Parcae

In Roman mythology, the Parcae (singular: Parca) were the female personifications of destiny. They are often called the Fates in English. Their Greek equivalents were the Moirai. They controlled the "thread of life" of every mortal and immortal. Even the gods feared the Parcae.

Les Parques ("The Parcae," ca. 1885) by Alfred Agache

The names of the three Parcae were:

• Nona (Greek equivalent Clotho), who spun the thread of life on her spindle;^[1]
• Decima (Greek Lachesis), who measured the thread of life;^[1]
• Morta (Greek Atropos), who cut the thread of life and chose the way a person would die.^[2][3][4]

The earliest known documents about these deities are three small stelae (cippi). They were found near ancient Lavinium shortly after World War II.^[5] They have the inscription:

Neuna fata, Neuna dono, Parca Maurtia dono

The names of two of the three Roman Parcae are recorded (Neuna = Nona, Maurtia = Morta) and connected to the concept of fata.^[6]

The Three Parcae Spinning the Fate of Marie de' Medici (1622-1625) by Peter Paul Rubens

One of the sources for the Parcae is Metamorphoses by Ovid, II 654, V 532, VIII 452, XV 781.

Related pages

• Norns, equivalent of the Fates in Norse mythology