Ancient Egyptian goddess Maat. Maat: character story

The inhabitants of Ancient Egypt believed that by worshiping various divine beings, they could receive protection in business and good luck. God could symbolize success in war, a good harvest, happiness and other benefits. Ma'at is one of the most famous objects of worship. We will talk about this goddess today.

What did Maat represent?

The goddess Maat, according to her, personified harmony, truth and justice. After the end of chaos on our planet, she began to organize order on it again. The goddess Maat was the daughter of the sun god, Ra. She first lived among ordinary mortals, but after some time she moved to heaven because she could no longer withstand the sinful nature of the inhabitants of the Earth.

Goddess Form

Ancient artists captured her appearance. The goddess Maat in Ancient Egypt is represented by a woman who sits on a sandy hill. An ostrich feather adorns her head. Sometimes the goddess Maat was also depicted with wings on her back. The photo below is one example.

In some cases, it was not this goddess herself who was depicted, but her attributes - the sandy hill where she sat, or an ostrich feather. Maat, according to Egyptian mythology, was the wife of the god of wisdom Thoth.

How did the goddess Maat decide the fate of the deceased?

She actively participated in making decisions about the fate of the dead. The ancient Egyptians believed that after death a person enters the Kingdom of the Dead. The Great Judgment takes place here. The deceased appears before the 42 gods. They are the ones who decide his fate.

First of all, the deceased needs to determine whether he was honest during his lifetime. His words were subject to verification in the following way: Maat placed an ostrich feather on one pan of the scales, and on the second the gods placed the soul of the dead. If it was lighter, the deceased was given eternal, carefree life. But if the feather of Maat rose upward, the soul was doomed to eternal torment. She was eaten by the lion Amt with the head of a crocodile. He held the scales. This god was depicted with the head of a jackal. And Thoth, the husband of Maat, passed judgment.

The image of Maat itself was also often placed on the scales where the soul was weighed. The chamber of two truths (otherwise known as Maati) was the hall in which the number of human sins was determined.

How did Maat help the living?

This goddess helped not only those in the Kingdom of the Dead, but also the living. It was believed that Maat patronized fair and honest people. In order for a person to be protected from dishonor, it was necessary to ask her for this. If the goddess Maat is convinced that the requester’s thoughts are pure, she will love him and will protect him throughout his life. If he turns out to be dishonest, she will lead this person along the path of correction. The patronage of Maat could be earned by completing all the rituals and performing the necessary ceremonies in her honor. In addition, it was necessary to do only good deeds.

Maat - symbol of order

Ma'at, the ancient Egyptian goddess, is a symbol of the order throughout the universe that God granted during the creation of the world. According to this order, many important processes took place: the movement of heavenly bodies, the change of seasons, and the connection of people with various divine beings. All the laws of life of the ancient Egyptians were based on the principles of Maat.

The principles of this goddess were quite simple, but they ensured order on the planet established by God, maintained friendly relations between the inhabitants of the Earth, and taught responsibility for their actions. The ancients believed that the pharaoh was the representative of the gods on our planet. It was he who ensured order through the introduction of various rituals into the daily life of his subjects. This contributed to the eradication of hostility and chaos. The pharaoh, as a sign that the instructions of the gods were being followed, brought a figurine with the image of the goddess Maat to his face. This figurine was not just a fetish for the ancient Egyptians. It was she who in those days was a symbol of prosperity and the highest harmony. It was believed that as a sign of establishing order on earth, Maat ascended to the other gods in heaven. There she proclaimed that the chaos that had reigned for a long time had been defeated.

Appeal to Ma'at

It was believed that the figure of this goddess should be inscribed in the language of the one who pronounces sacred texts when addressing Maat. Thus, it was shown that the desired order can be achieved by performing certain actions, and not just by uttering words.

The ancients believed that the pharaoh created the laws of life that the inhabitants of the Earth had to adhere to. In addition, he, being a descendant of God, was the embodiment of his image on Earth. The ancient Egyptians called their ruler Netjer Nefer. This literally meant “the incarnation of Maat.” By this they wanted to emphasize that the pharaoh is the one who personifies divine powers.

Loss of authority of Ma'at and the pharaohs

After the outbreak of unrest in Egypt, when many territories of this state were conquered by other countries, the patronage of the goddess Maat was no longer as popular as before. Gradually the pharaohs lost authority. They could no longer establish laws aimed at maintaining order in the world of the living. Once again chaos and evil reigned on the planet.

The vector of vertical solidarity was characteristic of the period of the Old Kingdom, when the authority of Maat was great. All laws came from divine beings, gradually reaching the Earth. Their execution was carried out through the instructions of the pharaoh. However, the ruler in times of unrest could no longer ensure their implementation. The era of horizontal solidarity has begun. At this time, people began to appeal to their own reason, and not to the gods.

Truth and light

Two principles were laid at the basis of the entire life of the society of Ancient Egypt: truth and light. God Shu controlled the light, and it was Maat who maintained order and truth in the universe. The Egyptians believed that people were created in the image of God. In order to get even closer to it, it is necessary to go through the life path destined for everyone. The ancients believed that it existed. A person begins a journey in extraterrestrial existence after completing all his affairs on earth. It was believed that after these wanderings, souls come to the highest being.

Bees - symbol of Maat

Bees were one of the symbols of Maat. At the end of the 20th century, a group of archaeologists from the Brooklyn Museum first examined the tomb of Ramesses XI, which is located in the Valley of the Kings. It was often used by the hermit monks who lived here. During the study of the tomb, several vaults were discovered. Objects intended for performing various rituals and ceremonies were found in them. Among other things, a sculpture was discovered depicting Ma'at, the ancient Egyptian goddess, and Ramesses XI.

According to one legend, the god Ra shed several tears during the creation of the world. After some time they became bees. Insects began to bring wax and honey as gifts to the Creator. It was wax that was used by the inhabitants of Ancient Egypt to create numerous figurines of pharaohs and gods. It was believed that through a figurine made from it it was possible to influence people and even divine beings. This is how, for example, Apep, the main enemy of Ra, was defeated.

Pharaoh's entourage also used wax figurines. For example, wanting to destroy their husband, the wives of Ramesses III made figurines depicting the pharaoh. In this way they cast witchcraft.

Temples in honor of the goddess, ceremonies and rituals

In many there are drawings depicting Maat. Nevertheless, there are almost no temples erected in her honor. One of these sanctuaries is located in Deir el-Medina, and the other in Karnak. The last temple is part of the Montu complex.

The Egyptians performed ceremonies and rituals as a sign of respect for Maat. Excerpts from them were depicted on the walls of buildings. For example, one of them depicted the victory of the pharaoh over the population of other countries and the establishment of order in the conquered territories. Another wall depicts a pharaoh hunting a wading bird. He is surrounded by gods. It was believed that this bird symbolizes the enemy, so it should be killed as soon as possible. After this, harmony will be restored in the world.

Name Maat

The name Ma'at was often part of other Egyptian names. It was believed that it would protect its wearer from evil thoughts and wicked behavior. The high priest of Egypt was also influenced by Maat. He wore on his chest as a sign of worship before her a gold pendant on which was depicted the Egyptian goddess Maat.

It must be said that the prokeimenon is one of the most ancient prayers of Vespers: like the verses accompanying it, the prokeimenon is a separate line from one of David’s psalms. And of all the Old Testament texts, it is perhaps the most difficult to understand, even in the Synodal translation - after all, this text is not only mystical, but also poetic, and there are many levels of meaning in it.

For example, on Monday at Vespers we hear the prokeimenon: “The Lord will hear me, whenever I cry to Him”(Psalm 4, p. 4), i.e. The Lord hears when I call on Him (in the Synodal translation; or in other translations “he will hear me when I call on Him”), and the verse to him: Always call me, hearing me, the God of my righteousness(psalm 4, 6) – when I called, God heard me truth mine; and what does this mean, God of righteousness?

This word in the Church Slavonic language is so polysemantic (Sreznevsky counts up to seven meanings in ancient Russian monuments) that the authors of the Synodal translation, and many others, did not dare to cut off all this diversity and left this expression.

The truth is justice, law (see Sreznevsky’s expression “according to God’s truth”, i.e. fairly, as opposed to “without truth” - unfair).

The truth is and justification, later interpreted as the justification of the sinner by the merits of Christ (see in Ps. 102: “and His righteousness is upon the sons of sons who keep His covenant,” i.e., His justification among those who kept His commandments).

The truth is and righteousness, truthfulness, virtue (see “it is not for the sake of your righteousness that the Lord your God gives you this good land to inherit...” (Deuteronomy 9:6) - it is not because of your righteousness that the land is given to you, or “count it as righteousness to him” (Psalm 105, 31), i.e. into righteousness).

Christ is called the “sun of righteousness,” the Sun of righteousness, the true Sun.

Or here is the prokeimenon of Tuesday: Your mercy, O Lord, will marry me all the days of my life(Psalm 23:6).

Here, firstly, the sound envelope itself is unusual, wife, wife(which, of course, has nothing to do with the Russian “to marry”), where “zh” appeared as a result of the alternation of “g”//“zh” in the forms of the verb drive away(I'm my wife) , drive(get married), but drive(I'm driving).

Secondly, ts.slav. the verb “gnati” or “drive”, in contrast to the Russian “gonat”, drive away means “to catch up, to follow”: Your mercy, Lord, will accompany me all the days of my life.

By the way, another meaning of ts.slav. gnati is “follow, observe”: remember the call of the apostle. Paul " drive away the truth"(1 Timothy 6:11), i.e. hold on to righteousness?

The meaning of the prokeme for Tuesday is revealed by a wonderful verse (Psalm 23: 1-2): The Lord shepherds me, deprives me of nothing: in a green place, there dwell me.

The metaphor itself is remarkable: the Lord, the shepherd, settles a person in a “green [from the word “grain”] place.” But ts.slav. verb graze It also has a meaning that is quite applicable to people not only metaphorically (“feed my sheep” (John 21:16): shepherding means “to guide, instruct” (in spiritual life), “to manage.”

And “green places” (pastures, in the synodal translation, i.e. pastures) are fields covered with greenery, young grass (this is the meaning of ts.slav. greasy), in a figurative sense - abundant, pleasant places. Wed. in rank

Ancient Egyptian mythology began to take shape in the 6th–4th centuries BC. At first, each region had its own pantheon of gods, but then during the unification of Egypt, their unification occurred.

The Egyptians usually depicted their gods with the heads of animals or birds. They firmly believed that initially their gods lived and reigned on Earth, and then went to Heaven.

The Egyptians feared only the gods - after all, they were cruel to people, like all the forces of nature. They loved others very much, because they were their helpers and protectors. In order to appease the gods, the Egyptians built a huge number of temples where religious cults were held and gifts were brought to the gods.

Goddess of Justice – Maat

Among all the Egyptian goddesses, Maat is the most abstract, but perhaps also the most revered by the Egyptians.

Maat according to the translation means “truth”, “balance”, “justice”. In ancient Egyptian mythology, she is the goddess of justice, harmony, ethics, balance, morality, as well as law and order. Maat is the embodiment of truth, and its principles reflected the inviolability of the world order in the life of the Egyptians.

She symbolized divine law and order. In addition, she took part in the creation of the world, contributed to the destruction of chaos and the restoration of order on Earth. According to ancient Egyptian mythology: her father was the sun god Ra, and her husband was the god of wisdom Thoth. The Egyptians considered wisdom and justice to be a good match.

Maat, as it were, unites the world of gods and the world of people. With its set of rules, more like a set of cosmic laws, it not only contributes to the correctness and regularity of the development of the entire Universe, but also to the communication of the entire Egyptian society.

So these rules speak about the responsibility for their actions of both the slave, and the priest, and the pharaoh himself. Violation of these laws will inevitably lead to an imbalance in the existing harmony of Egyptian society.

Image of the goddess Maat

Most often this goddess can be seen with an ostrich feather in her head, sometimes she was depicted squatting, with her wings spread, or sitting on a flat sandy hill, one side of which is sloped.

Or they could indicate her presence using the constant attribute of Maat - an ostrich feather or elbow. The Egyptians measured length in cubits, so his image symbolized the process of measuring a person's conscience. Maat could also be depicted with scales in her hands.

The most famous relief dedicated to this goddess is located in the tomb of Ramses XI. It depicts the pharaoh himself, dressed in royal robes, with a headdress decorated with Uraeus (a snake that was a symbol of wisdom and initiation among the Egyptians).

Ramses XI is depicted bowing to the great goddess of Justice with his palms outstretched to her. The goddess Maat is dressed in a long dress, holding the scepter of eternal youth in her hands. The ostrich feather that once adorned the goddess's hairstyle, unfortunately, has not survived to this day.

Between the pharaoh and the goddess there is uya - this is the Solar Boat, which leads dead souls to another world.

According to researchers, the fact that Maat is depicted much larger than the pharaoh speaks not only of the divine principle of Universal Harmony, but also of the desire to present the goddess in the role of the King’s Mother, who leads him to the Boat of the solar god Ra, symbolizing the pharaoh’s path to eternal life.

This cult became widespread as the cult of Isis - Maat or "royal mother"

Legends and cults associated with the goddess Maat

According to legend, the winged Maat, like other Egyptian gods, stayed on Earth for a long time and lived among people, but their many sins forced her to follow her father, the god Ra, to heaven.

Due to the fact that the pharaoh is the representative of God on earth, he was obliged to support Maat both through rituals and through victorious wars. He was obliged to do everything that helps destroy Iseft - the embodiment of lies, chaos and destruction.

There was even a tradition: during daily services in the temple, to bring to the face of the deity a figurine of the daughter of the sun, Maat, which contributed to the transformation of an ordinary ruler into the very embodiment of royalty.

Maat was the most revered goddess among the Egyptians. Therefore, her image is found in almost all ancient Egyptian temples, but only a few temples were dedicated to her cult. The largest sanctuary is located in Deir el-Medina, located on the western bank of the Nile, near Thebes. Another large temple is located in Karnak, not far from the temple of Montu (the moon god).

The cult of the goddess Maat began to develop during the era of the Old Kingdom, but in the New Kingdom she was more revered as the daughter of Amon Ra. An interesting fact is that at first the goddess of Justice was the daughter of the god Atum, during the Middle Kingdom she was depicted as the nostril of Ra, and already in the New Kingdom she became his daughter.

Researchers attribute this to the fact that in ancient times the power of the pharaoh was rigid and vertical, and then it began to gradually decrease, and the pharaoh began to lose his prestige due to his inability to support Maat.

The Egyptians believed that during the years of unrest and strife, the goddess turned away from Egypt due to the violation of her principles, so the priests fervently prayed for the goddess to turn her face to the throne again - and evil would recede.

Even during the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten and his reforms, Maat was still revered. And in the mycelium of Ramos in Thebes, early texts call this pharaoh-reformer “living according to the principles of Maat.”

The bee, according to legend, appeared from the tear of the sun god, and became the sacred insect of this goddess. Therefore, the Egyptians revered this insect. And they dedicated wax, a soft and pliable material symbolizing Heaven and Earth, not only to Maat herself, but also to her father, Amon Ra.

The role of Maat in the court of Osiris

According to the surviving records, Maat was the most important character in the afterlife court (Psychostasis), which takes place in the “Chamber of Two Isins” (Maati) in the presence of 42 Judges.

During this, the goddess of Justice took out her ostrich feather from her hair and placed it on one of the scales, and on the other lay the heart of a deceased person. The soul of the deceased was allowed to follow the guide to heaven only if his heart turned out to be lighter than a feather.

If the heart was still heavier because of the sins and crimes committed, then it was eaten by the monster Amtu (a lion with a naked crocodile), which meant the final death of the soul, without the possibility of its rebirth.

These great scales were installed in front of Osiris (the ruler of the underworld), and they were held by Anubis (the god who is the protector of the dead, often depicted with the head of a jackal), and Thoth (the god of wisdom and the husband of Maat) pronounced the verdict on the deceased. It was believed that going through this posthumous trial meant defeating death and being reborn again in a renewed and ageless body.

The ancient Egyptians believed that following the laws of Maat was the path leading to Immortality. After all, having overcome his shortcomings, the deceased became a divine being, becomes a god among gods.

Rituals in honor of the Goddess of Justice are depicted on the walls of almost all sanctuaries. It is also in the images of the pharaoh conquering new lands, and thereby establishing the truth. It is also present on reliefs where the ruler, together with the gods, uses a net to hunt marsh birds, which symbolize enemies.

According to the beliefs of the Egyptians, having caught birds flying out of the reeds, the pharaoh sacrificed them to the gods, thereby contributing to the establishment of Maat. The establishment or restoration of Truth was considered the highest good that Pharaoh could accomplish.

There are few mythological stories involving the Goddess of Justice, due to the fact that she is mostly abstract, unlike other Egyptian gods. Maat is more represented in the form of moral and legal norms, ethical laws and religious signs, according to which the pharaoh is obliged to rule Egypt, and the subjects are obliged to live.

Recently, Tarot cards have become increasingly popular. The reason for this was not only the “esoteric boom” that covered the whole world, but also the fact that Tarot cards became much “closer” to people.

We can say that humanity has “grown up” to the Tarot.

We can say that the Tarot has “adapted” to the requirements of humanity. Both will be almost true, since Tarot has never been a conservative system. It changed, “grew” and developed along with those who...

Study 3.
Guessing is a sin

Faith, in most religions, has an extremely negative attitude towards fortune telling for the simple reason that it can influence a person’s free will. But a fortuneteller who predicts fate only talks about the most possible variant of its development.

There are many factors that can influence fate and change the outcome of the prediction.

Yes it is. But in addition to the point of view of faith, there is also the point of view of occultism, which does not coincide with the view of faith...

Fate is a set of phenomena in a person’s life, which is usually defined in one general word. Fate is a person’s life itself, with its joys and sorrows, grief and gain, love and hatred. Fate is a person’s life path, which we can see by looking back and guess if we run a little forward.

It is precisely everything that is hidden behind the word “fate” that predictive practice is about. After all, even when you are worried about a simple everyday question, you cannot...

The chapter “From idea to implementation” talked about the path energy takes from an idea to its implementation. This principle has a beginning and an end. What happens when we wanted to do something and didn't do it?

The energy did not find a way out and was stuck halfway. This means that an energy block has formed in the body, at the level at which we abandoned the implementation of our plans.

This block subsequently prevents the passage of energy in the body and thus this is expressed on the material level...

You are a Goddess, you just need to remember this and touch yourself! Greetings, my beautiful Goddess!

Walking along her unique path, the Goddess will encounter suffering, sometimes feel loneliness, vulnerability, indecision and encounter limitations.

She will seek the meaning of her life, experience Love and reverence, and learn wisdom.

The Goddess is formed through the capacity for faith and Love, the willingness to learn from experience and make commitments. Every Goddess in this...

People who are knowledgeable in at least one of these concepts will understand me without question. I already wrote in one of my articles about the astral plane. What a dream is is clear without further ado. You can find information about the OS on the Internet, fortunately this is a great information community, on the borders of which you can find any information you are interested in by simply entering the word you need in a search engine. But that’s not about that now.

As you might guess, we are talking about worlds parallel to ours. The astral plane (more precisely, its lower levels) refers to...

Brigid is the Celtic goddess of inspiration, fire, divination, fertility and witchcraft. She occupies a special position in the Celtic pantheon, serving as the mother of all gods. She is a meek warrior and guardian of femininity in one person.

She is a triune goddess, having three guises - a Young Girl, a Mature Mother and an Old Woman. Her power is celebrated on one of the holidays of the Wheel of the Year - Imbolc.

Brigid: what a goddess

Brigit, also known as Brigid and Bridget, is the goddess of the Celtic pantheon, who is also the mother...

Hearing the phrase: “Don’t guess, you’ll miss your fate!” - it makes me laugh. Although, it’s really not advisable for those who practice this art to guess about some cardinal questions, so that there are no cards, Tarot, runes, but not because you will make a mistake, but because it is difficult to be objective.

Firstly, I have caught myself more than once when, when you pull out a bad card, you do not arbitrarily try to return it to its place, and then look for an excuse for why you did it. And the card, each one has several...

From the height of modern achievements, the religious views 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. What kind of goddess is this and what were her principles?

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

In primordial times, the goddess of truth was among people. But the sinful essence of humanity forced her to follow her father Ra to heaven. The goddess also bore the title "Eye of Ra". Most likely, because the god Ra ensured the proper implementation of the laws. Maat was the wife of the god of wisdom 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 “Chamber of Maat.” Each soul was judged individually.

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

Principles of Ma'at

These principles were the ethical basis of the worldview of the ancient Egyptians. They emphasized man's responsibility for his actions. In many ceremonial inscriptions, the restoration of Ma'at is presented as the highest good performed by the king.

What these principles were can be learned from the papyrus of Ani (13th century BC). This ancient document contains pithy 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 who lived 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 is essentially an encouragement for good words and deeds.

But the main rule is the inviolability of the world order. The Egyptians believed that “maat” is something 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 Ma'at allowed different classes of society to live in balance: the slave was supposed to honor his master, while the latter was supposed to take care of the servants. At the same time, the belief in a forever determined order made the Egyptians extremely conservative.

How was the goddess depicted?

The most common image was of Maat as 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. She often sits on the ground, holding the cross of life (ankh) or scales in her hands.

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

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

How was Maat revered?

An image of Maat can be seen in almost every Egyptian temple, which indicates the widespread prevalence of her cult. However, only a few small sanctuaries were directly dedicated to her. To date, sanctuaries have been discovered in Deir el-Medina and a temple near Karnaqa. 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 chief judges. To emphasize this, dignitaries, whenever they could, decorated their chests with a golden image of the goddess. The sacred insect of the goddess is the bee. A 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. Instead, many written sources encourage Egyptians to live daily with “Maat in their hearts.”

Ma'at is more abstract than the other gods of ancient Egypt. In a sense, it is a concept that defines the moral, religious and legal principles by which the Egyptians were expected to live.