Lachesis (mythology)
Encyclopedia
In Greek mythology
, Lachesis (also Lakhesis, Greek
: Λάχεσις, English
: "disposer of lots", Etymology
: λαγχάνω - to obtain by lot, by fate, or by the will of the gods) was the second of the Three Fates, or Moirae
, also known as the Triple Moon Goddesses or the Lunar Dieties. Each phase of the moon (new, full and old) representing each of the fates - Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos. Normally seen clothed in white, Lachesis is the measurer of the thread woven by Clotho's spindle, and in some texts, determines Destiny, or thread of life. Her Roman equivalent was Decima
. The Three Fates are often associated with the moon and the great spider, spinning threads of destinies into a woven cloth.
Lachesis was the apportioner, deciding how much time for life was to be allowed for each person or being. She measured the thread of life with her rod. She is also said to choose a person's destiny after a thread was measured. In mythology, it is said that she appears with her sisters within three days of a baby's birth to decide its fate.
's Theogony
, she and her sisters (Atropos
and Clotho
) are the daughters of Nyx (Night) and Erebus. Lachesis is also mentioned in the tenth book of the Republic of Plato as the daughter of Necessity. She instructs the souls who are about to choose their next life, assign them lots, and presents them all of the kinds, human and animal, from which they may choose their next life.
Other sources site that the three are daughters from Zeus and Themus, sisters of the Hours. They are also named Klotho, Lachesis and Atropos - associated with weavers and spinners of human destiny.
by Stephen King.
Lachesis, along with Clotho and Atropos, is one of the personifications of Fate in Piers Anthony's fantasy novel With a Tangled Skein
, part of his Incarnations of Immortality
series.
Lachesis, Clotho and Atropos are major characters in the pantheon of The Five Star Stories, androids with mysterious properties imbued in them by an engineer who's abilities are unparalleled in the story's galaxy. Lachesis is the second-most-powerful figure in the galaxy at the time, second only to her husband The Emperor of Light Amaterasu
(name drawn from the Shinto pantheon). Her role at numerous points in the story is central to the mythological content of the story, and reminiscent of her role in the original Greek texts.
The 3 fates also appear in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Percy sees three old ladies in a fruit stand, knitting a very large sock. Then one snips the yarn and Percy's destiny is decided. When she cut the string, it meant that someone was going to die.
Lachesis (spelled "Lahkesis" in-game), like the other two Moirae, is depicted in the video game God of War II
as one of the final bosses.
Lachesis is a spaceship class in the MMORPG
EVE-Online
known as Combat Recon Ship.
Lachesis and her sisters play an important role in Kelly McCullough's
Ravirn book series. The protagonist, Ravirn calls her grandmother. In reality she is the godly ancestor and the matriarch of the House Ravirn was born into. The Fates are also one of the main powers in the books' universe.
In popular music "Lachesis" is the solo piano second movement of the piece "The Three Fates" from Emerson, Lake and Palmer
's eponymous first album.
.
In Loom, Lachesis and Atropos
are two of the elders of the guild of weavers.
In Achron
, Lachesis is an Omega Class AI who started a massive war on Earth after becoming involved with its politics.
In Golden Sun: The Lost Age
, the Lachesis' Rule is a powerful staff available towards the end of the game.
The computer peripheral company Razer produces an amphicheiral gaming mouse under the brand name Lachesis.
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
, Lachesis (also Lakhesis, Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
: Λάχεσις, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: "disposer of lots", Etymology
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
: λαγχάνω - to obtain by lot, by fate, or by the will of the gods) was the second of the Three Fates, or Moirae
Moirae
The Moirae, Moerae or Moirai , in Greek mythology, were the white-robed incarnations of destiny . Their number became fixed at three...
, also known as the Triple Moon Goddesses or the Lunar Dieties. Each phase of the moon (new, full and old) representing each of the fates - Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos. Normally seen clothed in white, Lachesis is the measurer of the thread woven by Clotho's spindle, and in some texts, determines Destiny, or thread of life. Her Roman equivalent was Decima
Decima (mythology)
In Roman mythology, Decima was one of the Parcae, or the Fates. She measured the thread of life with her rod. She was also revered as the goddess of childbirth. Her Greek equivalent was Lachesis....
. The Three Fates are often associated with the moon and the great spider, spinning threads of destinies into a woven cloth.
Lachesis was the apportioner, deciding how much time for life was to be allowed for each person or being. She measured the thread of life with her rod. She is also said to choose a person's destiny after a thread was measured. In mythology, it is said that she appears with her sisters within three days of a baby's birth to decide its fate.
Origin
According to HesiodHesiod
Hesiod was a Greek oral poet generally thought by scholars to have been active between 750 and 650 BC, around the same time as Homer. His is the first European poetry in which the poet regards himself as a topic, an individual with a distinctive role to play. Ancient authors credited him and...
's Theogony
Theogony
The Theogony is a poem by Hesiod describing the origins and genealogies of the gods of the ancient Greeks, composed circa 700 BC...
, she and her sisters (Atropos
Atropos
Atropos or Aisa , in Greek mythology, was one of the three Moirae, goddesses of fate and destiny. Her Roman equivalent was Morta.Atropos or Aisa was the oldest of the Three Fates, and was known as the "inflexible" or "inevitable." It was Atropos who chose the mechanism of death and ended the life...
and Clotho
Clotho
Clotho is one of the Three Fates or Moirae, in ancient Greek mythology. Her Roman equivalent is Nona. Clotho was responsible for spinning the thread of human life. She also made major decisions, such as when a person was born, thus in effect controlling people's lives...
) are the daughters of Nyx (Night) and Erebus. Lachesis is also mentioned in the tenth book of the Republic of Plato as the daughter of Necessity. She instructs the souls who are about to choose their next life, assign them lots, and presents them all of the kinds, human and animal, from which they may choose their next life.
Other sources site that the three are daughters from Zeus and Themus, sisters of the Hours. They are also named Klotho, Lachesis and Atropos - associated with weavers and spinners of human destiny.
In popular culture
Lachesis, along with Clotho and Atropos, is one of the 'little bald doctors' in InsomniaInsomnia
Insomnia is most often defined by an individual's report of sleeping difficulties. While the term is sometimes used in sleep literature to describe a disorder demonstrated by polysomnographic evidence of disturbed sleep, insomnia is often defined as a positive response to either of two questions:...
by Stephen King.
Lachesis, along with Clotho and Atropos, is one of the personifications of Fate in Piers Anthony's fantasy novel With a Tangled Skein
With a Tangled Skein
With a Tangled Skein is a fantasy novel by Piers Anthony. It is the third of eight books in the Incarnations of Immortality series.- Plot introduction :...
, part of his Incarnations of Immortality
Incarnations of Immortality
Incarnations of Immortality is the name of an eight-book fantasy series by Piers Anthony. The first seven books each focus on one of seven supernatural "offices" in a fictional reality and history parallel to ours, with the exception that society has advanced both magic and modern technology...
series.
Lachesis, Clotho and Atropos are major characters in the pantheon of The Five Star Stories, androids with mysterious properties imbued in them by an engineer who's abilities are unparalleled in the story's galaxy. Lachesis is the second-most-powerful figure in the galaxy at the time, second only to her husband The Emperor of Light Amaterasu
Amaterasu
, or is apart of the Japanese myth cycle and also a major deity of the Shinto religion. She is the goddess of the sun, but also of the universe. the name Amaterasu derived from Amateru meaning "shining in heaven." The meaning of her whole name, Amaterasu-ōmikami, is "the great August kami who...
(name drawn from the Shinto pantheon). Her role at numerous points in the story is central to the mythological content of the story, and reminiscent of her role in the original Greek texts.
The 3 fates also appear in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Percy sees three old ladies in a fruit stand, knitting a very large sock. Then one snips the yarn and Percy's destiny is decided. When she cut the string, it meant that someone was going to die.
Lachesis (spelled "Lahkesis" in-game), like the other two Moirae, is depicted in the video game God of War II
God of War II
God of War II is an action-adventure video game released for the PlayStation 2 by Sony Computer Entertainment's Santa Monica division in March, 2007....
as one of the final bosses.
Lachesis is a spaceship class in the MMORPG
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
EVE-Online
EVE Online
Eve Online is a video game by CCP Games. It is a player-driven, persistent-world MMORPG set in a science fiction space setting. Characters pilot customizable ships through a galaxy of over 7,500 star systems. Most star systems are connected to one or more other star systems by means of stargates...
known as Combat Recon Ship.
Lachesis and her sisters play an important role in Kelly McCullough's
Kelly McCullough
Kelly David McCullough is a contemporary American author of Fantasy and Science Fiction novels living in Wisconsin. His critically acclaimed WebMage was released in 2006, followed by Cybermancy in 2007 CodeSpell in 2008, MythOS in 2009, and Spellcrash in 2010...
Ravirn book series. The protagonist, Ravirn calls her grandmother. In reality she is the godly ancestor and the matriarch of the House Ravirn was born into. The Fates are also one of the main powers in the books' universe.
In popular music "Lachesis" is the solo piano second movement of the piece "The Three Fates" from Emerson, Lake and Palmer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer, also known as ELP, are an English progressive rock supergroup. They found success in the 1970s and sold over forty million albums and headlined large stadium concerts. The band consists of Keith Emerson , Greg Lake and Carl Palmer...
's eponymous first album.
.
In Loom, Lachesis and Atropos
Atropos
Atropos or Aisa , in Greek mythology, was one of the three Moirae, goddesses of fate and destiny. Her Roman equivalent was Morta.Atropos or Aisa was the oldest of the Three Fates, and was known as the "inflexible" or "inevitable." It was Atropos who chose the mechanism of death and ended the life...
are two of the elders of the guild of weavers.
In Achron
Achron
Achron is considered to be the first "meta-time strategy game" , notable for being the first game with free-form multiplayer time travel and its subtle handling of temporal paradoxes such as the grandfather paradox...
, Lachesis is an Omega Class AI who started a massive war on Earth after becoming involved with its politics.
In Golden Sun: The Lost Age
Golden Sun: The Lost Age
is the second installment of a series of role-playing video games developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo. The game was released in April 2003 for Nintendo's Game Boy Advance, being a sequel to the Game Boy Advance Golden Sun...
, the Lachesis' Rule is a powerful staff available towards the end of the game.
The computer peripheral company Razer produces an amphicheiral gaming mouse under the brand name Lachesis.