In ancient Greek mythology, the Fates, or Moirai as the Greeks called them, controlled the destiny of mortals. The three sisters, who wore white robes each controlled a different aspect of destiny. They were the daughters of Zeus, the king of the gods and Themis, the Titaness of Justice and Good Order. The Fates were usually described as old, unattractive women who were very strict and would not change their mind. Even the gods feared them, because their destiny was also decided by the three sisters. The fates would appear three days after the birth of a child to determine how the person would live and die.
The first sister was Clotho, who spun the thread of life for all people when they were born. She carried the spindle that the tread of life was spun from. Clotho also could use her abilities to decide if a human or god should be spared from death or meet it.
After Clotho spun the thread of life the second sister, Lachesis, measured the thread of life for all people. She was depicted as carrying a staff which she used to measure the thread her sister had spun, which represented the length of life.
Finally, after Clotho had spun and Lachesis measured the thread of life, the third and final sister Atropos would cut it, deciding when and how mortals would ultimately die. She was the eldest of the three sisters and was often shown as carrying shears or scissors, which she used to cut the thread of life for both mortals and gods.
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