Sisters of Fate: The Truth Behind Life and Death
2020
Sisters of Fate: The Truth Behind Life and Death
Max Dorian
Reporter, AllGreekNews
The three fates doing their job, painted during the interview
Alexander Rothaug, The Three Fates
ELYSIAN FIELDS, THE UNDERWORLD – Seen as cruel by many mortals and feared by the very gods themselves, I am now face-to-face with the Three Fates themselves in their humble cave in the Underworld. It’s rather nice here, actually. Who would have thought the Underworld could be so peaceful – or that I’d be in front of the same women who decide the fate of each and every mortal? Who knew that the underworld could have such a nice setting. I’m surprised that I was actually able to land an interview with them. After being silent about their jobs for so long, why speak up now? I guess it’s because of all the hate comments aimed at them for the past few years. Well, fellow people of Earth, I guess we’ll find out today.
The Three Fates, Sisters bound by their duties to maintain the balance of life and death in this world. Here, we get to know the juicy details about what exactly their job is like. “So, what exactly do you do in your jobs?”
“Well, I’m in charge of making decisions such as when a person is born and when they die. It’s so cool to give new life. Ya know what else is cool? Hehehe, I know when you die! For all, you know you could drop dead within ten seconds,” responds Clotho, a young maiden with stunning looks and a mischievous smile, also the youngest of the three sisters.
Clotho is very talkative. Even so, it gets more bearable as you get to know her.
“I decide what road they go down during the path of life. You may think that all you’re doing is your decision but that is not the case. Everything from your very beginning to your end has all been planned out beforehand. Every conflict you’ve faced, every decision,” explains Lachesis, the second of the sisters with an inviting smile that never wavers and eyes that shine with confidence.
Then there’s the last sister, Atropos, an old woman with sharp beady eyes and rectangular glasses with her hair tied up in a tight bun. She looks like the “no-nonsense type of person”. Her dark aura gives off the vibe that she should not be messed with. She isn’t much of a talker either. “I… decide how people die. Be it tortured to death or peacefully in their sleep.”
“Why do you have to let people die?”
That question is answered by Atropos. “Without death, the natural order of life will be unbalanced.”
I can see where she’s coming from. If humans don’t die, the entire world would be overpopulated.
“Are there any hardships that you face when doing these types of jobs?”
“Not for me. After all, to me, their lives are nothing but numbers. I couldn’t care less about them. I could give someone 100 years to live and the next one just 2 months. Sometimes when I’m lazy, I’ll just roll a dice for the number of years someone has to live. Then, I’ll spin the thread on my spindle,” replies Clotho with a bright smile on her face.
Of course, I’m a little agitated at the way she’s so flippant about human lives. To her, we are nothing more than mere numbers.
Then Lachesis speaks up. She turns to Clotho. “Dearest sister, please refrain from making such comments. To them, life is precious.” She then turns back to me.
“To answer your question, it’s hard to choose their destiny. Some end up gaining power. Others suffer. When I meet people after their death, some ask why were they born with disabilities or born only to die the next day. Others ask about being born in poverty, why they have to work so hard, only to gain nothing in return. Those born in a higher class thank me for giving them a lavish lifestyle. To the people who live on earth, I apologize. I cannot give everyone happy lives. So please, stop sending us so much hate. We have to carry out our duty to maintain order in the dimension.”
I could see that her eyes were bright with unshed tears. I never realized that the gods themselves could also cry, or feel emotion for that matter.
Atropos seems to remain in a tense silence. I could see her hand reach her shears. They are sheathed in a leather case with an intricate design on it. Although the cave is dark with dim lighting, I could see it glinting in the darkness. When she does open her mouth, her answer is terrifying.
“Hardships? Everything is hard. Do you know how painful it is to have innocents by a murderer’s hand? Or those who have done nothing wrong in their lives but be in the wrong place at the wrong time? Kids who are stripped away from their parents. To hear their cries of anguish are torturous.”
I don’t actually expect her to say so much as with all her previous answers being so short. I’m still in shock and try to collect myself as fast as possible. “Alright, now on to the last question have there been any instances where mortals have successfully changed their fate?”
The aura of the cave darkened the moment. The last word fell from my lips. I felt a cold chill rush through my body.
“Well, there was this one time. Apollo, the god of sun and light, invited us for a drink. He got us drunk and was able to make us agree to keep his favorite mortal, Admetus, alive. We stupidly agreed but only if someone else took his place,” Lachesis with a bitter smile.
“Grrr, just thinking about it makes me so angry. How dare they disobey the rules of life and decide to evade death. It’s all because of that god, Hercules, that we weren’t able to get either Admetus or his wife, Alcestis’s soul. Alcestis was the one to offer up her life to save Admetus. Admetus had treated Hercules very kindly when he had undertaken the Twelve Labours in the Underworld. To repay his kindness, Hercules brought Alcestis back from the dead to Admetus. It’s not fair. We’re just doing our jobs here. Why must you make our lives so difficult?” Clothes vents. I could tell how frustrated she was after being tricked by Apollo.
“A few years later, we were finally able to harvest his soul but it was a very troublesome process,” I hear Atropos mutter under her breath.
Eugène Delacroix, Hercules and Alcestis
Well, that’s it for today folks. I hope that you see that there is a need for death. Please stop sending hate messages to The Fates! They’re just doing their job. I hope you’re able to learn more about them from this article. I would like to meet The Fates again but I guess the next time I’ll meet them is when I’ll be asleep for all of eternity.
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Citations:
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https://www.greekmythology.com/Other_Gods/The_Fates/the_fates.html
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https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Mortals/Admetus/admetus.html
“Heracles” greekmyths-greekmythology.com, accessed 27 August 2020,
https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Heroes/Heracles/heracles.html
“The fates” mythology.net accessed 27 August 2020,
https://mythology.net/greek/greek-gods/the-fates/
“Moirai” theoi.com accessed 27 August 2020,
https://www.theoi.com/Daimon/Moirai.html
“Three fates destiny deities ancient greece and rome” ancient origins.net 27 August 2020
https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-europe/three-fates-destiny-s-deities-ancient-greece-and-rome-003039