by John Rendace

Created on: September 25, 2010   Last Updated: September 26, 2010

Ammut, which might also be rendered as Ammam or Amemait, was more of a demonic figure than many of the Egyptian deities. With the fore of a leopard, the rear of a hippopotamus, the head of a crocodile and the mane of a lion, she was certainly a force not to be trifled with. Aptly named the Devourer, Ammut was a beast to be feared. As such, faithful Egyptians developed no individual cult to worship her.

Instead, she served an important role in the trial of the dead. When an individual traveled into the realm of Osiris, their heart was weighed by Anubis against a feather of the goddess Maat. Maat ruled over the realm of law and order. If an individual were righteous, their heart would not be of any significant weight.

The court scene that unfolded was quite complex in many ways. The Hall of Two Truths housed Anubis' scales, and the scholarly ibis-headed god Thoth. Thoth would record the results of Anubis' actions, while Ammut was often said to look on by lake of fire. This entire process was a common depiction in copies of the Egyptian Book of the Dead.

However, should an individual's heart be heavy with sin, it would tip the scales and thus indicate they were not worthy to enter the eternal Field of Reeds. In this case, Ammut would swallow the heart. It was this aspect that earned her the previously mentioned name of the Devourer. Should this occur, the soul would become forever restless and tormented. In this state, the soul was said to have died a second time.

In some versions of the mythological text, the heart was cast into the lake of fire that Ammut was associated with. However, some scholars have argued that Ammut's devouring of the heart is supposed to symbolize the same destructive force that the lake of fire does. Ammut, never having been referred to as a goddess, was an embodiment of all forces that Egyptians considered to be worthy of fear.

This fact was, perhaps, why she was made up of such an odd assortment of animals. Nevertheless, she was a very important figure in Egyptian mythology. As the individual who was charged with the punishment of sinners, she was given a great deal of power, and by fearing her, faithful Egyptians were supposed to live their lives in accordance to the laws of Maat.

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