F is for the Fates (What’s yours?) #AtoZChallenge

The Fates are arguably the most powerful of all the gods and goddesses.  Its not clear where they came from but even the gods feared them. Known as the Moirai, they collective weave our futures.

Clotho spins each life with her thread. Lachesis chooses the length and contribution of each life, assigning what you will do and when you will die. Atropos cuts the thread when it is time.  In a way, they are another female articulation of the natural world, as they represent the natural order of things.  Although the big pieces are sketched out, if you believe in fate or the fates, there is still lots of room, even in the myth, for free will.

Of particular interest, in Plato’s Republic the Fates sang the past, present and future. Lachesis, the past, Clotho, the present, and Atropos, the future. Which reminds me of Dickens’ book, A Christmas Carol and how often mythology underpins our stories.

Where do you stand?  How much is fated, how much do we weave for ourselves?

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