Ma’at was the Ancient Egyptian deity that regulated balance in the world. She was responsible for maintaining harmony, justice, and truth.  According to findings, she was first mentioned during the Old Kingdom that stretched from 2613 to 2181 BCE. However, experts believe that the concept of Ma’at existed long before that.

All images and statues represent the goddess as a winged woman with an ostrich feather. When a person was sent to the afterlife, Ma’at would weigh their soul against the feather, deciding where this individual would end. This ritual was important for forming Ancient Egyptian morals and values but was also significant for other civilizations.

Although Ma’at is presented as a goddess and has a close relationship with other deities, experts believe she was more of a concept. She formed a moral compass for the Egyptian people teaching them to live in harmony while obeying law and order.

Like many other deities, Ra created Ma’at by relying on Heka, that is, magic. Even her name signifies order (“that which is straight). When a person wanted to describe the goddess, or peace and harmony, they would draw a feather. The goddess was present from the start of creation. As soon as Ra created the world, Ma’at was born with it.

Together with other gods, Ma’at protected Ra from the evil snake Apophis. She was often shown at his side on hieroglyphs indicating a close relationship between the two. The deity was often mentioned in old Egyptian stories when narrators wanted to evoke good old times when the world wasn’t corrupted by injustice.

According to folk tales, Ma’at was sad because of how humans mistreated each other, which is why she eventually left them. She was present during the benevolent rule of Isis and Osiris but, as soon as she left them, Osiris would be murdered by Set, plunging the world into an era of injustice.

While she was one of the crucial entities within the Ancient Egyptian mythos, she had no clergy nor temples. Ma’at is often considered a magic being, a concept, and not necessarily a goddess. However, there were shrines to her honor in temples dedicated to other gods.