Thread of life

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The thread of life is a symbol of human life in Greek and Roman mythology . It is spun by the three Moiren or Parzen . In the Iliad of Homer they are therefore also referred to as Kataklothes ( Κατακλῶθες "spinning up"). In this way they not only determine the length of human life, but also its nature. This is how they assign happiness and unhappiness to people. The motif is later adopted by the Norns in a similar way in the Edda .

literature

  • Otto Betz : The thread of life. A symbolic motif in myth and fairy tale. In: Symbolon. Yearbook for Symbol Research , New Series, Volume 9, 1988, pp. 107-120