Who are the fates?
The Three Fates are the three women sitting under the tree that holds up the sundial’s pointer, or gnomon. The Fates are characters from Greek myths, and together they represent the unknown parts of life. Clotho the Spinner holds a spindle of yarn on which she spins the thread of life. Behind her on the sundial stands Lachesis the Measurer, who takes the thread of life and measures it out, assigning each person his or her destiny. Atropos the Cutter, cuts the thread of life with her shears. The tree branches that hang over the Fates grow out of the Tree of Life. There are leaves over Clotho and Lachesis, but the branches are bare over Atropos. The bird on a branch over Atropos is the raven, symbol of death. In Greek mythology, Atropos the Cutter is usually smaller than her two Fate sisters, even though many think she is the most terrible. Did Manship follow that tradition and make Atropos smaller than the other Fates on the sundial?
