The Greek Fates, or Moirai, use a thread to symbolize a person's destiny.
In Greek mythology, the thread represents the course and length of a mortal life. The three Moirai are usually named Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. Clotho spins the thread of life, Lachesis measures or assigns its portion, and Atropos cuts it when life ends. Together, their work turns destiny into a continuous strand that can be spun, measured, and severed.
The image became one of the most enduring symbols of fate in Western culture. It does not mean that every myth describes the sisters in exactly the same way: their parentage and powers vary among authors and periods. In Hesiod’s Theogony, they are daughters of Nyx, while later traditions connect them with Zeus and Themis.
A spindle, loom, or scissors may also appear in artistic depictions, but these are tools associated with the thread. The thread itself is the central symbol of an allotted lifespan. The Roman equivalents of the Moirai were the Parcae, while Norse mythology has the Norns as related figures of fate.