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Ma'at
by
Marianne Dixon
An
Egyptian goddess who personified the concepts of truth,
cosmic order and justice. This concept was fundamental
to Egyptian life and the rule of the Pharaohs. The Kings
portrayed themselves constantly as "Beloved of Ma'at"
and upholders of the universal order. This role was established
by their divine predecessor Horus,
who defeated the forces of the chaotic god Seth.
Judges in both human and divine spheres were known as
representatives of Ma'at. At the final judgement of souls
that Ma'at helped to determine the ultimate fate of the
deceased. In the "Hall of Two Truths" the heart of the
deceased would be weighed by Anubis
against the Feather of Truth, which was Ma'at's symbol.
If the verdict was favorable then the deceased could look
forward to a happy afterlife; if not, the hapless soul
was quickly devoured by the hybrid Ammit.
Ma'at
was usually depicted as a woman wearing a large ostrich
feather in her headband. This Feather formed the Hieroglyph
of her name and could be used by itself as an abstract
representation of the goddess.
The
name of Ma'at in hieroglyphs: 
Source(s):
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Hart,
George. A Dictionary of Egyptian Gods & Goddesses. Routledge
& Kegan Paul, 1986.
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Lurker,
Manfred. An Illustrated Dictionary of the Gods & Symbols
of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson, 1980.
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Lichtheim,
Miriam. Ancient Egyptian Literature, vol. I. University
of California Press, 1976.
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Lichtheim,
Miriam. Ancient Egyptian Literature, vol. II. University
of California Press, 1976.
The
Encyclopedia Mythica
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return to Egypt Index
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