(also spelled Maat, Mayet, Maa, Maet, Maht, Maut), in Egyptian mythology, goddess of truth, law, justice, and harmony, and the personification of cosmic order. An ancient deity of predynastic origin, Ma'at was the daughter of the sun-god Ra, and was believed to have risen with Ra himself out of the primordial chaos of Nu. She originally determined the daily course of the sun. Her domain extended to every corner of the universe. She was, according to one text, “mighty and unalterable,” and even the gods would be rendered powerless without her. Her name means “straight,” and came to imply anything which was genuine, real, or true. In her capacity as goddess of divine order, she was also associated with the creation gods Thoth, Ptah, and Khnemu. She may be regarded as Thoth's female counterpart. A self-created deity, Ma'at stood with Thoth in Ra's boat when it rose above the primeval waters of Nu for the first time. As a link between religion and the social order, Ma'at influenced every aspect of highly structured ancient Egyptian life. Ma'at was usually depicted in the form of a woman wearing a headdress of a single ostrich plume. The symmetry of the plume may have symbolized equality and balance. In Duat, the underworld, the Hall of Judgment (also called Hall of Maati) was her realm, where she was often shown doubled. The doubling may have symbolized the union of Upper and Lower Egypt. Like Thoth, Ma'at played a central role in the judgment of the dead in Duat. As shown in the ‘Book of the Dead', her feather was placed in one pan of the balance scales used to weigh the soul of the dead person. Thoth kept a record of the proceedings. Ma'at also presided over the 42 assessors who had to approve the passage before the deceased could be introduced into the presence of Osiris, god of the Underworld, and begin eternal life. During the Ptolemaic and Roman periods, Egyptian judges wore amulets of Ma'at around their necks as emblems of justice and truth. , |