The Fates

The Fates (Moirai) were the goddesses of fate who personified the inescapable destiny of man. They assinged to every person his or her fate or share in the scheme of things. Their name means "Parts." "Shares" or "Alottted Portions." Zeus Moiragetes, the god of fate, was their leader. Klotho, whose name means "Spinner," spinned the thread of life. (To the left) Lakhesis, whose name means "Apportioner of Lots", being derived from a word meaning to receive by lot, measured the thread of life. (in the middle) Atropos (or Aisa), whose name means "She who cannot be turned," cut the thread of life. (to the right). Their parenthood is disputed, among othes the mother is mentioned to be either Nyx or Themis and the father is generally believed to be Erebos or perhaps Zeus.

At the birth of a man, the Moirai spinned out the thread of his future life, followed his steps and directed the consequences of his actions according to the counsel of the gods. It was not an inflexible fate though; Zeus, if he chose, had the power of saving even those who were already on the point of being seized by their fate. The Fates did not abruptly interfere in human affairs but availed themselves of intermediate causes, and determined the lot of mortals not absolutely, but only conditionally, even man himself, in his freedom was allowed to exercise a certain influence upon them. As man's fate terminated at his death, the goddesses of fate become the goddesses of death, Moirai Thanatoio. The Moirai were independent, at the helm of necessity, directed fate, and watched that the fate assigned to every being by eternal laws might take its course without obstruction. They assigned to the Erinyes, who inflicted the punishement for evil deeds, and with them they directed fate according to the laws of necessity.

Eileithyia was their companion as a goddesses of birth, who spinned the thread of life, and even prophesied the fate of the newly born. As goddesses of fate they must necessarily have known the future, which at times they revealed, and were therefore prophetic deities. Their ministers were all the soothsayers and oracles. As goddesses of death, they appeared together with the Keres and the infernal Erinyes.

The Romans called the goddess Parcae and named the three Nona, Decuma and Morta and the Norse called them Nornor and named them Verdandis, Urd and Skuld.

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For quite some time I've been wanting to do these ladies, but not being able to come up with a working concept. Until I this weekend re-saw the movie trilogy Matrix. And finally it hit me what the falling letters represented in the movie - the threads of life which bind every human life. So I borrowed the Matrix concept for my work and let the Fates be surrounded by falling greek letters.

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3D items from DAZ, Renderosity and self-made.