Egyptian Goddess Maat and the Feather of TruthThe Egyptian Goddess Maat is a little bit more difficult to define than the other gods and goddesses. She was more, let’s say, ethereal, and didn’t have that dual personality as the other deities. She also didn’t have an animal form.In fact, the only distinguishable feature she has is her feather of truth. She would either wear it on her head or just carry it. This feather has a great significance in ancient Egyptian beliefs, and it plays one of the main roles in the weighing-of-the-heart ceremony. She also represented the concept of morality, law and order. Judges in the courts carried a feather to show they were aligned with finding the truth and serving justice. Her origin is also a little difficult to trace, but according to mythology, she was supposed to be another daughter of Ra, also rising around the same time as he did (like Hathor). She also had a place on the solar boat with Thoth.
Maat's Function and WorshipAs seen in the Book of the Dead, her feather is what the heart of the dead is weighed against. If the heart is lighter or in balance, that means the deceased has passed the first test on the way to the afterlife. If the heart is heavier, then it is eaten up by the underworld monster and the deceased has no hope of an afterlife!Once the soul passed the first test it entered into “The Hall of Maat” which is basically the hall of judgment where the deceased had to confess sins and list good deeds. The soul also had to identify all the different names of the gate in this hall. If all of these tests were passed Maat would allow the soul to go to the final judgment by Osiris. And so the most significant depictions of her were in the Book of the Dead where her role was one of the most important. She was also painted on tomb and temple walls, and also in the Egyptian Museum on different artifacts.
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