What is the origin of the word Moirai in Greek mythology?
The word Moirai comes from a Greek root meaning lots, destinies, or apportioners. It connects to the Proto-Indo-European language root *(s)mer which means to allot or assign.
Questions about Moirai
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who are the three sisters known as the Moirai and what does each do?
Clotho spun the thread of life from her distaff onto her spindle while Lachesis measured that thread with a rod. Atropos cut the thread of life with abhorred shears when time came for death.
When did the figure known as Atropos originate in pre-Greek Mycenaean religion?
The figure known as Atropos originated in pre-Greek Mycenaean religion as a daemon called Aisa. Martin P. Nilsson associated these daemons to a hypothetical Pre-Greek religion surviving into classical Greece.
Where were the temples dedicated to the Moirai located in Ancient Corinth Sparta and Thebes?
The fates had at least three known temples located in Ancient Corinth Sparta and Thebes. Pausanias observed temple images were not exposed to view at the Akropolis of Korinthos and the temple in Thebes was explicitly imageless according to his records from 9th century AD.
How do Greek fate concepts compare to Vedic Rta Avestan Asha and Egyptian Maat?
Scholars compare Greek fate concepts to Vedic Rta Avestan Asha and Egyptian Maat representing universal principles of natural order. In Egyptian mythology Maat dealt with weighing souls taking place in underworld where Anubis used scales.