Thalia Sharon
Civilization and Society
If “The Fates” predate the Greek Gods and seemingly have control over their destinies in addition to those of humankind, then why are they not glorified figures in Greek mythology?
Greek mythology is centered upon the various Gods and their contributions to every aspect of human life. The people of Ancient Greece worshipped Zeus and his contemporaries and exalted them in several mythological works. In the eyes of the people, the Gods controlled every sector of Greek society. The Moirai, or “Fates”, however, who existed even before the Gods made their mark on the Greek world, determined the fate of humans and deities alike. This consequently raises the question of why the Fates were not
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In fact, “the deathless gods who dwell on Olympus made a golden race of mortal men who lived in the time of Cronus when he was reigning in heaven. And they lived like gods without sorrow of heart, remote and free from toil and grief: miserable age rested not on them.”4 To express their gratitude to Cronus, the Greeks dedicated a harvest festival in his name which was subsequently celebrated every year.5 This deep fondness for Cronus illustrates why the Greeks would disapprove of anyone who might cause him to fail, namely, the Fates. This reasoning further supports why the Fates were drawn as decrepit, ugly figures. The three Fates of Greek Mythology, Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos assigned destinies both to the Greek people and to the Greek divinities. They spun the thread of life at the moment of birth, decided how long each thread should be (namely, how long one should live) and cut the thread at the moment of death. Due to the Fates’ omnipotence, one would think that they should be depicted in Greek mythology as beautiful, respected personas. However, in almost every account of the Fates, their auguries entail an
Many authors have employed the religious beliefs of their cultures in literature. The deities contained in Homer’s Odyssey and in the Biblical book of Exodus reflect the nature of the gods in their respective societies. Upon examination of these two works, there are three major areas where the gods of the Greek epic seem to directly contrast the nature of the God of the Israelites: the way problems are solved, the prestige and status that separates the divine from the masses, and the extent of power among the immortal beings.
Many women weren’t showed respect from men for the color of their skin or their gender, so it took courage for women like Mary Jackson to stand up for themselves or their work. In the book Hidden Figures, it states, “ Something didn’t seem right to the manager who assigned the work. He insisted that Mary’s calculations were wrong. Mary Jackson respectfully stood by her work. Mary and the division chief reviewed the number and finally discovered that the problem wasn’t with her output it was with his input: he had given her the wrong numbers to use!...But having the independence of mind and strength of personality to defend your work in front of the most powerful aeronautical minds in the world-that’s what got you noticed.”(Shetterly 91-92).
Allusions to well known characters are often found in artistic expression to describe universal traits. These implicit references, often Biblical, Shakespearean, or Greek, rely on the viewers’ previous knowledge to understand the main theme of a piece. Allusions are able to convey underlying messages in a more relatable manner because of shared classical ideas. One popular Biblical reference, that of Judas, one of the original twelve apostles of Jesus, signifies betrayal and greed in a friend. Whether 700 years ago or 70 years ago, this allusion can be seen in both literature and art alike in the role of a traitor to the protagonist.
How is the idea of wyrd depicted throughout the Greeks? The Moirai are the three sisters who control one’s life, from the very moment they are born down to the length of said life and death. The sisters, known as deities, each have a specific job to do in controlling one’s fate; Clothos spins the thread of life, Lachesis controls the length of life, and Atropos chooses the form of death by cutting the thread with shears. “Three days after a child was born, it was thought that the Moirai would visit the house to determine the child's fate and life” (The Fates). According to the Greeks, nobody, mortal nor immortal, was immune to the handles the fates had on
It is consistently difficult to understand in old world literature, from Homeric epics to Virgil's work, The Aeneid, what the relation of fate is to the Pantheon of gods. There seems to be an ongoing debate within the texts discussing whether "fate" is the supreme ruling force in the universe and the controlling element of the lives of men, or whether fate is the will of the king of gods, Jupiter. In, The Aeneid, several situations and instances of the use of fate are presented to the reader. The direction and destination of Aeneas's course are preordained, and his various sufferings and glories in battle and at sea over the course of the epic merely postpone his unchangeable destiny.
Greek culture's ideas on fate manifested themselves largely through their mythology. The length of a person's life, they believed, was determined by the three Fates, Clotho (spinner), Lachesus (Apportioner), and the fearsome Atropos (Inflexible). These aged children of Zeus and Themis-- know to the Greeks at the Moirai--would unscrupulously spin out, measure, and cut the thread of one's life. The balance of power between these three women and their father Zeus is difficult to understand. In Book XXVI of The Iliad, we see the king of the gods fretting over the impending death of his mortal son Sarpedon. Unable to cope with the idea of his noble child's death, Zeus inquires of Hera "Shall I pluck [Sarpedon] up, now, while he's still alive... or beat him down at Patroclus' hands at last" (Iliad 16.519-21). In the end, Zeus allows Sarpedon to be slain as the Fates have willed. Though Zeus has the power to override his daughters, the great orderer of the cosmos sees that doing so in this case would be beyond reason.
In this paragraph will be information on Greek Gods and Goddesses. There was a governing body for the Grecians. This mythological group was very important. They were usually the reason for war and many believed that they were so superior that they would bring disease and death upon others that they dislike or the people that would try to out shine them. They were called The Olympians. There were twelve Olympians, however before I name them there actually were 13, but Hestia gave up her position for Dionysus. There was Zeus, Poseidon, Hermes, Hephatus, Hera, Demeter, Aphrodite, Athena, Artimes, Dionysus, Aries (Ares or Aris), and Apollo.” (Greek Gods and Goddesses) There was one other God that is also very important to the Olympians. His name was Hades and he was the God of the Dead. He was not considered an Olympian though because he was always to be in the Underworld. Hades had one day decided that he wanted a partner however
The gods do not have power over fate, but this not discourage their usage of influence within human lives.
The concept of fate and the influence of gods on mortals’ lives are prominent aspects of Greek mythology. While the gods of Olympus are commonly presented as the primary manipulators of human lives, the Fates are the true creators of destiny. Gods may be able to affect human lives in monumental ways, but predetermined destiny and the Fates’ intentions ultimately reign. The gods have respect for this authority, as well, as they’re aware that a limit on their ability to intervene is necessary to maintain the order of the universe. This leaves one to question the amount of knowledge that the gods themselves have of fate, and whether they have their own free will to refrain from intervening or if they truly must submit to the authority of the Fates and their plans. The gods do have some knowledge of the Fates’ plan, but they are also wise enough to avoid too much interference and therefore don’t necessarily need to be commanded; they sometimes help guide mortals by sending them messages and symbols—and sometimes even influencing them for their own advantage—but ultimate fate cannot be avoided.
Over the centuries, the concept of fate is constantly being changed to adapt to our current way of living. In modern times the concept of fate is usually connected to the themes of love and romance. However the ancient Greeks recognized fate as an inescapable reality that shaped their lives. The famous playwright, Sophocles, adopts the idea of fate in his plays to control the character’s actions. In both plays, “Oedipus the King” and “Antigone”, the writer uses the concept of fate to show human’s inability to conquer the will of the gods.
The Olympian gods shared all of mankind's virtues and faults. They were severe, punishing every unjust act, while protecting and assisting the just and the pious. They even had their own likes and dislikes which governed their behavior towards mortals. This was made very clear during the Trojan War (as portrayed in Homer's Iliad) when the gods got involved and assisted either Achaeans or Trojans, depending on whom each of them favored. The gods were vengeful but also excessively generous, while at the same time being propitiated by the material sacrifices they were offered by the faithful. The Greek deities had supernatural powers, particularly over human life, but were severely limited by the relentless force of fate (Moira).
Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos were more commonly known as the Fates, the personification of human destiny. Clotho would spin the thread when one would be born. Lachesis would weave the thread, while Atropos would cut the thread at the end of one’s life. Not only humans submit to the Fates, but immortals as well.
The relationship between gods and mortals in mythology has long been a complicated topic. The gods can be generous and supportive, and also devastating and destructive to any group of humans. Mortals must respect the powers above them that cannot be controlled. The gods rule over destiny, nature, and justice, and need to be recognized and worshipped for the powerful beings as they are. Regardless of one's actions, intentions, and thoughts, the gods in Greek myth have ultimate power and the final decision of justice over nature, mortals, and even each other.
“Gods can be evil sometimes.” In the play “Oedipus the King”, Sophocles defamed the gods’ reputation, and lowered their status by making them look harmful and evil. It is known that all gods should be perfect and infallible, and should represent justice and equity, but with Oedipus, the gods decided to destroy him and his family for no reason. It might be hard to believe that gods can have humanistic traits, but in fact they do. The gods, especially Apollo, are considered evil by the reader because they destroyed an innocent man’s life and his family. They destroyed Oedipus by controlling his fate, granting people the power of prophecy, telling Oedipus about his fate through the oracle of Apollo, and finally afflicting the people of
Fate and free will played major parts in creating the characters and stories in many of the Greek mythologies and tragedies. The Greeks believes that the Gods and the Oracle's could predict a person's fate before or after birth, and that no one, even the Gods could intervene in that person's fate. They also believed that a person's or God could not create their own fate. This belief stems from the three fates: sisters, The Moirai or Fates were three sister deities, incarnations of destiny and life. Because of these three old women, fate could not be avoided or altered. As such with these stories, in the Iliad fate leads Achilles down his path of glory and his early demise, and cause Oedipus to sleep with his own mother and kill his father. Free will is the power of acting without constraint and fate; acting by one's own decisions. Even though Achilleus and Oedipus have fate, they both also have free will. For instance, Achilles has a double fate: if he goes home, he will live long without glory or if he stays at Troy, he will have lots of glory, but a short life. As such, in Sophocles Oedipus the King, when Oedipus was born he was fated to kill his father and lay with his mother, thought his ability of free will caused his fate to come true.