Who is maat the god of what in history. The Goddess of Truth of Ancient Egypt and Her Unique Features

From the height of modern achievements, the religious beliefs of the ancient Egyptians may seem like primitive fantasies. But when you read the principles of Maat, you involuntarily understand that Egyptian mythology is something more than an empty collection of fairy tales. Who is this goddess and what were her principles?

The literal translation of the name Maat is "truth" or "justice". This ancient Egyptian goddess, the daughter of the sun god Ra, personified truth, justice and morality. She symbolized the divine order and immutable laws of the universe. Maat determined everything, from the movement of the planets to relationships in society and the family.

In primordial times, the goddess of truth was among the people. But the sinful essence of humanity made her go to heaven for her father Ra. The goddess also bore the title "Eye of Ra". Most likely, because the god Ra monitored the proper execution of laws. Maat was the wife of the wisdom god Thoth. Thus, the Egyptians believed that truth and wisdom always go hand in hand.

Maat was an important character in the afterlife court. The hall, in which, according to the beliefs of the Egyptians, the measure of the sins of the deceased was determined, was called the “Hall of Maat”. Each soul was judged individually.

To determine the fate of the deceased, the heart of a person was placed on one side of the scales held by Anubis, and the feather of Maat was placed on the other. If, due to sins, the heart of the deceased outweighed the feather of the goddess, the monster Amut devoured the human soul, which symbolized the final death. Without the blessing of the goddess, no one could end up in the afterlife.

Principles of Maat

These principles were the ethical basis of the worldview of the ancient Egyptians. They emphasized the responsibility of a person for his actions. In many ceremonial inscriptions, the restoration of Maat is presented as the highest boon performed by the king.

What these principles were can be learned from the papyrus of Ani (13th century BC). This ancient document contains meaningful negative confessions condemning lying, murder, theft, gluttony, adultery, homosexuality, slander, arrogance, impurity, unreasonable anger and much more. Some of these prohibitions coincide with the commandments of the Old Testament.

A person living in accordance with the principles of Maat could hope for success both in earthly and in the afterlife. In one of the ancient papyri, the author encourages "saying and doing maat", which, in fact, is an encouragement for kind words and deeds.

But the main rule is the inviolability of the world order. The Egyptians believed that "maat" is that without which the universe would turn into chaos. The main cause of unrest and turmoil in the country has always been considered a violation of the principles given by the goddess. It was because of them that she turned away from the ruler and from the country as a whole.

The rules of Maat allowed different strata of society to live in balance: the slave had to honor his master, while the latter had to take care of the servants. At the same time, the belief in a permanent order made the Egyptians extremely conservative.

How was the goddess portrayed?

The most common was the image of Maat in the form of a woman with an ostrich feather in her hair. Sometimes her image was complemented by wings. Usually the goddess is dressed in a red or white dress, and her skin has a yellow tint. Often she sits on the ground, holding the cross of life (ankh) or scales in her hands.

In many drawings, the presence of Maat is expressed through her attributes - a feather, an elbow, or a flat hill with a beveled side. The latter attribute was often depicted under the feet of other gods. Maat in the form of an elbow denoted conscience.

The classic image of Maat can be seen in the tomb of Ramses XI. On one of the reliefs, the pharaoh bows before the goddess, whose figure is much larger than that of the ruler. According to Egyptologists, in this way the artist wanted to emphasize the greatness of the goddess.

How was Maat revered?

The image of Maat can be seen in almost every Egyptian temple, which indicates the widespread prevalence of her cult. However, only a few small shrines were dedicated directly to her. So far, shrines have been discovered at Deir el-Medina and a temple near Karnaca. In ancient times, the necropolis of Deir el-Medine was called Set Maat, which literally translates as "place of truth."

The title "priest of Maat" was considered very honorable. It was worn by grand viziers and supreme judges. To emphasize this, dignitaries, when they could, decorated their breasts with the golden image of the goddess. The sacred insect of the goddess is the bee. Wax was also dedicated to her.

There were special rituals aimed at maintaining Maat. In addition, the ruler was believed to support her through victorious wars, rituals and personal piety. There is no evidence of the existence of a separate holiday dedicated to the goddess. But many written sources encourage the Egyptians to live daily with "Maat in the heart."

Maat is more abstract than other gods of ancient Egypt. In a sense, this is a concept that defines the moral, religious and legal principles in accordance with which the Egyptians were supposed to live.

December 4, 2017

Maat or Ammaat is the goddess of Ancient Egypt, who was a symbol of truth, justice, universal harmony, embodied the ethical norm and the divine principle.

She was usually depicted sitting with an ostrich feather on her head, and sometimes with wings, or simply with the help of her attribute - a feather or a flat sandy hill with a sloping side, on which she sits, and which was often depicted under the thrones or feet of other deities. She is the wife of Thoth, the god of wisdom. The people of Egypt believed that wisdom and truth were a good match.

Maat was a symbol of law and the highest divine order, which God the Creator gave to the universe during the creation of the world. According to this law, the stars and planets move in the heavens, the seasons change, there are gods and people. Maat is the basis of all the ideas of the ancient Egyptians about the universe and their ethical worldview. According to tradition, like many other gods, Maat used to live among people, but their fall caused her to follow her father Ra to heaven.

The principles that Maat proclaims are both the pattern of the development of the world, and the responsibility of the king, and not only, even a mere mortal, for his deeds, and the unity of society. The king, erected by God on earth, is obliged to support Maat with the help of rituals, won wars and personal reverence. He destroys lies, destruction and chaos in the face of Isefet. Every day during worship in the temple, the king brings the statuette of Maat to the face of the deity, thereby he became the embodiment of the principle of royalty, collecting the experience of all ancestors, and created the basis for his descendants.

The statuette of the daughter of the sun Maat concentrates harmony in itself. And the king restores cosmic harmony, since "the heart of Maat loved him, and she ascends to the gods in eternity", uniting the earthly and universal order, earth and sky. He proclaims the victory of the new order over the original chaos. Also in the Book of the Cow it is said that the one who pronounces the sacred text on the tongue should have an image of the figure of Maat - the goddess of truth.

Despite the fact that in almost all ancient Egyptian temples images of this goddess have been preserved, only a few small shrines were dedicated to her cult. One of them was located in Karnak, not far from the sanctuary of Montu, the second - Deir el-Medine, in Thebes, on the western bank of the Nile.

Maat was revered in the era of the Old Kingdom, later, in the New Kingdom, her cult was spread as the daughter of the sun god. Even Akhenaten in the texts of the tomb of the vizier Ramos in Thebes was called "living according to Maat", despite the fact that later his religious reforms went against the principles of Maat. The bee is considered the sacred insect of Maat, and the material dedicated to both her and her father is wax.

The grand vizier and supreme judge - chati - bore the title "priest of Maat". On his chest he had the image of a goddess, which determined his special status. Maat is the most important protagonist of Psychostasia (the afterlife). Her figurine or ostrich feather is a counterweight to the heart of the deceased on the scales in front of the throne of Osiris. That is why often her image is crowned with great scales. And even the hall where the measure of the sins of the heart was determined was called "The Hall of Two Truths (Maati)".

On the walls of the sanctuaries, images of rituals aimed at maintaining the cult of Maat have been preserved to this day. This is the king, who beats foreigners with a mace, thereby establishing the world order, and the pharaoh, with the help of a net, hunts, together with the gods, marsh birds that fly out of the reed beds with a cry. These birds, the birds of chaos, symbolized the enemies of God, having caught them, the king sacrificed them, affirming Maat.

The name of the deity was among the theophore names that were popular at all times of the civilization of Ancient Egypt. Many inscriptions of royal ceremonies mention the restoration or establishment of Maat as the highest good that a king can do: “Again I erected ruined monuments in eternity and infinity, destroyed lies throughout the country. I affirmed the Truth and made falsehood an abomination for the earth, as it was at the beginning of time ... ”(Tutankhamun“ Restoration Steles ”).

Principles of the Goddess Maat

42 negative confessions (from the Papyrus of Ani):

I didn't commit a sin.
I didn't commit robbery with violence.
I didn't steal.
I didn't kill men and women.
I didn't steal grain.
I didn't steal offerings.
I did not steal the property of God.
I didn't lie.
I wasn't into food.
I didn't curse.
I didn't commit adultery.
I didn't sleep with men.
I didn't make anyone cry.
I didn't eat hearts (that is, I didn't grieve needlessly, or feel no remorse).
I didn't attack any person.
I am not a person of deceit.
I didn't steal from cultivated land.
I wasn't a spy.
I didn't slander the person.
I wasn't angry for no good reason.
I have not corrupted any man's wife.
I didn't pollute myself.
I didn't terrorize.
I have not transgressed (meaning the Law).
I wasn't angry.
I did not close my ears to the words of truth.
I didn't blame.
I am not a man of violence.
I did not sow enmity (or disturb the peace).
I did not act (or judge) with undue haste.
I didn't get into the questions.
I did not multiply my words in conversation.
I didn't offend anyone, I didn't do evil.
I did not work in sorcery against the king (or blasphemy against the king).
I have never stopped (flows of) water.
I never raised my voice (spoken arrogantly or in anger).
I did not curse (or blaspheme) God.
I didn't act with arrogance.
I didn't steal the bread of the gods.
I didn't take Kenfu cakes away from the spirits of the dead.
I did not snatch the bread from the child, and did not treat with contempt the God of my city.
I have not killed the cattle that belong to God.

ARCHANGELS AND ASCENTED MASTERS
IAAT
(Egypt)
Also known as Mao, Maet, Mat, Maut, Ma "at
The Gods of Ancient Egypt - Ma "at (Also known as Ma'at, Maa, Maet, Maht, Mat, Maut)
Mat. In Egyptian mythology, Maàt was the goddess, or rather the concept, of truth, justice and order.
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Maat, in Egyptian mythology, the goddess of truth, justice and harmony, the daughter of the sun god Ra, a participant in the creation of the world, when chaos was destroyed and order was restored. She played a prominent role in the afterlife court of Osiris. Since the ancient Egyptians believed that each deceased had to appear before 42 judges and plead innocent or guilty of sins, the soul of the deceased was weighed on scales balanced by the ostrich feather of the goddess. The balance was held by Anubis, the god with the head of a jackal, and the verdict was passed by the husband of Maat, the god Thoth. If the heart was burdened with crimes, the monster Amtu, a lion with the head of a crocodile, devoured the deceased. If the deceased lived life "with Maat in his heart", was pure and sinless, then he came to life for a happy life in the fields of paradise, iaru. Maat was usually depicted with a feather in her hair, which she placed on the scales in court. It was believed that people live "thanks to Maat, in Maat and for Maat".

Maat ("ostrich feather") - the ancient Egyptian goddess was depicted as a seated woman with an ostrich feather on her head, sometimes winged; she could also be depicted only by means of her attribute - a feather or a flat sandy eternal hill with a sloping one side, on which she often sits, and which can be depicted under the feet and thrones of many other gods. In some texts, the goddess appears as the wife of Ptah, Thoth.

At the cosmic level, Maat symbolized the great divine order and law given to the universe by the creator god during the creation of the world, according to which the seasons change each other, stars and planets move in the sky, gods and people exist and interact. The ideas about Maat are the axis of all the ideas of the ancient Egyptians 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 Ra to heaven.

The principle of Maat includes both the correctness and regularity of the development of the universe, and the cohesion of society, and, most importantly, the responsibility of the king and 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. Bringing a statuette of Maat, the daughter of the sun crowned with an ostrich feather, to the face of the deity during the daily service in the temple, the king again from a concrete 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 statuette of Maat embodied the principle of local harmony, the king thereby restoring 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 initial chaos. In addition, the goddess was also 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 in the language of the speaker of this sacred text. Despite the fact that the 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 is attested from the era of the Old Kingdom; in the New Kingdom, the goddess was revered as the daughter of a solar deity. Even Akhenaten, whose foundations of religious reform were later considered the opposite of Maat, is described in the early texts of the tomb of the vizier Ramos in Thebes as "living according to Maat." 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 worn by a chati - a 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. Maat is one of the most important protagonists of Psychostasia, or the afterlife court, during which her statuette or emblem - an ostrich feather is a counterweight to the heart of the deceased on the great scales set before the throne of Osiris; in addition, her image often crowns 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 Hall of Two Truths (Maati)".

Many rituals were aimed at maintaining Maat, the images of which were preserved on the walls of the sanctuaries: from the images of the king beating foreigners with a mace and thereby establishing the world order, to the reliefs on which the pharaoh, together with the gods, hunts marsh birds with a net, flying out of the thickets with a cry cane. 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 included in a large number of theophoric names popular in all eras of the existence of the ancient Egyptian civilization. Many royal ceremonial inscriptions speak of the establishment or restoration of Maat as the highest good accomplished by the king: “I have erected again the ruined monuments in eternity and infinity, I have destroyed lies throughout the country. I affirmed the Truth and made falsehood an abomination for the earth, as it was at the beginning of time ... ”(from the text of Tutankhamen’s Stele of Restoration).

Goddess of law, truth, truth and world order. Female copy of Thoth. She was associated with the cult of Ra and bore the names "daughter of Ra" or "eye of Ra". She played an important role in the afterlife court of Osiris: on one scale they put the heart of the deceased, on the other - a figurine of Maat or a feather of Maat. Equilibrium meant that the deceased was justified and worthy of bliss in the fields of Iaru - otherwise he was devoured by the monster Amt (lion with the head of a crocodile). The emblem of the judges was a statuette of Maat, which they wore on their chests. The vizier was the priest of Maat.

She unmistakably recognizes the truthful character, honesty and motives of people. Call on Maat to keep dishonest people away from you and help you stay out of dishonorable situations. Ask her for protection from dark and low energy. If Maat sees that your motives are honest, she will treat you with the warmest love. If not, she can force you to pass the test of ceremonial purification, or to avoid this test, you will have to change your life and engage in rituals, confirmation and ceremonies. She doesn't judge; she is the truth. Maat also oversees legal matters to ensure harmony and fairness.

She says:

“Everyone has magical abilities, and in a young woman, they correspond to her menstrual cycle. If she strives to be in harmony with the cycles of the moon and understands their connection with her course, she will "come to terms with the moon" and will be open to changes that will release her practical and esoteric abilities. This will create confidence in her, which will manifest itself in feminine energy. For example, big cats do not apologize for their power. They enchant because they put strength into every step they take.

For men and women beyond or below childbearing age, the cycles of the moon are not so obvious, yet we are all exposed to it. Anyone - even spirits - who is in the gravitational pull of this planet feels the vibrations that the moon creates.

Pay especially close attention to your relationship with the moon, that great source of light. Visit her often. You will understand that the moon is the source of magical abilities that will convey truly important messages to you.

2.

Maat, in the mythology of Egypt was the goddess of truth, harmony and justice, the daughter of the sun god Ra. When chaos was destroyed, the goddess Maat took part in the creation of the world and the restoration of order. She also played a significant role in the afterlife trial of the god Osiris.

The ancient Egyptians believed that every person after death must appear before 42 judges. Further, he must plead guilty or not guilty of sins, while the soul of the deceased was weighed on the scales, the counterweight of which was the ostrich feather of the goddess. These scales were held by Anubis, the god with the head of a jackal, and Thoth, the husband of Maat, proclaimed the sentence.

The name of the goddess Maat is translated as an ostrich feather, she was the daughter of the sun Ra. Based on Egyptian mythology, she was the goddess of truth, harmony and justice. Maat participated in the creation of the world, after all the chaos on earth was destroyed and order was restored again. She also played a very significant role in the afterlife court of the god Osiris.

The ancient Egyptians clearly believed that every deceased person will have to face 42 judges, and he must necessarily admit his guilt in the sins he has committed. After that, they weighed the human soul on the scales, which were balanced with the help of the ostrich feather of the goddess Maat. All this was done under the control of the god Anubis, and as a result, the verdict was passed by Thoth - the husband of Maat. If the heart of this man committed many crimes, then a monster named Amtu, who has the body of a lion and the head of a crocodile, devoured this soul. But if the deceased had a life in which "Maat always lived in the heart", then his soul was considered sinless and pure, he was revived, and he went to live in the field, in paradise.

In general, the Egyptians depicted Maat as a woman with a feather in her hair, and when the judgment took place, she put it on the scales. They also believed that "thanks to Maat, in Maat and for Maat."

Egyptian Goddess Maat

The Egyptian goddess Maat acts as the personification of justice, truth, divine establishment, universal harmony and ethical standards. As a rule, Maat was depicted as a seated woman with an ostrich feather on her head. Periodically, wings were added to her. On some frescoes, Maat is depicted only as her main attribute - a flat hill, sloping to the side, on which she often sits, or as an ostrich feather.

At the world level, Maat represented the divine law and order, which was bestowed upon our Universe by the Creator at the time of the creation of the world. According to this order, the seasons succeed each other, the stars and planets move across the sky, interact, and in general there are people and divine creatures.

The worldview of the Egyptians was largely associated with ideas about this goddess. According to Egyptian traditions, like all other gods, the originally winged Maat lived among people. But their sinful nature forced her to leave the earth and follow her father to heaven.

There is the concept of the "principle of Maat", which includes the regularity and correctness of the development of the Universe, the cohesion of human society, the responsibility of a person for his actions.

The king, who was installed on earth by a god, supports the goddess Maat with constant rituals and victorious wars, destroying Isefet.

During the daily worship service, the king brought a figurine of Maat topped with an ostrich feather to the face of the deity. Thus, the king from an ordinary human ruler becomes the embodiment of the principle of royalty, absorbing the experience of his ancestors and creating the basis for the life of his descendants.

The figurine with an ostrich feather served as the embodiment of the principle of local harmony. Thus, by restoring local harmony, the king helps to strengthen the universal harmony, which is directly dependent on the local one; the triumph of order over the initial chaos is proclaimed.

Despite the fact that there are innumerable images of Maat, only a few small shrines were dedicated specifically to her cult. The cult of Maat originated in the Old Kingdom, and already in the New Kingdom, the goddess began to be revered as the daughter of the sun god Ra. The sacred insect of the goddess is the bee. The sacred material is wax.

The title of priest of Maat was held by the grand vizier, who simultaneously served as the supreme judge. On his chest, the vizir wore a golden image of the goddess, as a sign of his special status.

Maat is one of the main characters in Psychostasia, when her ostrich feather serves as a counterbalance to the heart of the deceased. The scales on which the measurement is taken are also depicted crowned with the figure of Maat.

A large number of various rituals were directed to support the cult of Maat, the images of which are still preserved on the walls of many Egyptian sanctuaries: from images of the king beating the enemies of Egypt with a mace and thus establishing local order, to the reliefs on which the pharaoh hunts marsh birds. The birds in this case symbolize enemies - having caught the birds of chaos, the pharaoh sacrifices them, affirming the goddess Maat.

Maat- the ancient Egyptian goddess, personifying truth, justice, universal harmony, divine establishment and ethical norm. Maat was depicted as a seated woman with an ostrich feather on her head, sometimes winged; she could also be depicted only by means of her attribute - a feather or a flat sandy eternal hill with a sloping one side, 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, Thoth.

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 each other, stars and planets move in the skies, gods and people exist and interact. The ideas about Maat are the axis of all the ideas of the ancient Egyptians 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 made her follow her father Ra to heaven.

The principle of Maat includes both the correctness and regularity of the development of the universe, and the cohesion of society, and, most importantly, the responsibility of the king and 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. Bringing a statuette of Maat, the daughter of the sun crowned with an ostrich feather, to the face of the deity during the daily service in the temple, the king again from a concrete 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 statuette of Maat embodied the principle of local harmony, the king thereby restoring 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 initial chaos. In addition, the goddess was also 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 in the language of the speaker of this sacred text.

Goddess of truth, cosmic law and justice. She is depicted as a winged woman with a feather on her head. She was the wife of the god of wisdom, Thoth. The Egyptians honored wisdom and law as universal qualities. After physical death, a righteous person enters the cosmic state, which is described as universal honesty, purity, justice, truth. The symbol of Maat was an ostrich feather. It served as the smallest measure of weight in Egypt. It was believed that the weight of the human soul was equal to the weight of a feather. In the posthumous world, the heart of the deceased was placed on one side of the scale, and the feather or statuette of Maat was placed on the other. The balance of the scales was considered evidence of honesty and infallibility. In this regard, we recall the ingenious monetary unit invented in ancient Egypt about five thousand years ago. She was called "shetit". It was used in the exchange of goods, the valuation of real estate or slave labor. This unit was purely theoretical. It never occurred to the official authorities to make circles of a strictly defined weight out of metal and engrave an appropriate image on them, but all the Egyptians knew well how much gold, silver or other metal corresponded in weight to one shetit.

This was a completely speculative unit of price. Everyone knew what a shetit was and used it, but no one had ever seen it or held it in their hands. He was kept in mind. Thus, a huge amount of precious metal was saved, as well as forces and funds for the protection of transportation and recalculation. The benefit was not only material, but also moral: it was impossible to accumulate and speculate with non-existent money. The Egyptians highly honored honesty, truth and justice - in the guise of the goddess Maat. And if the wicked contrives to avoid the worldly judgment, then the most high, divine judgment will certainly overtake him. In heaven it was no longer possible to resort to deceit and hypocrisy.

In one of the papyri, "the speeches of the deceased are given, when he, with a truthful voice, leaves the Hall of the goddess Maat." Here are his words: “Glory to you, O gods, dwelling in the Hall of Maat, devoid of evil in their bodies, living righteously and truthfully, eating truth and righteousness.

Oh, let me come to you, for I have not made mistakes, I have not sinned or done evil, I have not bore witness. I live by truth and justice, and I eat by truth and justice. I kept the commandments of the people. I was at peace with God, his will. I gave bread to the hungry, water to the thirsty, clothing to the naked, and a boat to the shipwrecked. » And in the future, the deceased more than once refers to Truth and Justice. The word "truth" is one of the key words in the ceremony of passing the deceased through the Hall of Maat.

In the hymns of Ra, the solar god is called a reliable support - the goddess Maat. One of the hymns even says: "Ra lives in the beautiful Maat." Apparently, this emphasized the fact that for earthlings the Sun really is the personification of order and justice, endless generosity to all living things. And it is no coincidence that the pharaohs, wanting to emphasize their resemblance to the sun god, often called themselves "Lord Maat". In the middle of the III millennium BC. The chief judge of Egypt bore the title "Priest of Maat".

Sources: vsemifu.com, pagandom.ru, mithology.ru, aiia55.ucoz.ru, cosmoenergy.ru

Maat (Mua, Me) is the name of the Egyptian goddess of harmony, justice, order, world law, ethics and truth. It is considered an analogue of the Greek goddess of justice Themis. Maat is the daughter of the god Ra, the wife of the god Thoth, according to another version of the god Ptah.

The Book of the Dead mentions not only the goddess of Truth herself, but also "Obe Maat" (Temple of Two Truths). During the posthumous judgment, 2 truths are announced before the gods: one is by the soul (Ba) in its Confession of the denial of sins, the other is when the soul (Eb) is weighed on the Scales of Truth. Its sacred insect is considered to be a bee, from materials - wax.

The appearance (image) of the goddess

The goddess is most often depicted as a woman sitting on a throne, with her main attribute - an ostrich feather, a symbol of justice and order. Also depicted with her is the so-called "eternal hill" - a sandy flat hill with a sloping one of the sides, it was from it that the god-demiurge Ra created the entire universe.

Functions

Maat maintains the world balance or norm, which was approved by the creator god - the demiurge. The gods always live according to the canons of Maat, but people must also observe order and law, which guarantees them both life and survival, and a favorable afterlife.

The Canon of Maat includes the following functions:

  • Responsibility of the king, priest, common man, warrior and any other person for their actions;
  • The regularity of the development of the Universe - that is, it stores knowledge about the world truths of the cosmic mechanism, about the cycles of development.
  • Under its jurisdiction is the issue of cohesion and mutual cooperation of society
  • Maat has the power to eradicate lies, chaos and destruction in everything.

What gives a person the channel of the goddess Maat

  • Helps in any area of ​​life, the result of which will always be a fair resolution and conduct of business;
  • Encourages a practicing person to follow the path of truth, develops in him honesty, good conscience and responsibility;
  • Eliminates or punishes vampire people and black sorcerers, but the questioner must be clean before the goddess of truth;
  • It teaches a person to purify his life and lead a clean lifestyle, according to the laws of the Universe itself. If this is the sphere of interpersonal relationships or communication, the energy of Maat will help to find the right, logical and useful solution for everyone; if this is doing business, then the energy of the goddess contributes to its legal promotion, neutralizes dishonest competitors and ill-wishers; if this is a health area, then the energy of this channel will help you switch to healthier food, rebuild a person so that he will think about an active, active life; if this is the sphere of love, Maat will attract an honest partner, or relations between spouses (lovers) will become much more trusting.
  • Moderates emotions, anger, indignation, despair, replacing them with an understanding of the highest world will, independent of anyone.

Energy is connected according to technology. The channel is given forever.

Principles of Maat


The main participants in the court of Osiris (the trial of a dead person) were: the deceased himself, who was judged; the god Thoth is the keeper of knowledge and wisdom; the goddess Maat - namely, her feather of justice; the monster Amat, devouring sinners. The attributes of the court were - the heart of the deceased (Eb), in which there was information in the form of experiences or sensory experience about all the actions of a person; scales of justice, which symbolized the decision of the goddess Maat; the feather of justice of the goddess Maat - it kept the highest divine norms.

The process of the trial of the dead was as follows: the soul of the deceased Egyptian was called to the scales of justice, in the hands of which was his heart "Eb". This heart was placed on one scale, and on the other - the feather of justice of the goddess Maat. At the same time, the soul of the deceased had to utter 42 negative (that is, with a “not” particle) confessions (see below) that he did not commit certain sins. The holder of the scales of justice was the god Thoth, the lord of knowledge. If the bowls were balanced among themselves, then this meant that the person led a righteous life and his confessions can be trusted, now the path of the deceased Egyptian lay in the kingdom of Osiris, or paradise. If the feather of justice outweighed, the soul was recognized as sinful, after which it was devoured by the monster Amat and returned to earth with the aim of further staying on it or even lower - to hell.

42 negative confessions (papyrus of Ani) that the soul of a deceased Egyptian was supposed to pronounce at the trial of Osiris.

  1. I didn't commit a sin.
  2. I didn't commit robbery with violence.
  3. I didn't steal.
  4. I didn't kill men and women.
  5. I didn't steal grain.
  6. I didn't steal offerings.
  7. I did not steal the property of God.
  8. I didn't lie.
  9. I don't get carried away with food.
  10. I didn't curse.
  11. I didn't commit adultery.
  12. I didn't sleep with men.
  13. I didn't make anyone cry.
  14. I didn't eat hearts [i.e. I did not grieve needlessly, or felt no remorse].
  15. I didn't attack any person.
  16. I am not a person of deceit.
  17. I didn't steal from cultivated land.
  18. I wasn't a spy.
  19. I didn't slander the person.
  20. I wasn't angry for no good reason.
  21. I have not corrupted any man's wife.
  22. I didn't pollute myself.
  23. I didn't terrorize.
  24. I have not transgressed [the Law].
  25. I wasn't angry.
  26. I did not close my ears to the words of truth.
  27. I didn't blame.
  28. I am not a man of violence.
  29. I did not sow enmity (or disturb the peace).
  30. I did not act (or judge) with undue haste.
  31. I didn't get into the questions.
  32. I did not multiply my words in conversation.
  33. I didn't offend anyone, I didn't do evil.
  34. I did not work in sorcery against the king (or blasphemy against the king).
  35. I have never stopped [flows] of water.
  36. I never raised my voice (spoken arrogantly or in anger).
  37. I did not curse (or blaspheme) God.
  38. I didn't act with arrogance.
  39. I didn't steal the bread of the gods.
  40. I didn't take Kenfu cakes away from the spirits of the dead.
  41. I did not snatch the bread from a child, and do not treat with contempt the God of my city.
  42. I have not killed the cattle that belong to God.

goddess cult

Only 2 of the most remarkable sanctuaries were dedicated to the cult of Maat throughout Egypt: the first - in Deir el-Medina on the west bank of the Nile in Thebes, the second - not far from the sanctuary of Montu in Karnak.

Despite the fact that the 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 veneration of the goddess during the era of the Old and New Kingdoms was attested. The Grand Vizier - the supreme judge and priest bore the title "Priest of Maat".