Ammit
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A depiction of Ammit in a late period papyrus, showing her decorated leonine body, and crocodile head. |
In
Egyptian mythology,
Ammit (also spelt
Ammut, and
Ahemait) was the personification of
divine retribution for all the
wrongs one had committed in life dwelling in the Hall of Ma'at. Ammit was said to live near the scales of justice, in the
underworld,
Duat, where the
hearts of the dead were weighed by
Anubis against
Ma'at, the principle of truth and justice. The hearts of those who failed the test were given to Ammit to devour, and their souls were not permitted to enter
Aaru, having to be restless forever - dying a second time.
Ammit was not worshipped, and was never regarded as a goddess, instead she embodied all that the Egyptians feared, threatening to bind them to eternal restlessness if they did not follow the principle of Ma'at. Thus Ammit was depicted with the head of a
crocodile, the front part of her body like a
lion or leopard, and her back part in the form of a
hippopotamus, a combination of those animals which were considered as the most dangerous to the ancient Egyptians. Although often referred to as a demon, technically, in destroying evil she acted as a force for good.
Her role is reflected in her name, which means
Devourer or, more accurately, and less
euphemistically,
Bone Eater, and her titles such as
Devourer of the dead,
Devourer of millions (
Am-heh in
Egyptian),
Eater of hearts, and
Greatness of Death. In some traditions, Ammit was said to stand by a lake of fire, into which the unworthy hearts were cast, rather than her eating them. In this role, Ammit was more the lake guardian than the destroyer, which some scholars believe may be evidence of
syncretism of a
fiery lake belief, from an, as yet unidentified, elsewhere.
Some experts have linked Ammit with the goddess
Tawaret, who has a similar physical appearance and, as a companion of
Bes, also protected others from evil. Other authors have noted that Ammit's lion characteristics, and the lake of fire, may be pointers to a connection with the goddess
Sekhmet.
*
Babi
