Ma'at

𓁦 mꜣꜥt

Egyptian goddess of truth, justice and the feather that weighs the heart

Ma'at (Maat, Mayet) is the ancient Egyptian goddess of truth, justice, balance and cosmic order, and also the principle that keeps the universe on its right course. The idea of maat is very old, and from the New Kingdom she is called the daughter of the sun god Re. Kings ruled by upholding maat against isfet, chaos. Judges and the vizier, known as Priest of Ma'at, were linked to her. Devotees turn to her for truth, fair dealing and balance.

In the Hall of Two Truths, the heart of the dead was weighed against her feather. No temple of her own is known before the New Kingdom, and statuettes often show her as an offering presented to other gods. Today she is one of the most popular Kemetic deities, honoured daily at shrines in Kemetic Orthodoxy and other Kemetic groups.

See the gallery

Papyrus of Hunefer, circa 1275 BCE. Wikimedia Commons (public domain), Hunefer

How to recognise Ma'at

Single ostrich featherOne tall feather stands upright on her head; it is the hieroglyph for her name, and exactly one feather marks her, not two.
Young woman in profileShe appears as a young woman, standing or seated, in the traditional profile style of Egyptian art.
Sheath dress and collarA close-fitting tunic with shoulder-straps, a wide usekh collar, bracelets and a tripartite wig, with a headband tied at the back to hold the feather.
Golden or yellow skinIn the relief from the tomb of Seti I her skin is yellow, a colour linked to light, and other ancient images vary in colour.
Ankh and sceptreShe is sometimes shown holding an ankh in one hand and a sceptre in the other, symbols of life and authority.
Outstretched wingsShe is often shown with protective wings spread from her arms, as in the tomb of Siptah (KV47), where she kneels.
Seated statuetteIn small statuettes she sits with her knees drawn up, often in front of Thoth's ibis, who is her consort.
Scales of the heartIn the weighing of the heart her feather balances against the heart of the dead, watched by Anubis, Thoth, Osiris and 42 assessors.

Names and titles

Daughter of RaMa'at is called the daughter of the sun god Re; from the New Kingdom this linked the king's rule to her order
The Feather of TruthHer single ostrich feather is her emblem and the hieroglyph for her name
Keeper of Cosmic OrderShe personifies truth, justice and the order Re set at creation
Light as Her FeatherIn the weighing of the heart, a heart is set against her feather; a life lived by maat is the goal
True of VoiceThose who passed the judgment were called maa-kheru, 'true of voice'