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A Brief Moment in the History of Time:
Time is the continuous passage of existence in which events pass from a state of potentiality in the future, through the present, to a state of finality in the past.
Also available as a Word Guide.
Time is the continuous passage of existence in which events pass from a state of potentiality in the future, through the present, to a state of finality in the past.
Also available as a Word Guide.
WINDS OF FATE AND DESTINY
In an Eternal World
Do we live a predetermined life?
Dowe have free will?
Download Feature
this topic is also available as a word guide
DIRECTORY OF FEATURE
Fate and Destiny in an Eternal World Home
SEE ALSO:
A HISTORY OF TIME - a brief introduction to the history, philosophy and mythology of the passage of time.
EXISTENCE OF SOULMATES
For a Greek perspective of this content and the role of fate and destiny within the constructs of soulmates or eternal love see Spinning the Wheel of Fate and the Existence of Soulmates
- Path of Eternity and Infinity
- Our Place in Time and Space
- Concepts of Fate and Destiny
- Vocabulary of Predetermination
- Divine Will, Intervention & Immortality
- Chance, Coincidence & Circumstance
- Causality - Basics of Cause and Effect
- Esotericism and Divination Pseudoscience
- Vocabulary of Free Will
SEE ALSO:
A HISTORY OF TIME - a brief introduction to the history, philosophy and mythology of the passage of time.
EXISTENCE OF SOULMATES
For a Greek perspective of this content and the role of fate and destiny within the constructs of soulmates or eternal love see Spinning the Wheel of Fate and the Existence of Soulmates
CONCEPTS OF FATE & DESTINY
Although often used interchangeably, the words “fate” and destiny" have distinct connotations.
CONCEPT OF FATE
Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart.
Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius
Fate refers to the inevitability of a course of events as supposedly predetermined by a god or other agency beyond human control. From late Middle English: from Italian ‘fato’ meaning “later” from its source, Latin ‘fatum’ meaning “that which has been spoken’, from ‘fari’ meaning “speak”
Traditional usage defines fate as a power that predetermines and orders the course of events. Fate defines events as ordered or inevitable and unavoidable. This is a concept based on the belief that there is a fixed natural order to the universe, and in some conceptions, the cosmos.
Traditional usage defines fate as a power that predetermines and orders the course of events. Fate defines events as ordered or inevitable and unavoidable. This is a concept based on the belief that there is a fixed natural order to the universe, and in some conceptions, the cosmos.
- Classical and European mythology feature personified "fate spinners," known as the Moirai in Greek mythology, the Parcae in Roman mythology, and the Norns in Norse mythology. See FATES.
- Fate is about the present, where every decision an individual has made has led them to their present scenario. However, destiny is the future scenario determined by decisions an individual will make.
CONCEPT OF DESTINY
We are not here on earth to
change our destiny, but to fulfill it.
Guy Finley
change our destiny, but to fulfill it.
Guy Finley
Destiny is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Destiny is used with regard to the finality of events as they have worked themselves out; and to that same sense of "destination", projected into the future to become the flow of events as they will work themselves out.
DESTINIST - a believer in destiny; a fatalist.
NECESSITY - the quality of being necessary, or the quality of that which can not but be, become, or be true, or be accepted as true. Need and want always imply a lack; necessity may be used in this sense, but in the higher philosophical sense necessity simply denotes the exclusion of any alternative either in thought or fact; righteousness is a necessity (not a need) of the divine nature. Need suggests the possibility of supplying the deficiency which want expresses; to speak of a person's want of decision merely points out a weakness in his character; to say that he has need of decision implies that he can exercise or attain it. As applied to a deficiency, necessity is more imperative than need; a weary person is in need of rest; when rest becomes a necessity he has no choice but to stop work. An essential is something, as a quality, or element, that belongs to the essence of something else so as to be inseparable from it in its normal condition, or in any complete idea or statement of it.
- From mid-14c., "over-ruling necessity, the irresistible tendency of certain events to come about; inexorable force that shapes and controls lives and events;" also "that which is predetermined and sure to come true," from the Middle English ‘destine,’ Old French ‘destinée’ meaning “purpose, intent, fate, destiny; that which is destined" noun use of fem. past participle of ‘destiner’ from Latin ‘destinare’ meaning to “make firm, establish"
DESTINIST - a believer in destiny; a fatalist.
NECESSITY - the quality of being necessary, or the quality of that which can not but be, become, or be true, or be accepted as true. Need and want always imply a lack; necessity may be used in this sense, but in the higher philosophical sense necessity simply denotes the exclusion of any alternative either in thought or fact; righteousness is a necessity (not a need) of the divine nature. Need suggests the possibility of supplying the deficiency which want expresses; to speak of a person's want of decision merely points out a weakness in his character; to say that he has need of decision implies that he can exercise or attain it. As applied to a deficiency, necessity is more imperative than need; a weary person is in need of rest; when rest becomes a necessity he has no choice but to stop work. An essential is something, as a quality, or element, that belongs to the essence of something else so as to be inseparable from it in its normal condition, or in any complete idea or statement of it.
- Necessity is the power of natural law that cannot be other than it is; natural causation; physical compulsion placed on man by nature; fate. Anything that is inevitable, unavoidable, etc. as a result of natural law; that which is necessary in natural sequence.
- From Middle English ‘necessite’ from Old French ‘necessite’, from Latin ‘necessit’ meaning “unavoidableness, compulsion, exigency, necessity,” from ‘necesse’ meaning “unavoidable, inevitable"
MYTHOLOGY
The Mythological Fate Spinners Known as the Fates
See Also:
The Fates in Context of Soulmates
Greek Mythology Reference Sheet
THE FATES
The Fates were a common motif in European polytheism, most frequently represented as a group of three mythological goddesses (although their number differed in certain eras and cultures). Most common were the Moirae (Greek) and the Parcae (Roman). They were often depicted as weavers of a tapestry on a loom, with the tapestry dictating the destinies of humans.
THE FATES: MOIRAE - GREEK
The Greek Moira (plural Moirai) were three goddesses who determined human destinies in Greek mythology. In particular the span of a person’s life and his allotment of misery and suffering. Homer speaks of Fate (moira) in the singular as an impersonal power and sometimes makes its functions interchangeable with those of the Olympian gods. From the time of the poet Hesiod (8th century BC) on, however, the Fates were personified as three very old women who spin the threads of human destiny. They were the daughters of Zeus and Themis.
RELATED TERM:
THE FATES: PARCAE
The Parcae are Roman personifications of the destinies of humankind and gods. They are the Roman equivalents the Greek Moirai. The Parcae controlled the metaphorical thread of life of every mortal and immortal from birth to death. Even the gods feared them, and by some sources Jupiter was also subject to their power. They were the daughters of Jupiter, the god of darkness and Justitia, the goddess of night.
THE NORNS
Norse mythology - female beings who rule the destiny of gods and men. They roughly correspond to other controllers of humans' destiny, such as the Greek and Roman Fates. There are three sisters, Urðr (Wyrd), Verðandi and Skuld. The Norns set up the laws, decided on the lives of the children of time, and promulgate their ørlǫg.
URÐR (Wyrd), VERÐANDI and SKULD come out from a hall standing at the Well of Urðr or Well of Fate. They draw water from the well and take sand that lies around it, which they pour over the Yggdrasill tree so that its branches will not rot. These three are described as powerful maiden giantesses (Jotuns) whose arrival from Jötunheimr ended the golden age of the gods.
It has been inferred that the three norns are in some way connected with the past, present and future respectively, but it has been disputed that their names really imply a temporal distinction and it has been emphasised that the words do not in themselves denote chronological periods in Old Norse.
DEIVĖS VALDYTOJOS OF LITHUANIA
Lithuania Goddesses who made garments from human's lives. They were seven sisters:
THE ETRUSCAN GODDESS NORTIA
Nortia is the Latinized name of the Etruscan goddess Nurtia whose sphere of influence was time, fate, destiny, and chance.
The Fates in Context of Soulmates
Greek Mythology Reference Sheet
THE FATES
The Fates were a common motif in European polytheism, most frequently represented as a group of three mythological goddesses (although their number differed in certain eras and cultures). Most common were the Moirae (Greek) and the Parcae (Roman). They were often depicted as weavers of a tapestry on a loom, with the tapestry dictating the destinies of humans.
THE FATES: MOIRAE - GREEK
The Greek Moira (plural Moirai) were three goddesses who determined human destinies in Greek mythology. In particular the span of a person’s life and his allotment of misery and suffering. Homer speaks of Fate (moira) in the singular as an impersonal power and sometimes makes its functions interchangeable with those of the Olympian gods. From the time of the poet Hesiod (8th century BC) on, however, the Fates were personified as three very old women who spin the threads of human destiny. They were the daughters of Zeus and Themis.
- LACHESIS - allotter, she is the measurer of each thread of life.
- CLOTHO - a spinner, she spins the thread of human life.
- ATROPOS - inflexible, she cuts the thread of life, thus determining the individual’s moment of death).
RELATED TERM:
- MOROS - from Greek mythology, the personification of impending doom, who drives mortals to their deadly fate; the son of Nyx and brother of the Moirai/Fates. From the Ancient Greek Μόρος ‘Moros’ meaning literally “fate, doom.”
THE FATES: PARCAE
The Parcae are Roman personifications of the destinies of humankind and gods. They are the Roman equivalents the Greek Moirai. The Parcae controlled the metaphorical thread of life of every mortal and immortal from birth to death. Even the gods feared them, and by some sources Jupiter was also subject to their power. They were the daughters of Jupiter, the god of darkness and Justitia, the goddess of night.
- DECIMA - she measured the thread of life with her rod. She is the Roman equivalent of Lachesis.
- NONA - she spun the thread of life from her distaff onto her spindle. She was called upon at births and determined lifespan. She is the Roman equivalent of Clotho.
- MORTA -she cut the thread of life and chose the manner of a person's death, She is the Roman equivalent of Atropos.
THE NORNS
Norse mythology - female beings who rule the destiny of gods and men. They roughly correspond to other controllers of humans' destiny, such as the Greek and Roman Fates. There are three sisters, Urðr (Wyrd), Verðandi and Skuld. The Norns set up the laws, decided on the lives of the children of time, and promulgate their ørlǫg.
- URÐR derives from the past tense of Urðr meaning “that which became or happened.”
- VERÐANDI derives from the present tense of verða meaning “that which is happening"
- SKULD is derived from skulu meaning “need/ought to be/shall be,” “that which should become,” or “that needs to occur".
URÐR (Wyrd), VERÐANDI and SKULD come out from a hall standing at the Well of Urðr or Well of Fate. They draw water from the well and take sand that lies around it, which they pour over the Yggdrasill tree so that its branches will not rot. These three are described as powerful maiden giantesses (Jotuns) whose arrival from Jötunheimr ended the golden age of the gods.
- The origin of the name norn is uncertain, it may derive from a word meaning "to twine" and which would refer to their twining the thread of fate.
It has been inferred that the three norns are in some way connected with the past, present and future respectively, but it has been disputed that their names really imply a temporal distinction and it has been emphasised that the words do not in themselves denote chronological periods in Old Norse.
DEIVĖS VALDYTOJOS OF LITHUANIA
Lithuania Goddesses who made garments from human's lives. They were seven sisters:
- VERPIANČIOJI - she spun the threads of life
- METANČIOJI - she threw rims of life
- AUDĖJA - the weaver
- GADINTOJA - she broke the thread
- SERGĖTOJA - she scolded Gadintoja and instigated war between people
- NUKIRPĖJA - who cut the cloth of life
- IŠSKALBĖJA - the laundress
THE ETRUSCAN GODDESS NORTIA
Nortia is the Latinized name of the Etruscan goddess Nurtia whose sphere of influence was time, fate, destiny, and chance.
- The Etruscan religion comprises a set of stories, beliefs, and religious practices of the Etruscan civilization, originating in the 7th century BC. It was heavily influenced by the mythology of ancient Greece and Phoenicia, and shared similarities with concurrent Roman mythology and religion. The Etruscan civilization was assimilated into the Roman Republic in the 4th century BC and the Etruscan religion and mythology were partially incorporated into ancient Roman culture.
The Winds of Fate - Vocabulary
AMOR FATI - a Latin phrase that may be translated as "love of fate" or "love of one's fate". It is used to describe an attitude in which one sees everything that happens in one's life, including suffering and loss, as good or, at the very least, necessary. Amor fati is often associated with what Friedrich Nietzsche called "eternal recurrence.”
FATALISM - refers to the belief that events fixed by fate are unchangeable by any type of human agency. In other words, humans cannot alter their own fates or the fates of others. Human beings are powerless to do anything other than what they actually do. Furthermore, humans have no power to influence the future or indeed the outcome of their own actions.
FORTUNE - Fortune differs from destiny and fate in that it has more to do with specific occurrences and outcomes, while destiny revolves around death rather than the events of one's life. In Hellenistic civilization, the chaotic and unforeseeable turns of chance gave increasing prominence to a previously less notable goddess, TYCHE (literally meaning “Luck"), who embodied the good fortune of a city and all whose lives depended on its security and prosperity.
PORTION AND LOT - refer to what is supposedly distributed in the determining of fate, but portion implies an equitable apportionment and lot implies a random assignment
MING YUN 命運 - a Chinese concept of the personal life and destiny in the Chinese folk religion. ‘Ming’ is "life or right", the given status of life, and ‘yùn’ defines "circumstance and individual choice.” Mìng is given and influenced by the transcendent force Tiān (天), that is the same as the "divine right" (tiān mìng) of ancient rulers as identified by Mencius. Personal destiny (mìng yùn) is thus perceived as both fixed (the status of life) and flexible, open-ended (the individual choice.)
YUÁNFÈN - a binding force between two people or fateful coincidence. It is a concept in Chinese and Vietnamese societies describing good and bad chances and potential relationships. It can be translated as "destiny, luck as conditioned by one's past," or "natural affinity among friends." It is comparable to the concept of karma in Buddhism, but yuánfèn is interactive rather than individual. The driving forces and causes behind yuánfèn are said to be actions done in previous lives.
VOCABULARY
APOTELESMA - Late Latin from the apotelesma effect meaning the effect of the stars on human destiny. From the Greek ‘apotelein’ meaning “to complete.”
FATALIST - one who maintains that all things happen by inevitable necessity, a person who believes in fatalism.
FATEFUL - something that shows what will happen in the future, has important consequences, or is destined to happen
FATIFEROUS - fate -bringing; deadly; destructive. From the Latin ‘fatifer’ ‘fatum’ meaning fate + ‘ferre’ meaning “to bear, bring.”
FATILOQUENT - prophetic; speaking of fate.
From Latin ‘fatiloquus’ from ‘fatum’ meaning “fate”) + ultimately ‘loqui’ meaning “speak”
FÁTUM - Latin for destiny, fate
KISMET - fate; destiny. From the Turkish ‘ksmet’ from Arabic ‘qisma(t)’ meaning “a portion, lot,” fate from ‘qasama’ “to divide”
MAKTUB - مكتوب an Arabic word which literally means “it is written.” It means fate or destiny.
ORLAY - fate; destiny. From the Old English ‘orlæġ’ meaning “fate,” from Proto-Germanic ‘uzlagą’ meaning “fate”
TRANSLATIONS
Arabic
- ETERNAL RECURRENCE - the idea that, over an infinite period of time, everything recurs infinitely. From this comes a desire to be willing to live exactly the same life over and over for all eternity.
FATALISM - refers to the belief that events fixed by fate are unchangeable by any type of human agency. In other words, humans cannot alter their own fates or the fates of others. Human beings are powerless to do anything other than what they actually do. Furthermore, humans have no power to influence the future or indeed the outcome of their own actions.
FORTUNE - Fortune differs from destiny and fate in that it has more to do with specific occurrences and outcomes, while destiny revolves around death rather than the events of one's life. In Hellenistic civilization, the chaotic and unforeseeable turns of chance gave increasing prominence to a previously less notable goddess, TYCHE (literally meaning “Luck"), who embodied the good fortune of a city and all whose lives depended on its security and prosperity.
PORTION AND LOT - refer to what is supposedly distributed in the determining of fate, but portion implies an equitable apportionment and lot implies a random assignment
MING YUN 命運 - a Chinese concept of the personal life and destiny in the Chinese folk religion. ‘Ming’ is "life or right", the given status of life, and ‘yùn’ defines "circumstance and individual choice.” Mìng is given and influenced by the transcendent force Tiān (天), that is the same as the "divine right" (tiān mìng) of ancient rulers as identified by Mencius. Personal destiny (mìng yùn) is thus perceived as both fixed (the status of life) and flexible, open-ended (the individual choice.)
YUÁNFÈN - a binding force between two people or fateful coincidence. It is a concept in Chinese and Vietnamese societies describing good and bad chances and potential relationships. It can be translated as "destiny, luck as conditioned by one's past," or "natural affinity among friends." It is comparable to the concept of karma in Buddhism, but yuánfèn is interactive rather than individual. The driving forces and causes behind yuánfèn are said to be actions done in previous lives.
VOCABULARY
APOTELESMA - Late Latin from the apotelesma effect meaning the effect of the stars on human destiny. From the Greek ‘apotelein’ meaning “to complete.”
FATALIST - one who maintains that all things happen by inevitable necessity, a person who believes in fatalism.
FATEFUL - something that shows what will happen in the future, has important consequences, or is destined to happen
FATIFEROUS - fate -bringing; deadly; destructive. From the Latin ‘fatifer’ ‘fatum’ meaning fate + ‘ferre’ meaning “to bear, bring.”
FATILOQUENT - prophetic; speaking of fate.
From Latin ‘fatiloquus’ from ‘fatum’ meaning “fate”) + ultimately ‘loqui’ meaning “speak”
FÁTUM - Latin for destiny, fate
KISMET - fate; destiny. From the Turkish ‘ksmet’ from Arabic ‘qisma(t)’ meaning “a portion, lot,” fate from ‘qasama’ “to divide”
MAKTUB - مكتوب an Arabic word which literally means “it is written.” It means fate or destiny.
ORLAY - fate; destiny. From the Old English ‘orlæġ’ meaning “fate,” from Proto-Germanic ‘uzlagą’ meaning “fate”
TRANSLATIONS
Arabic
- fate: مصير (masir)
- eternity: خلود (khalud)
- fate: kohtalo
- eternity: ikuisuus
- fate: destin
- eternity; éternité
- fate: schicksal
- eternity: ewigkeit
- fate: судьба (sud’ba)
- eternity: вечность (vechnost)
- fate: destino
- eternity: eternidad
- fate: cinnidh
- eternity: sìorraidheachd
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Collection of Vocabulary Books, Sites and Resources
Series Homepage | View Sites | Download Books
Words are also posted on twitter under the hashtags #beautifulwords and #wordoftheday and shared visually on pinterest bulletin boards
ABOUT SITE | SITEMAPS | SEARCH | FEEDBACK
Content by Kairos ~ @kairosoflife
Homepage | Portfolio | Contact
Original content © 2021 Copyright, Kairos
