The Fates (Moirae) were the personifications of destiny, the spinners of the thread of life, determining the span of human life of every mortal and immortal from birth to death. No other god had the right or the means to alter their decisions.

The Fates were among the eldest goddesses in ancient Greek mythology. The Fates were either daughters of Zeus, the Lord of the gods, and Themis, the goddess of justice, or were created by goddess Nyx without the intervention of man.

There were three Fates in Greek mythology: Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. Clotho, the spinner, was the youngest of the three Fates; she spun the thread of destiny with a distaff, determining the time of birth of an individual; Lachesis measured the thread length to determine the length of life; finally, cruel Atropos cut the thread of life, determining this way the time of death.