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The three Fates—Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos—subdue a hapless Giant with his traditional snake-like legs on the north facade of the Pergamon altar. Known collectively in Greek as the Moirae, the Three Fates controlled a person’s destiny: Clotho spun the thread of a person’s life, Lachesis measured its length and, when the alloted time came, Atropos cut it. The Romans named the fates “Nona,” “Decima” and “Morta.” Our word “mortality,” being subject to death, is related to the Latin word “mors,” and may derive ultimately from the Greek name for fate “Moira,” which means “share” or “portion.”