In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Moirai were the personifications of destiny. They were three sisters, Clotho - the spinner, Lachesis - the allotter, and Atropos - the unturnable, a metaphor for death. The role of the Moirai was to ensure that every being, mortal and divine, lived out their destiny as it was assigned to them by the laws of the universe. For mortals, this destiny spanned their entire lives and was represented as a thread spun from a spindle. Generally, they were considered to be above even the gods in their role as enforcers of fate, although in some representations, Zeus, the chief of the gods, is able to command them.
Clotho spun the thread of life from her distaff onto her spindle.
Lachesis measured the thread of life allotted to each person with her measuring rod.
Atropos was the cutter of the thread of life. She chose the manner of each person's death, and when their time had come, she cut their life-thread with her shears.
The representation of the Fates evolved through time and it seems that it often depended on the medium through which they were portrayed. In the visual arts they were usually depicted as beautiful women, but in literature they are often imagined as both old and ugly. Any case, they are almost always pictured as weaving or binding thread. Sometimes, one – or all – of them can be seen reading or writing the book of fate.
Moirai - The Fates of Destiny
