Clothos, Lachesis, and Atropos
In ancient Greece, The Moirai (Fates) were usually depicted as unattractive old women, sometimes crippled. At the time of a person’s birth, the Fates spun out the thread of that life, and directed the consequences of actions that person might take according to the wishes of the Gods. The Fates always gave humans a choice of outcomes that depended on an individual’s actions. Zeus could change the fate of anyone, but rarely did so. Clothos spun the thread of life; Lachesis measured it; and Atropos was responsible for cutting it. They directed the actions of the Furies. The Fates were involved in seven episodes of Xena (list below), and were played by six different actors (see table below). Only Atropos was played by the same actor throughout the series.
A few of The Fates on Xena: Warrior Princess
Season 2 Episode 22 – Remember Nothing
7 October 1996
Written by Chris Manheim and Steven L. Sears
Directed by Anson Williams
Guest cast: Mark Ferguson, Robert Harte, Steven Tozer, Aaron Dewitt, Chris Graham
Because she defended their temple, the fates offer Xena a deal. They will erase her past and her brother’s death, but in exchange she must completely renounce violence.
Season 3 Episode 21 – Sacrifice (Part I)
16 May 1998
Written by Steven L. Sears
Directed by David Warry-Smith
Guest cast: Hudson Leick, Jodie Rimmer, Steven Ure, Bret Rudnick, Jeremy Curry
Season 3 Episode 22 – Sacrifice (Part II)
23 May 1998
Written by Paul Robert Coyle
Directed by Rick Jackobson
Guest cast: Hudson Leick, Jodie Rimmer, Jeremy James Wood, Russell Gowers, Brett Rudnick
Ares takes Gabrielle to see the Fates to settle a debt. Callisto returns and resurrects Hope. Xena and Gabrielle try to save Seraphim from being sacrificed.
Season 5 Episode 12 – God Fearing Child
7 February 2000
Written by Chris Manheim – Teleplay by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman
Directed by Phillip Sgriccia
Guest cast: Niko Vella, Kevin Sorbo, Meg Foster, Charles Keating, Stephen Lovatt
Zeus learns from the Fates that the unborn child of Xena will destroy Olympus, and he goes on the attack. Hercules arrives to help.
Season 5 Episode 19 – Looking Death in the Eye
1 May 2000
Written by Carl Ellsworth
Directed by Garth Maxwell
Guest cast: Stephen Lovatt, Paris Jefferson, Jason Hoyte, Theresa Healey, Mark Warren, Jed Brody, Kate Smeda, Michael Langley, Renee Kelly
The Fates tell Xena she must die in order that Eve may cause the destruction of the Gods. Ares helps Xena and Gabrielle fake their deaths to outwit the rest of the Olympians.
Season 6 Episode 18 – When Fates Collide
12 May 2001
Written by Katherine Fugate
Directed by John Fawcett
Guest cast: Claire Stansfield, David Franklin, Karl Urban
Caesar escapes from the underworld and takes control of the Loom of Life, turning Gabrielle into a playwright in Rome and Xena into a Roman Empress.
Season 6 Episode 20 – Soul Possession
9 June 2001
Written by Melissa Blake
Directed by Josh Becker
Guest cast: Michael Saccente, Lucy Briant, Anne Nordhaus, Jennifer Rucker, Campbell Cooley
A scroll is found proving Xena and Ares were married in front of the Fates.
| ACTOR | FATE | EPISODES |
| Elizabeth Pendergrast | Atropos | Rember Nothing, Sacrifice (I&II), God Fearing Child, Looking Death in the Eye, Soul Possession, When Fates Collide, Judgement Day (Hercules) |
| Michaela Daniel | Lachesis | Remember Nothing, Sacrifice (I&II) |
| Chloe Jordan | Lachesis | God Fearing Child, Looking Death In the Eye, When Fates Collide, Soul Possession |
| Rebecca Kopacka | Clotho | Remember Nothing, Judgement Day (Hercules) |
| Leah Mizrahi | Clotho | When Fates Collide, Soul Possession |
| Samantha Adriaanse | Clotho | Sacrifice Iⅈ, God Fearing Child, Looking Death in the Eye |