Moirai’s Family Tree

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Family

• Themis(parent),Zeus(parent),Dike(sibling),Eirene(sibling),Eunomia(sibling),Horae(sibling)— Consort

  Zeus and the Titaness Themis produced the Horae — Eunomia (Order), Dike (Justice), and Eirene (Peace) — and the Moirai, according to Hesiod's Theogony.

  ⚠ Hesiod gives two conflicting genealogies: Theogony 901-906 names Zeus and Themis as parents, while Theogony 217 makes the Moirai daughters of Nyx alone.

• Nyx(parent)

  Nyx bore the Moirai — Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos — the three Fates who spin, measure, and cut the thread of every mortal life. Their authority over destiny exceeds even the Olympians'.

  ⚠ Hesiod names the Moirai as daughters of Nyx (Theogony 217) but also as daughters of Zeus and Themis (Theogony 904). Both genealogies coexist within the same poem.

Slew

• Gigantes

  During the Gigantomachy, the Moirai killed the Gigantes Agrius and Thoas with bronze clubs, according to Apollodorus.

Contains

• Atropos,Clotho,Lachesis

  The Moirai are three sisters — Clotho who spins the thread of life, Lachesis who measures its allotted length, and Atropos who cuts it with her shears — together governing the destiny of every mortal and god.

Equivalent to

• Parcae(Roman)

  The Greek Moirai and Roman Parcae are the same three fate goddesses who spin, measure, and cut the thread of mortal life, their power binding even the king of the gods.

Associated with

• Peleus,Thetis

  The Moirai attended the wedding of Peleus and Thetis on Mount Pelion, where they joined other deities in celebrating the union that would produce Achilles.

• Sarpedon,Zeus

  In Iliad 16, Zeus wished to save his son Sarpedon from death at Troy but yielded to fate's decree. The Moirai had appointed Sarpedon's death, and even the king of the gods could not overrule them.

• Apollo

  Apollo got the Moirai drunk with wine while serving as herdsman to Admetus, persuading them to grant that Admetus could escape death if another willingly died in his place.

• Meleager

  The Moirai appeared at Meleager's birth and declared he would live only until a log in the fire burned away. His mother Althaea hid the brand, but later cast it into the flames, fulfilling the Fates' decree.

• Typhon

  In Apollodorus and Nonnus, the Moirai tricked Typhon during his battle with Zeus by offering him ephemeral fruits, claiming they would increase his strength but actually weakening him.