Fates.
To Homer, the Fates (Greek, Μοῖραι) spun the thread of a mortal’s life at birth and thus determined his destiny. According to Hesiod, they were the daughters of Zeus and the Titan Themis, or of Nyx (Night), and were three in number, each having a specific task: Clotho, “the Spinner,” held the distaff; Lachesis, “the Apportioner,” pulled out and measured the thread; and Atropos, “the Inflexible,” cut it off. They may be conceived as either finishing their task at birth—hence their worship as birth goddesses—or continuing to spin throughout a mortal’s life until all the thread is pulled from the distaff, signifying death. Born of Nyx, they were mysterious and inscrutable; born of Zeus, they were all-powerful; born of Themis (goddess of law), they represented order in human lives.
      While best known for their spinning, the Fates could also weave and, in some tales, sing. In myth they were present at many of the great beginnings, such as the birth of Aphrodite (Venus) and the marriage of Thetis and Peleus, which prefaced the Trojan War.
      In the Roman tradition, the Fates were known as Parcae or Fata. Originally associated only with birth, the Parcae were called Nona, Decuma, and Morta to signify, respectively, birth at nine months (premature to the Romans), birth at ten months (therefore full term), and stillbirth. Because of their nature and number, they were eventually identified with the Greek Fates and therefore as powers of destiny.