The Three Fates In Ancient Greek Mythology

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In ancient Greek mythology, there are three goddess, known as the Fates who controlled the life, death, and destiny of all the world’s inhabitants. The three Fates are often represented by the thread of life; this is referring to when it is time for someone to die, the thread of life is cut (encyclopedia mythica). The rulers of the fates are three sisters who are thought to be the daughters of Zeus and the Titan Themis, the goddess of divinity; however, this is speculation, therefore, their family tree is an undetermined mystery. The sisters include Clotho who spins the thread of life, Lachesis who determines how long one will live by measuring the thread of life, and Atropos who chooses how someone dies and cuts the thread of life with her …show more content…
Although their soul purpose is to punish, it is said that the innocent have nothing to fear from them (myth encyclopedia). However when they found a criminal, their punishment was relentless and given without restraint, their punishment was eternal, regardless of the criminal showing remorse. This punishment drove their victims to insanity, disease, or starvation (theoi). When the Furies were not punishing the living, they resigned in the Underworld punishing the damned under the control of Hades and Persephone. The Furies have also been referred to as the Erinyes, the angry ones (myth encyclopedia).
In contrast to the Fates who control the life and death of the people, and the Furies who tortured criminals, the goddesses known as the Muses inspire people in literature, science, geography, mathematics and the arts. The Muses are the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, they are the goddesses of divine beauty and inspiration. (Greek Mythology). Each Muse has a special talent and an object to represent that particular talent. They spend their lives inspiring people based on each Muses’ individual passions and skills (Cartwright,

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