FATE’S WEAVERS

The significance of the Moirai in Greek mythology

The Moirai, from the Greek αἱ Μοῖραι, were the Greek counterparts to the Roman Parcae. These three goddesses, known as the weavers of destiny, determined the inescapable fate of men. According to one version of their myth, they were the daughters of Zeus and Themis, while another version claims they were born of Night (Nyx) and Erebus. They resided in Hades, the realm of the dead, and were governed by Fate, a supreme force ensuring order and stability by assigning each person their portion of life.

In Homer’s work, Moira was singular, but in Hesiod’s account, they became three distinct figures: Clotho, the spinner of life’s thread; Lachesis, who determined the thread’s length and fate using white string mixed with golden threads to signify happy days and black string for days of misfortune; and Atropos, the unyielding fatality of death, who cut the thread of life with her sharp shears. These goddesses thus symbolized the three pivotal stages of human existence: birth, growth, and death.

The thread of life spun by the Moirai had three colors: white, black, and gold. The white threads represented days of joy and happiness, the black threads signified dark and unhappy days, while the golden threads symbolized success and eternal life.

The Moirai even wove the destiny of Zeus, ensuring his supremacy over Cronus with an entirely golden thread. Despite their power, not even the gods could alter the Moirai’s decisions. Zeus himself, the supreme deity, had to submit to their will. The unyielding inevitability of the Moirai was seen as a force that constrained the power of the gods. Nevertheless, over time, particularly with the spread of mystery religions and Orphism, the Greeks began to view destiny as a force that could be appeased through atonement. An interesting aspect is that the Moirai are women because the Greeks believed that since life was a maternal gift, death should also depend on a female entity.

Immortal and impossible to kill, the Moirai were greatly respected and appeased.

However, there were those who tried to deceive them in an attempt to change the fate of their loved ones.

Among them was Apollo who, for example, got the Moirai drunk to save his friend Admetus, the guardian of his flocks, who was destined to die because of his mortality.

The three goddesses granted Admetus extra time on the condition that he found someone to die in his place. When Admetus went to his elderly parents, begging them to die for him, they refused, saying their lives were still long and happy. Thus, Admetus resigned himself to his fate.

Additionally, Althaea, wife of King Oeneus and mother of Meleager, also tried to thwart the will of the Moirai. Seven days after Meleager’s birth, the Moirai visited and one of them, pointing to a burning log in the fireplace, told Althaea that as soon as the log was consumed, her son’s life would end. After the Moirai left, Althaea took the log from the fire, extinguished it and hid it, allowing Meleager to live.

However, this came at a price: Meleager became arrogant, cruel and spoiled. Eventually, Althaea decided to retrieve the piece of wood and set it ablaze. Just as the Moirai had foretold, as soon as the last piece of the log turned to ash, Meleager’s life ended. This illustrates that the decisions of the Moirai were indisputable, and no one could change their fate.

The Moirai were widely worshipped; they did not have temples but small altars in dense oak forests, exposed to the elements to symbolize that time and unforeseen events are part of the universe’s energy.

The Moirai were especially venerated to seek their benevolence, often in anticipation of a new birth. During rituals for the goddesses, people adorned their heads with flower garlands, as flowers represented birth, life, and death due to their short lifespan. Offerings to the Moirai included clear water, honey and flowers, in an attempt to appease their inflexibility.

The Moirai appeared in ancient art from the archaic period, including the Chest of Cypselus, the Neo-Attic wellhead in Madrid and the Gigantomachy on the Pergamon Altar friezes. They were depicted as either old weavers or stern young women in long white robes adorned with stars.

Contrary to popular belief, it was the Graeae, not the Moirai, who shared a single eye.