Maat - goddess of justice

Maat (Ammaat) is an ancient Egyptian goddess who personifies truth, justice, universal harmony, divine institution and ethical norms. Ma'at was depicted as a seated woman with an ostrich feather on her head, sometimes winged; could also be depicted only through her attribute - a feather or a flat sandy primordial hill with one side beveled, on which she often sits, and which can be depicted under the feet and thrones of many other gods. The most famous relief dedicated to this goddess is located in the tomb of Ramses XI. It depicts the pharaoh himself, dressed in royal robes, with a headdress decorated with Uraeus (a snake that was a symbol of wisdom and initiation among the Egyptians). Ramses XI is depicted bowing to the great goddess of Justice with his palms outstretched towards her. The goddess Maat is dressed in a long dress, holding the scepter of eternal youth in her hands. The ostrich feather that once adorned the goddess's hairstyle, unfortunately, has not survived to this day.

The ancient Egyptian goddess of truth and justice Maat took part in the judgment of the souls of the dead. She always had an ostrich feather with her. The heart of the deceased was placed on one scale, and the feather of Maat on the other, so the judges could see whether the heart was heavy with sins or not. If the sins outweighed the feather of Maat, then the heart was sent to be devoured by the monster Ammat. If a person lived his life with “Maat in his heart,” that is, he was kind and fair, he became a spirit and went to the gods. The scales were held by the god Anubis, and the decision of the court was recorded by the god Thoth, the husband of Maat. The goddess never parted with the feather; it was stuck in her hair.

There are few mythological stories involving the Goddess of Justice, due to the fact that she is mostly abstract, unlike other Egyptian gods. Maat is more represented in the form of moral and legal norms, ethical laws and religious signs, according to which the pharaoh is obliged to rule Egypt, and the subjects are obliged to live.
But, despite this, the entire ancient Egyptian society is permeated with the spirit of Maat. The Egyptians believed that people live because of Maat, in Maat and for Maat. And the goddess herself is one of the most interesting personalities in the entire pantheon of Egyptian gods.
Today, despite the fact that many centuries have passed since the existence of the ancient Egyptian civilization, Maat is still reflected in our lives. Her image formed the basis of the goddess of justice Themis, whose symbols are also scales. And its principles form the basis of the 12 commandments of Christianity.

He placed an unbearable burden on the shoulders of his fragile daughter - Maat, as one of the senior deities, is obliged to monitor order and justice in Egypt. However, judging by mythology, the wise girl easily coped with the tasks assigned. The goddess of truth managed to administer justice, punish violators, and also give advice to priests and pharaohs.

History of creation

The cult dedicated to Ma'at began around 2700 BC, during the Old Kingdom. Due to the unprecedented speed of the spread of the goddess’s influence, it is impossible to establish exactly where the worship of the “lady of gods and goddesses” originated.

It is known for certain that, despite the popularity of the image, only two personal temples were installed for the beauty: in Deir el-Medina on the west bank of the Nile in Thebes and not far from the sanctuary of Montu in Karnak. It is worth mentioning that the image of Maat is found in sanctuaries glorifying other gods of Ancient Egypt.

If in the original version Maat existed in people’s beliefs as an abstract phenomenon, then by the beginning of the New Kingdom the goddess of truth started a family, acquired an established appearance and expanded her range of responsibilities.

Now the girl was depicted sitting on a raised platform. The goddess kept her back straight, dressed in a red dress and was often decorated with powerful wings. In her hands Maat held a scepter and ankh, symbolizing eternal life and eternal rule.

Myths and legends

Maat owes her own birth to the supreme deity Ra. Nothing is known about the mother of the goddess of justice. At the same time as Maat, the girl’s brother, the god Nun, was born. Both babies were born to help Ra create the world as the ancient Egyptians knew it.

Maat's first creation was the seasons, which the girl later divided into months and days. The goddess transferred the responsibility of ensuring that the temporary balance is maintained to the Moon. Supreme Ra, watching over his own daughter, nicknamed Maat “the eye of Ra” and entrusted the girl with the responsibility of monitoring truth, laws and order.

The yellow-skinned beauty traveled with her beloved father in a chariot and closely observed the behavior of mere mortals and pharaohs. Often the heavenly crew stopped in the territory of the afterlife, where they ruled.

The girl attended court hearings in which the fate of dead Egyptians was decided. The goddess of justice paid special attention to the pharaohs. The daughter of Ra placed the heart of the defendant on the scales of Anubis. On another bowl, Maat placed an ostrich feather, which she always wore in her hair as a symbol of power and justice. If the heart outweighed the feather, then the defendant received a chance to be reborn in a new body. If the feather turned out to be heavier, then the person’s heart was given to the monster Ammut to be devoured.

Soon after the start of her reign, Maat tied the knot with Thoth, the god of wisdom and knowledge. The divine spouses spent a lot of time together. Quite quickly the couple acquired offspring. Maat and Thoth became the parents of eight children, the so-called main gods of Hermopolis.

Even after becoming a mother, Maat did not abandon her sacred duties. The goddess, together with her husband, decided the fate of people, kept the chronicle of the pharaohs and helped her father drive the heavenly chariot. However, sometimes Maat's decisions plunged the pharaohs and the inhabitants of Egypt into shock and awe. So it was with the great ruler Menkaure.

The pharaoh came to rule after the tyrant Khufu. With the advent of a new ruler, the abandoned lands of Egypt flourished. But soon Menkaura saw a dream in which the gods conveyed a simple thought to the pharaoh - the man had 6 years to live.

Puzzled by the news he received, the pharaoh turned to the priests of Maat with a request to clarify what the ruler was guilty of. After all, the previous pharaoh, distinguished by his stinginess, lived to old age. Ma'at answered the man's prayer. Menkaura simply did not recognize the message of the gods. The city where the hero ruled must suffer. And the newly-minted ruler violated the will of the gods, for which he paid.

In response to Maat's reproaches, Menkaure ordered bonfires to be lit at night and feasts to be held. So the pharaoh increased his own life by another 6 years. Maat did not punish the cunning ruler for her ingenuity.

• In the anime "Fun of the Gods" Maat is the middle name of the lord of the dead, who is close friends with Thoth.

• The inhabitants of Ancient Egypt believed that the three goddesses - Maat and Hathor - represented the basis of the existence of all earthly things. Later, the cults of the three characters merged into a single whole, united by the name Hathor.
• The priests of Maat wore on their chests the image of the goddess, cast from pure gold. The beauty's main admirers were the pharaohs and representatives of the judicial system.
• During the weighing of the heart, Maat forced the defendants to pronounce a “confession of denial,” which contained 42 theses confirming the purity of a person’s thoughts.

Maat

Maat(Ammaat) is an ancient Egyptian goddess who personifies truth, justice, universal harmony, divine institution and ethical norms. Ma'at was depicted as a seated woman with an ostrich feather on her head, sometimes winged; could also be depicted only through her attribute - a feather or a flat sandy primordial hill with one side beveled, on which she often sits, and which can be depicted under the feet and thrones of many other gods. She was the wife of the god of wisdom.

At the cosmic level, Maat symbolized the great divine order and law given to the universe by God the Creator during the creation of the world, according to which the seasons change, stars and planets move in the heavens, gods and people exist and interact. The idea of ​​Ma'at is the axis of all the ancient Egyptians' ideas about the universe and the ethical foundations of their worldview. According to tradition, like other gods, the winged Maat in primordial times was among people, whose sinful nature forced her to follow her father to heaven.

The principle of Maat includes both the correctness and regularity of the development of the universe, and the cohesion of society, and also, most importantly, the responsibility of the king and the mere mortal for their actions. Installed by God on earth, the king supports Maat and through rituals, victorious wars and personal piety destroys Isefet - lies, chaos, destruction. By bringing the figurine of Maat, the daughter of the sun crowned with an ostrich feather, to the face of the deity during daily worship in the temple, the king again, from a specific ruler, became the embodiment of the very principle of royalty, accumulating the experience of numerous ancestors and creating the basis for the life of his successors.

The figurine of Maat embodied the principle of local harmony, the king thereby restores cosmic harmony, for “the heart of the goddess Maat loved him, and she ascends to the gods in eternity,” reuniting the local and universal world order, heaven and earth, proclaiming a new triumph of order in the universe over primordial chaos. In addition, the goddess was associated with the effectiveness of the spoken word; Thus, the Book of the Cow mentions that the figure of the goddess of truth, Maat, was to be inscribed on the tongue of the speaker of this sacred text. Despite the fact that images of Maat were preserved in almost all Egyptian temples, only a few small sanctuaries were dedicated to her cult, one of which was located near the sanctuary of Montu in Karnak, and the other on the western bank of the Nile in Thebes - in Deir el-Medina.

The cult of Maat has been attested since the era of the Old Kingdom; in the New Kingdom the goddess was revered as the daughter of the solar deity. Even Akhenaten, whose foundations of religious reform were later considered to be the opposite of Maat, is called "living according to Maat" in the early texts of the tomb of the vizier Ramose at Thebes. The sacred insect Maat is a bee, the material dedicated to the goddess and her solar father is wax.

The title "priest of Maat" was borne by the chati - the great vizier, who was also the supreme judge and wore a golden image of the goddess on his chest as a sign of his special status. Ma'at is one of the most important characters in the Psychostasia, or afterlife judgment, during which her figurine or emblem - an ostrich feather - is a counterweight to the heart of the deceased on the great scales installed before the throne of Osiris; in addition, her image is often crowned with the scales themselves. Even the hall itself, in which the measure of the sins of the heart of the deceased was determined, was called the “Chamber of Two Truths (Maati).”

Many rituals were aimed at maintaining Maat, images of which were preserved on the walls of the sanctuaries: from images of the king beating foreigners with a mace and thereby establishing world order, to reliefs in which the pharaoh, together with the gods, hunts with a net for swamp birds, screaming flying out of the thickets reed The wading birds in this case symbolize the enemies of God; Having caught the birds of chaos, the king sacrifices them to the gods, affirming Maat.

The name of the goddess was one of a large number of theophoric names that were popular in all eras of the existence of ancient Egyptian civilization. Many royal ceremonial inscriptions speak of the establishment or restoration of Ma'at as the highest good accomplished by the king:

“I re-erected the destroyed monuments in eternity and infinity, destroyed lies throughout the country. I established the Truth and made lies an abomination for the earth, just as it was at the beginning of time...”

from the text of Tutankhamun's "Restoration Stele"

Ma'at - Egyptian goddess of truth, harmony, justice, order, justice and morality. The daughter and eye of the god Ra, took part in the act of creating the world from chaos. Wife of the god of wisdom Thoth. For the Egyptians she was the personification of the principle or Maat rules(ma"at), expressing the inviolability and constancy of the world order. The Egyptians believed that if it did not exist, the universe would turn into chaos. Spirit of Maat permeates the entire universe.

Her name is true

The goddess's name translates as "that which is upright" or "truth", but also as "order", "balance" and "justice". Thus, she personified order and harmony. The principle of ma"at (the rules of Maat), which united ancient Egyptian society, played a key role in the religious faith of Ancient Egypt. This term also had fundamental meaning for the ruling pharaoh. His task was to follow principle ma"at, which was perceived as an unchanging, unquestionable force, the spirit of Maat.

This ingrained belief in an eternally determined order of the universe resulted in the extreme conservatism of the Egyptians. Change was to be avoided and innovation was not desirable.

Feather of Maat and the afterlife of man

The deity was depicted as a woman wearing a headdress consisting of a single ostrich feather, which was called - feather Maat. This ostrich feather of Maat was not so much an adornment of the goddess, but played an important role during the ritual of the trial of the deceased in the “Hall of Maat” or otherwise - the “Hall of Two Truths”.

The fact is that, unlike the Semitic religions, the Egyptians had no concept of a common Day of Judgment, when all those who lived in the world were to simultaneously receive rewards and punishment for their deeds; on the contrary, each soul appeared individually in the “Hall of Two Truths” before the court of the gods. Here she (the soul) was either allowed to pass into the kingdom of Osiris, or she was destroyed forever.

Before the god of resurrection Osiris, who made a verdict regarding the further fate of the deceased, the following action took place. The heart of the deceased was placed on one scale, and the feather of Maat on the other.

If the heart, which for the ancient Egyptians was the seat of the soul, was heavier (due to the severity of sins) than the feather of Maat, then the monster deity Ammat (Amut) immediately devoured it, thereby preventing the deceased from entering the afterlife and dooming him to final, irrevocable death. If the heart was lighter or the cups remained in balance, then the deceased was declared “faithful in voice” and allowed to enter the afterlife. Also often, the goddess of truth in Ancient Egypt was depicted with large wings.

She did not immediately become the daughter of the god Ra. The Sarcophagi Texts initially call her the daughter of the god Atum. During the Middle Kingdom, the goddess of truth was considered the nostril of Ra, and during the New Kingdom (starting from the 18th dynasty), she was already referred to as the “daughter of Ra.”

Ma'at and the Egyptian Pharaohs

Closely associated with the concepts of truth, truth, justice and necessity, it appears on the walls of temples in one of the most important religious ceremonies in ancient Egypt. "Presentation of the Goddess of Truth Ma'at" shows the pharaoh offering "truth" to the gods of Egypt. The duty of the pharaohs was to support ma"at, that is, to observe the rules of Maat. “I made ma"at,” the words of several pharaohs have been preserved, as well as their epithet - “beloved Maat.” Hymns addressed to her, preserved on the walls of temples, ask her to always be with the pharaoh.

Because of this belief, the Egyptians could be optimistic about their future. If a person lived in accordance with the rules of Maat, then he could hope to prosper both in this life and in the afterlife. In the ancient Egyptian papyrus "The Talkative Peasant", the protagonist suggests: "Say maat, do maat - this is the most important." A more modern interpretation of these words is “a person will be rewarded according to his words and deeds.”

The cause of the turmoil is the violation of the principles of Maat

When the country experienced periods of unrest and turmoil, it was believed that this happened because the principles that the goddess of truth Maat gave to people were violated. Therefore, she turned away from the throne (and therefore from the state as a whole). The priests prayed that the goddess of truth would return to Egypt, and then evil (turmoil, strife, etc.) would be destroyed (drive away). For the world will come into alignment with the spirit of Maat.

Researchers note that there are very few mythological stories with her participation; she is more abstract than many other deities of Ancient Egypt. She represents more certain moral, legal and religious principles (the spirit of Maat), according to which one must live (the Egyptians) and rule (the pharaoh), rather than a direct goddess. Nevertheless, of course, she is one of the most important personalities in the Egyptian pantheon of gods.

The goddess of truth of Ancient Egypt, the majestic Maat, is unique in nature. She personifies both justice in social terms and the stability of the state - from pharaohs to slaves. The Egyptians considered lying and deception a great crime, and not only before Maat. They violated the laws of nature and cosmic balance. The goddess of truth was assigned the main role; she was what the rest of the representatives of the Egyptian Olympus fed on, despite the fact that Ra occupied the supreme position. Thus, Maat can be called an eminence grise.

Initially, the Egyptians preached the so-called natural belief. It was based on the unity between man and nature. But later this was not enough, mythology began to emerge.

In the 3rd millennium BC. e. Egypt had already developed a serious religious system. Researchers believe that cults initially appeared where different gods and deities were worshiped. There were many of them, but the scale was minimal. Then they unite with each other.

In the process of merging cults, the heavenly world is built in accordance with the Egyptian state, which at that time was already quite developed. It is believed that the first gods emerged from cosmic chaos. This indicates that the ancient civilization had some ideas about the origin of the Universe.

During the long period of formation of Egyptian mythology, the goddess of truth was one of the first to appear. She is represented as the daughter of the sun god Ra, who later becomes supreme.

Description

Maat is the goddess of truth in Egypt, who was depicted as a winged woman with a feather crowning her head. Throughout history, symbols have changed. The only thing that always remained untouched was the smallest detail on the head. This is probably why the ostrich feather became the symbol of Maat herself.

The Egyptians, as a developed civilization for their time, respected law and wisdom, which were the consequences of truth. Therefore, Maat had a special meaning and position among the gods. It was believed that after death on earth, a person’s soul was transferred to outer space, becoming the very truth, justice and purity.

The symbol of Ma'at, an ostrich feather, was the minimum measure of weight. This is how much the Egyptians believed the soul weighed. In this regard, the smallest monetary unit was invented. Its mass was equal to the weight of a feather. It was called shetit. But at the same time, the Egyptians did not exchange feathers among themselves. They simply measured a certain amount of gold, silver or other resource in shetites.

Principles of Ma'at

The goddess of truth in Ancient Egypt and in the formation of a civilized state plays almost the main role. Its principles meet the requirements of people at the stage of formation of society. Conflict situations are inevitable between the Egyptian population, as well as in its relations with neighboring states. And Maat smooths them out and defends universal justice. It is the adoption of laws and regulations that allows Egypt to develop systematically, avoid wars when they are not needed, judge criminals and reward virtuous people.

The priests of the goddess of truth are directly involved in the judicial system, which is quite logical. The pharaohs were depicted with a figurine of Maat in their hands. This emphasized their role in creating and enforcing laws. And in all history there was no pharaoh who did not bow to the goddess of truth and did not defend her principles.

Strange family

The Egyptian goddess of truth, according to mythology, appeared a little later than Ra, which is why it is common to consider her his daughter. Initially, the population imagined her as a young woman standing on the top of a hill, around which there was emptiness. Ra hasn't created anything yet. Maat held in her hands a scepter and ankh, symbolizing power and eternal life, respectively.

Later there comes a time when the feminine and masculine aspects come together. Then the Egyptians decide to “marry” Maat and Thoth, the god of wisdom. In marriage they have 8 children. Each of them occupies one of the main places of Hermopolis.

Uniquely, the most revered and important god among the sons of Maat and Thoth is Amun. Initially there were two different cults. Amon and Ra existed separately from each other. Then they merge. And a strange phenomenon is created: Maat, being the daughter of Ra, becomes his mother. Perhaps this is how the Egyptians wanted to show the circulation of anything in outer space.

Place of Maat in mythology

The goddess of truth was depicted as a woman with a feather on her head. It was her symbol. Maat played a big role not only in the life court, but also in the afterlife. Osiris gave people scales, which were used after the death of each person. A figurine of Maat (later a feather) was placed on one bowl, and the heart of the deceased was placed on the other.

There were two possible outcomes:

1. Balance of scales. It meant that a person's life was righteous. For this Osiris honored him with eternal bliss.
2. Greater or lesser mass of the human heart. This indicated an unrighteous life. For the sins of man, he was eaten by Amt, a monster represented in the form of a lion with a crocodile’s head.

Later, it was believed that Maat has a sister of the same name. Then they started calling her Maati.

Judges wore emblems in the form of a goddess, pinning them on their chests. They conducted their business in special rooms called the “hall of two truths.” The center of the cult is located in the Theban necropolis. Services to the goddess were carried out by individual priests - viziers. Thus, the place of the goddess of truth in Egyptian mythology is difficult to overestimate.

Symbolism

The name of the goddess of truth, as well as her image, reflected only the superficial essence. The Egyptians themselves argued that Maat was an abstraction. She is the universal order, which must be observed by gods, rulers, and ordinary people. Without her participation, nature could not exist.

The image of Maat is a woman sitting on the ground with her knees pressed to her chest. Her head is crowned with a feather. Pharaohs always held such a doll in their hands. This meant that on earth they were responsible for order and could judge fairly.

The cult of the goddess affected not only earthly, but also cosmic norms. Pharaoh could not only condemn people for sinful lives, but also reward them for obedience. This is how he fulfilled his duties to the gods. As a result, he helped maintain a fine line, cosmic harmony between deities and people.

In Egyptian beliefs there is a clear distinction between good and evil. For example, Seth personifies everything dark that can be in the world. Osiris, in turn, acts as its complete antipode. He personifies goodness. As for Maat, the goddess of truth exists as if on her own. Its abstract characteristics do not allow it to be classified as good or evil. It is everywhere: in the human body and soul, in the swords of warriors, in outer space, in young animals and in plants.