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Trout
is cool
Registered User
(3/23/03 6:30:24 pm)
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Three Fates
I'm doing a report for my Roman Mythology class on the three fates, Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. I was just wondering, are those their Greek or Roman names? Is it the same for both? Thanks so much! Any extra information would help immensly! Thanks again!
-Kelly :D
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Ys
Unregistered User
(3/24/03 9:43:37 am)
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Fates
If I'm to believe Encyclopedia Mythica, in Greek, the Fates were rather called the Moirae. Here is the link to the article in Encyclopedia Mythica:
www.pantheon.org/articles/m/moirae.html
And the links to each of the three Fates (be careful, Lachesis is said to be also one of the Erinyes, which she isn't).
www.pantheon.org/articles/c/clotho.html
www.pantheon.org/articles...hesis.html
www.pantheon.org/articles/a/atropos.html
Whereas in Roman, it seemed the Fates would be called Parcae and that, at the origin, there was only one, Parca, but then she was associated with the Greek Moirae, but then called Nona, Decima and Morta.
www.pantheon.org/articles/p/parcae.html
www.pantheon.org/articles/n/nona.html
www.pantheon.org/articles/d/decima.html
www.pantheon.org/articles/m/morta.html
That's all I can find without my books...
Hope it helps
Ys
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Trout
is cool
Registered User
(3/24/03 11:06:22 am)
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Re: Fates
Thank you so much! :D
Carpe noctem |
Trout
is cool
Registered User
(3/26/03 7:50:25 pm)
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Re: Fates
If anyone is curious, this is what I ended up putting in my essay:
The three Fates were also called Moirae in Greek mythology, and they were usually called Parcae in Roman mythology. The earliest mention of the fates was in Theogony by Hesiod, in 18th century BC. In Greek mythology, the three fates were Clotho (Klotho), Lachesis, and Atropos. There was some debate on their parentage. They could have been daughters of Zeus, Nyx alone, Erebus and Nyx, Kronus and Nyx, Oceanus and Gaea, or Ananke (Necessity) alone. Depending on the identity of their parents, they were variously called sisters of the Horai, the Keres, or Erinyes. They were usually depicted as aged women. Sometimes, they were lame to indicate the slow march of Fate.
Each one of the Fates had a certain job. Clotho, the youngest Fate, spun the thread of human life with her distaff. Lachesis measures the thread of life and wove the thread into the fabric of a person’s actions. The length of the string determined the length of the person’s life. Atropos cut the thread of life, causing the person to die. She was often called “inevitable” or “inflexible.” She cut the thread with her “abhorred shears.”
The Greek word 'Moera' apparently means 'a phase,' which could of course connect to the phases of the moon and the maiden/mother/crone trinity.
In Roman mythology, there was originally only one goddess, Parca, a goddess of birth. It originally came from parere ("create, give birth") but later it was associated with pars (Greek: moira, "part") and then the Parcae became the same as the three Greek Moirae. The three Parcae are also called Tria Fata. Nona was originally the Roman goddess of pregnancy. She was called upon in the “ninth” month by a pregnant mother. She later became the Roman equivalent of Clotho, the spinner of life. Decima was originally the Roman goddess of childbirth, but she later became Lachesis, the measurer of life. Morta was the Roman goddess of death. Later, she became Atropos, who cut the thread of life.
Because the Fates knew the future, they were thought of as prophetic goddesses. All of their ministers were soothsayers and oracles. Though the Fates were usually unchanging in their endless spinning, measuring, and cutting of the thread of life, Apollo once intervened on Admetus’ behalf after his thread had been cut. The Fates agreed to let Admetus live if another took his place in the underworld. His wife sacrificed her life, but Hercules later rescued her and reunited the couple.
Carpe noctem |
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