Atropos is a supporting antagonist of the Stephen King multiverse.
He serves as the secondary antagonist of Insomnia, and one of the two overarching antagonists (alongside the Wendigo) of Pet Sematary.
He is an agent of those "Higher Powers" who cut the lifelines of beings prematurely, known as the "Random" in the upper dimensions. He is essentially the same as the Atropos of Greek mythology, the Moirae who cuts the lifeline. His colleagues, Clotho and Lachesis work together as agents of the "Purpose", which carefully selects those who are about to die of natural causes. Atropos works alone as an agent of the “Random”
Dolores Claiborne makes a reference to the figure of Atropos in the novel of the same name. However, she does so in reference to the Atropos of Greek mythology rather than the Atropos featured in Insomnia.
Quick Answers
How does Atropos from Stephen King's multiverse compare to the Atropos of Greek mythology?
What role does Atropos play in the novel 'Insomnia'?
Who are Atropos' colleagues in the Stephen King multiverse and how do they work together?
What is the 'Random' that Atropos serves in the upper dimensions?
How does Atropos contribute to the overarching antagonism in 'Pet Sematary'?
Origin[]
Like his colleagues, Clotho and Lachesis, Atropos has existed since the dawn of human civilization. However, unlike his colleagues, who presumably serve Maturin the Turtle or other deities, Atropos serves the evil deity, the Crimson King, in selecting victims who are about to die prematurely, i.e. in earthquakes, or by illness or road accidents.
Atropos is given a list of those about to die prematurely by the Crimson King, then cuts their lifeline thread just as they meet their death. He has been busy throughout history, and inadvertently influences other events in King's mythology, as he cuts the thread of Gage Creed from Ludlow in Pet Sematary, and many others. Presumably, he is active throughout It's reign of terror in Derry, as he cuts the threads of IT's victims, hence their premature deaths.
Role in the novel[]
In the novel, the lives of creatures on Earth are known as "short-timers", or "Shorts", and those on the upper dimensions are known as "long-timers", while on the dimensions above those are the "eternals", in which It and his enemy, Maturin, may be categorized. Atropos, Clotho, and Lachesis have been the inspiration for the personification of Death throughout mythology, inspiring forms such as Thanatos, Baron Samedi, and Kali.
In the novel, pro-choice and women's rights activist Susan Day comes to Derry to give a political speech on abortion and women's welfare. The Crimson King has already selected her and thousands of her supporters as the next catastrophe on the Random Plane. Therefore, he sends his agent Atropos to Derry to sever all their threads when the catastrophe happens. Atropos selects a man named Ed Deepneau to carry out the assassination, severing his lifeline prematurely but leaving him still alive, essentially a Revenant. Ed begins to go insane throughout the summer, as he begins to be visited by Atropos who drives him with taunts. Ed has a public breakdown where he accuses a labourer of transporting cadavers of infants to be buried.
Atropos appears to many other people too, such as Dorrance and Ralph Roberts. Ralph is notable, as the protagonist, because like the other victims of Atropos, he begins to suffer insomnia and notices Atropos' colleagues, Clotho and Lachesis, out on the street early in the morning. Later, Ralph ascends to a higher plane with Clotho and Lachesis with a woman named Lois (another insomnia victim) and learns from them of their purpose on Earth.
Atropos haunts Ralph throughout the novel and makes him see auras surrounding everybody in town. Soon afterwards, he begins to see death-bags, portents of doom, and death-bugs surrounding those about to die as well. Ralph notices Atropos wearing a friend's hat and realizes his friend's time is up. Atropos tries to sever the lifeline of a stray dog, but is thwarted twice by Ralph, but finally Atropos cuts the lifeline.
Ralph pursues Atropos down to his lair when he takes Lois's earrings after her daughter-in-law stole them, and as he realizes Atropos has the earrings Ralph does a deal with Atropos that he will leave everybody in Derry alone if he gives back the earrings. Atropos does so, but says he is not responsible for the events, and that the Crimson King is his real master, and warns Ralph he will have to deal with the Crimson King if he is able to save those at Susan Day's presentation. Ralph tells Louis to leave and slices Atropos' skin open on his scalp, warning him of what Short-timers are capable of, but doesn't kill him.
Atropos vows revenge on Ralph for humiliating him before his master and says he will take down Helen Deepneau's (Ed's wife) daughter Natalie, who is six, if Ralph doesn't save his next victims. Unfortunately, an infuriated Ed does manage to suicidally crash his plane into the conference center, killing Susan Day and seven hundred others. But Clotho and Lachesis's plan succeeds too: they were ordered to protect a boy named Patrick Danville who was of vital importance to stabilizing the future. Patrick and his mother do survive and thus the Multiverse is saved.
Just as Atropos is about to mow down Natalie when she is about to be run over, Ralph, having made a deal with Clotho and Lachesis to take his own life in exchange for saving Natalie's, jumps in front of the speeding car and is mortally wounded, thus having Clotho and Lachesis take his lifeline. Even though Ralph does die, his insomnia is over, and he can rest once more. Atropos is left quivering with rage over his most recent failure.
Personality[]
Atropos is a cold, ruthless, manipulative, and calculating maniac. He was prone to sudden fits of rage, hinting at mental instability, which was probably bought on by serving the Crimson King, but he could be frighteningly nonviolent and calm at times. He had the eerie ability to transform into his last victims as he took on the form of a young girl whose lifeline he had recently cut.
Physically, Atropos was really small, around three or four feet, and made Ralph think of a space alien before he realized he was from a higher dimension and thus more sinister.
Appearances[]
Trivia[]
- Atropos, alongside the Wendigo, is responsible for the death of Gage Creed, and turning him into a zombified child.
- Atropos may have some connections to Pennywise from IT, as Insomnia takes place in Derry. Since Atropos may have been active throughout Pennywise's reign of terror on Derry, this leads many to believe that the Crimson King was in league with Pennywise.