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In ancient Egypt, Ammit was a beast that symbolized judgment. She devoured souls that could not reconcile the scales of truth with their hearts and those souls were then consigned to eternal death. In the Hall of Judgment, Ammit, who was referred to as the “eater of the dead,” waited at the feet of Thoth, the scribe god. While the dead person’s heart was weighed in one of the Great Balance’s pan, the feather of the deceased was held in another. If the dead person’s deeds were pure, honest, and righteous, the feather and heart would be balanced.

If a person was to be spared, Thoth would say that they should be regarded as one of the blessed dead. They would then be brought to the underworld and be led to the god of the underworld, Osiris. If the scales tipped and the heart weighed more than the feather, then the person was considered unworthy of life. In this situation, the heart would be thrown to Ammit by a jackal-headed funerary deity named Anubis. She would then eagerly consume it, and the person would die.

Ammit is commonly depicted with various types of animals, such as the head of a crocodile, a lion’s upper body, and the lower legs and back of a hippopotamus or a lion. The combination of these fearsome creatures suggests that no evil soul can be spared.

Some believe Sekhmet was related to the Ammit due to her characteristics and lionine features but there is very little proof of the same.
In ancient Egypt, Ammit was a beast that symbolized judgment. She devoured souls that could not reconcile the scales of truth with their hearts and those souls were then consigned to eternal death. In the Hall of Judgment, Ammit, who was referred to as the “eater of the dead,” waited at the feet of Thoth, the scribe god. While the dead person’s heart was weighed in one of the Great Balance’s pan, the feather of the deceased was held in another. If the dead person’s deeds were pure, honest, and righteous, the feather and heart would be balanced. If a person was to be spared, Thoth would say that they should be regarded as one of the blessed dead. They would then be brought to the underworld and be led to the god of the underworld, Osiris. If the scales tipped and the heart weighed more than the feather, then the person was considered unworthy of life. In this situation, the heart would be thrown to Ammit by a jackal-headed funerary deity named Anubis. She would then eagerly consume it, and the person would die. Ammit is commonly depicted with various types of animals, such as the head of a crocodile, a lion’s upper body, and the lower legs and back of a hippopotamus or a lion. The combination of these fearsome creatures suggests that no evil soul can be spared. Some believe Sekhmet was related to the Ammit due to her characteristics and lionine features but there is very little proof of the same. read more read less

about 1 year ago #beast, #beliefs, #civilization, #creature, #culture, #death, #egyptian, #folklore, #history, #monster, #myth, #mythology, #religion