In the Time before time, the King of the Gods had many children, each of which was given a realm over which to rule and from which to create a world of mortals. Among His children were triplet daughters who were physically identical in every way, but whose personalities clashed so fiercely that the three of them refused to look one another in the eye.
To help these daughters learn to get along and work together, he assigned them to the Realm of Fate at the center of the Kingdom of Heaven where stood the Mighty Tree and the Well of Fate.
The Tree had three main roots. One of them reached across the Kingdom of Heaven to the far eastern edge, another likewise to the far western edge. The third root extended itself southward into the Realm of the Dead.
At the base of the tree, a spring of water burst forth from the ground, flowing with living water. This was the Well of Fate. Embedded in the banks of the river were smooth white stones, round and mostly flattened. Three of these stones were as translucent as a looking glass, and by looking into one of them, a Heavenly Being could see into the past, the future, or see the events of the present in a perfect light. These were the Seer Stones.
Here in the Realm of Fate these troublesome daughters would learn to use their gifts to help and serve each other, and hopefully cease their endless bickering.
At the command of her Father, the oldest of the Three Sisters put her hand into the gushing Well of Fate and pulled out a Seer Stone which showed to her all the events of the past for as far back as she wished to look. The Sister was pleased with her gift and said to herself that now her understanding was full, for all that is has come from all that once was.
The middle Sister thrust her hand into the Well of Fate and pulled out another Seer Stone. When she looked into it, she exclaimed with pleasure that now all around her seemed grand and adventurous, for she could clearly see the present day and appreciate the opportunities afforded to every creature who would seize the moment without hesitation.
The youngest Sister looked into the Well of Fate and spotted the final Seer Stone beneath the rushing waters. With a sense of trepidation, she retrieved the Stone and looked into it. With trembling limbs and awesome dread, she exclaimed that no man or God should ever be allowed to look into her Stone, and that She alone would guard its knowledge with steadfastness. For were any being to know as certainly as she now knew the fate of all that is, surely that being could not help but intervene in the events to come.
With their gifts acquired and their realm assigned, the King of the Gods, Father of all, gave his daughters a final task. For every mortal born anywhere in the universe, the Sisters would look into their stones and grant that soul a Fate. The eldest Sister would look to the past to pull an appropriate thread from the branches of the Mighty Tree. This thread was to represent all that came together to grant life to that mortal. The middle sister would use this thread and her understanding of the Now to weave a tapestry to represent the gifts, talents, abilities and experiences that this mortal would possess. And finally, the youngest sister would use her knowledge of the future to determine the moment at which to cut the thread, signifying the end of that mortal's life.
And so it was that these three Sisters became known as The Fates.
