – A. Sutherland  - AncientPages.com Senior Staff Writer

Updated on Oct 17, 2023

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