What comes up for me, reflecting on your questions relating to Greek mythology is this:  We need some input from someone who has studied Greek Mythology.  Is anyone available to enter this discussion in the group here? 

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I will talk from the Buddhist perspective, because that is what I study. Buddhism teaches that there are other forces beside karma that shape our lives. These include natural forces like the changing seasons and gravity. When a natural disaster like an earthquake strikes a community, this is not some kind of collective karmic punishment. It's an unfortunate event that requires a compassionate response, not judgment.

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Buddhism teaches that everything is interconnected.  This is called Interdependent Origination.  Everything affects everything else.  Everything that is, - is because other things are.  No phenomena or beings exist independently.  Things and beings are perpetually arising.  Stuff happens because other stuff happens.  Westerners often mistake the word Karma to mean fate..  Karma means "action" that is volitional or willful; therefore it is like a multiple feedback loop.  The present moment is shaped both by the past and present action, present actions are shaped by the future ( the present action will become the past action) and also the present.

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The other issue this brings up is decipering language.

According to the ancient Greeks, all the gods feared 'Fate' because they felt they could not be controlled.  But Fate continued regardless of the wishes of the mythical gods.  They believed to understand Fate  was impossible as they ruled unlike any of the other gods and could, when desired, control  the gods as well.

Probably karma and fate could be interwoven.  But can belief exist in both of varying degrees? If all actions have cause and effect, why would fate not exist?  The Greeks believed absolutely in The Three Fates and their power, but through time, Fate has come to represent aspects of choices presented and acted upon.  Free will....?  Is this the same action to reaction?  Actions taken now may refect the future outcome, but what determines the action?  Do we have outside forces helping? Hence, the concept of religion.

The Gods sing about past, future and present.   Every suffering we endure in these realms is in direct proportion  to our own misdeeds; the kind of suffering, the length of suffering, and the intensity of our sufferin all result from the physical, berbal and mental acts of our lives. My  unwholesome karmic fate is created by 10 different actions, three are physical, four verbal, and three mental.

Physical -  Willfill killing, stealing and improper sexual acts.

Verbal - Lying with intention to deceive, slander in order to cause friction, idle gossip, and harsh words.

Mental -  Covetousenss, harboring harmful thoughts toward others, and wrong views.

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My karmic patterns determine my different opinions, qualities, and character traits..  The accumulation of merit and wisdom...(everyday, every moment) relates to the work I must do to live compassionately, and understand the nature of my mind.  Engage in meditation, tranquility  help lift the veils of ignorance. I am the sum total of  every thought I think --every moment.   This controls my fate.

A candle flame is dependent upon the wick. in order to burn.  But in burning, the flame consumes the wick in order to burn.  In burning, the candle consumes the wick and eliminates itself.  So my karmic traces can be exhausted if I train my mind in different spiritual practices which include tranquility and meditation.  My basic consciousness can transformed. 

There is no such thing as fate or destiny in buddhism. Fate and destiny is connected with something being predestined by a God or other force. In buddhism there is nothing to believe in. Buddhism has karma which mean all actions has a cause and an effect. What you have done in the past will give you a specific result at the present or in the future. Nothing more and nothing less. Sometimes people have forgotten past actions or do not understand the consequences of their actions. Therefore the result can be felt as it was predestined by some outer force. But it is merely a lack of understanding of how things actually are.

So Fate, perhaps, in mythology, is explaining the karma.  Is this correct?  Anyone have a thought?