Fates,
in Greek mythology, the three goddesses who determined human life and destiny. Known as Moirae in Greek and Parcae in Latin, the Fates apportioned to each person at birth a share of good and evil, although one might increase the evil by one's own folly. Portrayed in art and poetry as stern old women or as somber maidens, the goddesses were always thought of as weavers. Clotho, the Spinner, spun the thread of life; Lachesis, the Dispenser of Lots, decided its span and assigned to each person his or her destiny; and Atropos, the Inexorable, carried the dread shears that were used to sever an individual's thread of life at the proper time. The decisions of the Fates could not be altered, even by the gods.