Editing Moirai (section)

==The three Moirai==
[[File:The Three Fates by Paul Thumann.jpg|thumb|''The Three Fates'' by [[Paul Thumann]], 19th century]]

When they were three,<ref>The expectation that there would be three was strong by the 2nd century CE: when Pausanias visited the temple of Apollo at Delphi, with Apollo and Zeus each accompanied by a Fate, he remarked "There are also images of two Moirai; but in place of the third Moira there stand by their side Zeus Moiragetes and Apollon Moiragetes."</ref> the Moirai were:
* '''[[Clotho]]''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|l|oʊ|θ|oʊ}}, Greek {{lang|grc|Κλωθώ}}, {{IPA|grc|klɔːtʰɔ̌ː|}}, "spinner") spun the thread of life from her [[distaff]] onto her [[Spindle (textiles)|spindle]]. Her Roman equivalent was ''[[Nona (mythology)|Nona]]'' ("the ninth"), who was originally a goddess called upon in the ninth month of [[pregnancy]].
* '''[[Lachesis (mythology)|Lachesis]]''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|æ|k|ᵻ|s|ɪ|s}}, Greek {{lang|grc|Λάχεσις}}, {{IPA|grc|lákʰesis|}}, "allotter" or drawer of lots) measured the thread of life allotted to each person with her [[measuring rod]]. Her Roman equivalent was ''[[Decima (mythology)|Decima]]'' ("the Tenth").
* '''[[Atropos]]''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|t|r|ə|p|ɒ|s}}, Greek {{lang|grc|Ἄτροπος}}, {{IPA|grc|átropos|}}, "inexorable" or "inevitable", literally "unturning",<ref>Compare the ancient goddess [[Adrasteia]], the "inescapable".</ref> was the cutter of the thread of life. She chose the manner of each person's death; and when their time has come, she cut their life-thread with her "abhorred [[Scissors|shears]]".<ref>"Comes the blind Fury with th'abhorred shears, / And slits the thin spun life." [[John Milton]], [[Lycidas]], l. 75. {{wikisource-inline|Lycidas}}</ref> Her Roman equivalent was ''[[Morta (mythology)|Morta]]'' ("the dead one").

In the ''[[The Republic (Plato)|Republic]]'' of [[Plato]], the three Moirai sing in unison with the music of the [[Siren (mythology)|Seirenes]]. [[Lachesis (mythology)|Lachesis]] sings the things that were, [[Clotho]] the things that are, and [[Atropos]] the things that are to be.<ref>{{cite book|author=Plato|author-link=Plato|title=Republic|url=https://archive.org/details/republic0000plat_n1d0|url-access=registration|publisher=Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.|location=Indianapolis, Indiana|edition= Second|date= 1992 |page=617c|translator=Sorrey|isbn=978-0872201361}}</ref> [[Pindar]] in his ''Hymn to the Fates'', holds them in high honour. He calls them to send their sisters, the [[Hours (mythology)|Hours]] [[Eunomia (goddess)|Eunomia]] ("lawfulness"), [[Dike (mythology)|Dike]] ("right"), and [[Eirene (Greek goddess)|Eirene]] ("peace"), to stop the internal civil strife.<ref>[[Pindar]], '' Fragmenta Chorica Adespota'' 5 (ed. Diehl).</ref>