The third sister was Atropos, whose name translates as “the un-turnable or she who cannot be turned.” Her name refers to her unshakeable position as the most stubborn of the Fates.

The Third Fate: Atropos The Three Fates, by Paul Thumann, 19th century, via Wikimedia Commons “This is the word of Lachesis, the maiden daughter of Ananke (Necessity), souls that live for a day, now is the beginning of another cycle of mortal generation where birth is the beacon of death.” Within the thread lay the fate of each soul. Lachesis would determine how long a human would live, and hence how many trials they would face in their life. Her name translates as “the Allotter” which fits her role as the one who allots a portion of mortal life to each soul. Lachesis was the second of the Moirai, or Fates, and her role was to measure the thread of a human’s life. The Second Fate: Lachesis The Fates Gathering in the Stars, by Elihu Vedder, 1887, via Art Institute of Chicago The Fates would take all decisions and outcomes into account when they wove the thread. Instead, there was freedom in choice, and the fate of a human depended on conditional choices. The choices of mankind were not absolute.

“He must look to meet whatever events his own fate and the stern Klothes (Clotho) twisted into his thread of destiny when he entered the world and his mother bore him.” Clotho would begin spinning the thread while the human was in the womb, and so she is often referred to during pregnancies or during the birth of human beings.

This thread would follow the path of a human’s life, including their future choices and actions, and the consequences that could be created.

Fates & furies