Talk:Moirai

Latinization: rename Fates or Three Fates?
Μοίραι would traditionally be Latinized as Moerae, and in the now more common (and allegedly more accurate) system Moirai. Moirae, though, seems totally inappropriate. It really should be one or the other (and I'd vote for the former). --Iustinus 00:10, 5 August 2006 (UTC)
 * Let me think about that. Moera would be almost unrecognizable to most people, and so should be avoided. What would you think of a move to Fates, which now redirects here? Septentrionalis 00:58, 5 August 2006 (UTC)
 * Oh God, please yes.--TurabianNights 15:05, 5 August 2006 (UTC)
 * Are we ever going to make this move? Can we vote on it soonish?--TurabianNights 03:04, 28 August 2006 (UTC)
 * Wouldn't Three Fates be even better? --Wetman 22:04, 4 September 2006 (UTC)
 * , I agree absolutely. I think this title is puzzling, and the first thing I'm going to do is re-appropriate The Three Fates. That ELP album is great, but it's not primary. Drmies (talk) 20:32, 8 February 2020 (UTC)

Bizarre claim without a citation
"The services of the temples were performed by old women who were physically misshapen, though intellectually superior persons, giving rise to the fear of witches and of the misshapen." Really? I don't think there's evidence that temple workers were misshapen, or brilliant; and at any rate fear of deformity, brilliance and witchcraft long predates Greek civ. At the very least, cite a source here. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 199.46.198.230 (talk) 17:19, 24 March 2014 (UTC)

I propose to delete this claim, as it's now four years without citation.Martin Turner (talk) 20:12, 12 June 2018 (UTC)
 * I've pulled it per request. &#58;bloodofox: (talk) 20:16, 12 June 2018 (UTC)

Additional this, I propose deleting this section: "The Moirai were described as ugly old women, sometimes lame. They were severe, inflexible and stern. Clotho carries a spindle or a roll (the book of fate), Lachesis a staff with which she points to the horoscope on a globe, and Atropos (Aisa) a scroll, a wax tablet, a sundial, a pair of scales, or a cutting instrument. At other times the three were shown with staffs or sceptres, the symbols of dominion, and sometimes even with crowns. At the birth of each man they appeared spinning, measuring, and cutting the thread of life.[47]" Checking the reference, this links to an unsourced internet project, and appears to be describing unspecified pictures, not sourced mythology. Lachesis pointing a staff at a horoscope on a globe is anachronistic. Given that we should be able to reference everything about established figures in classical mythology, this brings down the reliability of the article, which is otherwise well-linked to primary sources.Martin Turner (talk) 20:25, 12 June 2018 (UTC)


 * The article has quite a few problems, and it will benefit from closer attention. Please feel free to make the changes you see fit. &#58;bloodofox: (talk) 20:36, 12 June 2018 (UTC)

Help wanted


This article looks like it could do with some help. One of the most glaring problems is that the Moirai are primarily classical Greek figures, but all of the illustrations are post-classical. I asked at the British Museum in London if they had any representations, but there are none in their (vast) collection. I've also scoured the web for anything. Therefore, as a first step to lifting this article, does anyone know of, or can link to, an image (statue, black-figure, red-figure, engraving, anything) of the Moirai which can be reliably dated as pre-Roman? If not, does anyone have an authoritative source which says that such representations do not exist, and offers a reason why? Thank you. Martin Turner (talk) 20:21, 3 August 2018 (UTC)
 * The oldest visual representation of the Moirai that I know of is the image I have placed at right, which is a Greek mosaic from the House of Theseus at Paphos Archaeological Park on Cyprus. It dates to the second century AD, so it is not "pre-Roman," but it is Greek and it is ancient. All three Moirai are identifiable because their individual names appear above their heads in Greek. From left to right, they are: Klotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. There may be older representations of them, but I am not currently aware of them if there are. --Katolophyromai (talk) 00:59, 4 August 2018 (UTC)

Thank you! This is much better than what I've found so far.Martin Turner (talk) 08:14, 6 August 2018 (UTC)

Popular culture
Hi. There is no popular culture section? Wanted to add some information about Clotho as main character and her sisters in Legends of Tomorrow, but did not find the section. (Crisis on Infinite Earths Impacted One Legend of Tomorrow in a Major Way) IKhitron (talk) 13:25, 1 March 2020 (UTC)

Small change.
Propose to have a link to "The Morrigan" when relating them to other figures from different mythologies. Not only is it also 3 women but their primary aspects are war (not relevant) and fate (very relevant). 184.15.20.247 (talk) 10:15, 6 February 2024 (UTC)
 * To add this to the article, we would need a source which makes this connection. – Michael Aurel (talk) 10:49, 6 February 2024 (UTC)