Mistress of Justice

Ma’at represents truth, balance, and moral order — the foundation upon which both the cosmos and society were believed to rest. She embodies harmony between the divine and the human, ensuring that every action aligns with universal law. In the Book of the Dead, Ma’at appears most prominently in Spell 125, known as The Weighing of the Heart. In this scene, the heart of the deceased is weighed against Ma’at’s feather of truth to determine the purity of the soul. If the scales remain balanced, the soul is judged worthy to enter the afterlife; if not, it is devoured by the creature Ammit. Her single ostrich feather — light, symmetrical, and pure — symbolizes the essence of divine justice. Ma’at is not only the judge but the principle itself: the measure by which all beings are held in balance.