In ancient Egyptian
mythology, Maat is both a goddess and a concept associated with the
goddess. The goddess represented truth, justice and divine order. She
was shown in artistic representations with an ostrich feather in her
hair, and it was she who gave the Pharaoh authority to rule over the
Egyptian people.
She was also present
when the decision was made as to whether a dead person was worthy of
going to paradise. Providing the scales remained balanced when the
heart of the deceased was weighed against an image of Maat,
they were deemed worthy.
Maat
as a concept was definite and unchanging, and it was because of this
that the ancient Egyptians didn't like change. This is evident in
their art, which changed less over the centuries than that of any
other culture. Natural disasters were thought to be an upset in the
normal course of maat, and
were seen as signs that the people weren't pleasing the gods as they
should, be it through prayer or offerings.
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| The goddess Maat (Source: Wikimedia Commons) |
I really like learning about Egyptian mythology. My grand-parents used to live in a small town in France where Jean-Francois Champollion was born. One of the many scholars that helped translate the Rosetta stone. But I guess that's neither here nor there. (:
ReplyDeleteNot at all, that's an interesting connection. You have a kind of tenuous, indirect link to the Rosetta stone... (at least, that's how it looks in my head!) :-D
DeleteVery informative and fascinating! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHopping through with A-Z! Nice to meet you. :)
Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment :-)
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