What Does Fate Personified Mean?
The phrase "Fate personified" refers to someone or something that exemplifies the abstract concept of "Fate," forming a definite picture in the mind. This makes the concept easier for the brain to comprehend and apply.
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Etymology
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The word "Fate" comes from the Latin term "fatum," meaning "sentence spoken by the gods, one's destiny or lot." The term "personify" comes from the French verb "personnifier," meaning "to personify or embody".
Definition
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The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines "Fate" as a determining agent or cause by which events happen as they must---as an inevitable outcome. It defines "personification" as the act of assigning human attributes to abstract ideas, animals or objects. Thus, "Fate personified" refers to Fate---that inexorable force---humanized.
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Usage
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The phrase "Fate personified" can utilize an entire person as the example, as in the sentence: "She is Fate personified." It can also utilize an aspect (attribute) of a person, as in the sentence: "The look upon her face was Fate personified."
Incarnations
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Some of the most well known Western examples of the incarnations of "Fate" are goddesses. In Greek myth, they are called "The Moirai" (Fates). They are: Clotho (the Spinner of life's thread), Lachesis (the Allotter of the thread's length) and Atropos (the Inflexible One who cuts the thread at the moment of death). Their Norse equivalents are called the Nornir (Norns). The three most well known are Urd (Past), Verdandi (Present) and Skuld (Future).
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- Photo Credit death mask image by paulo cruz from Fotolia.com
