Women, Weird and Wonderful: The Moirai, Parcae or Fates, Goddesses of Destiny

The ancient Greek had faith in their Fates, the personifications of destiny. They were called Moirai in Greek and Parcae in latin, and were mostly seen as sisters of the Horai-triplets, responsible for moral order. That would make them daughters of supreme god Zeus and his second wife Themis, titan-goddess of law and divine order. The Morai determined the life length of each and every human being and their decisions were final. They would appear three days after a child was born, often in the company of Eileithyia, goddess of childbirth, to discuss the child’s destiny. It would then be Clotho, who spun the life thread, Lachesis who measured it up and Atropos who finally cut it off. There were quite a lot of sanctuaries dedicated to the Morai, but offering to them wouldn’t change your fate. Most scholars agree that even Zeus himself could not influence their ordinations. But if you’re into astrology, maybe you could look out for the “Fates”-asteroids, orbiting the sun in the so-called “main belt”, and get a glimpse of what’s in the stars for you.

Clotho and Lachesis (Prometheus creates men), Roman sarcophagus,

Musée du Louvre, Paris, France

The three Moirai or the Triumph of Death, tapestry,

Victoria and Albert Museum, Londen, UK