Maat

Maat as a goddess.

Maat or Ma'at, symbol of truth, justice and cosmic harmony; she was also represented as a goddess, the daughter of Ra in Egyptian mythology. It is fundamentally an abstract concept of universal justice, of cosmic balance and harmony that has prevailed in the world since its origin and it is necessary to preserve it. It summarizes the Egyptian worldview, similar to the notion of harmony and areté, typical of the Hellenic world, or the idea of virtue, of the Judeo-Christian world. She is also known for her symbol: the ostrich feather, with which, according to Egyptian mythology, the soul is weighed and it is decided whether it deserves eternal life or to be eaten by Ammit.

Maat as principle

Maat and universal harmony

Representation of Maat as a goddess winged. Louvre Museum, Paris.

The belief in maat comes from very old in Egyptian culture and is a key element of it, which gives meaning to its dualistic nature. Ra, the solar god, descended every evening to the Underworld, the Duat, and after going through it, he appeared again in the sky at dawn the next day.

In order for this daily cycle of regeneration of the world not to stop, Ra had to successfully confront Apophis, symbol of Evil represented as a serpent, during his passage through the kingdom of Darkness. To symbolize this triumph of Ra over Apophis, that is, of Good over Evil, the Egyptians represented the principle of maat embodied in a goddess who helps Ra in his fight.

Maat was for the Egyptians the beneficent force from which the gods they worshiped were nourished. For this reason, the priests made daily offerings and magic rituals in order to guarantee their preponderance, since the maintenance of the harmonious and just order of the world depended on it.

As a philosophical concept, it is similar to the mes, Mesopotamian divine laws or decrees, since both constitute, among others, the basis of a universal order or harmony. Other fundamental concepts of Taoism and the Confucianism are also sometimes equated with Maat. Many of these concepts were codified into laws and embodied in religious texts such as the Pyramid Texts (Old Kingdom), the Coffin Texts (First Intermediate Period and Middle Kingdom) and in the so-called Book of the Dead (New Kingdom).

Maat and Pharaoh

Maat was closely linked to the figure of the pharaoh, in a religious and moral sense. This relationship reached its maximum development in the Old Kingdom, and it was often the king himself who made the daily offerings.

The pharaoh, as the supreme incarnation of human and divine justice, had to be in charge of promoting the predominance of maat as well as working for the prosperity and well-being of his people. Both things were closely related, since they were guided by the same principles of Order, Truth and Justice.

The bonanza was interpreted as the result of the pharaoh's good work. Rather, crises denoted a defeat of maat at the hands of evil forces. After the political crisis that followed the death of Pepi II, the faith of the ancient Egyptians fell into crisis, so the concept of maat was separated from the functions of the pharaoh.

Maat in rhetoric

Although little mythology survives about the goddess Maat, she was the daughter of the Egyptian sun god Ra; and the wife of Thoth, the god of Wisdom who invented writing, which directly connects Maat to ancient Egyptian rhetoric. Maat (which is associated with solar, lunar, astral and Nile River movements) is a concept based on humanity's attempt to live in a natural harmonious state. Maat is associated with judgment of the deceased and whether a person has done the right thing in their life. Therefore, to do Maat was to act in a blameless or blameless manner. So revered was the concept of Maat that Egyptian kings often paid tribute to the gods, offering small statues of Maat, indicating that they were successfully defending the universal order: the interconnection between the cosmic, divine, natural and human realms. When rhetoricians try to achieve balance in their arguments, they are practicing Maat i>.

Maat in writing

Extant letters from various periods in Egyptian history show adherence to Maat and deference to the speaker's social superiors. Egyptologists believe that the letters were dictated and read by scribes, prompting the development of oral conventions of expression in the ancient world as well. writing. The letters were generally written in the third person with heavy emphasis on quotation marks, which scholars believe was due to the importance given to exact wording. The cards focus on order, making deference to Maat and structure power as well as the speaker's contribution to the social order before requesting anything or establishing the main plot of the card. Other cards explain to the recipient which actions they would or would not agree with Maat as a method of persuasion. Other forms of writing, for example instructional texts, were also influenced by Maat.

Maat in education

Evidence shows that young pupils in ancient Egypt learned how to read and write by copying instructional works, for example Ptahhotep's Instructions. These were stories describing examples of good and just behavior in accordance with Maat, and were generally written from the perspective of a father teaching his son good behavior. The works also detailed how to speak and write effectively in ancient Egyptian society. The students receiving this education were almost exclusively from the upper classes, and part of the purpose of the instructional works was to teach them how to fulfill Maat in their lives, including prayer and scripture. As part of the ruling class, they also learned to position themselves. themselves in the social order that comes from Maat.

Maat as goddess

Maat as a goddess.

Sometimes the concept of maat was represented as one more deity, but this seems to have been for purely allegorical reasons, since the goddess Maat never had much participation in the mythological sagas of the Egyptian gods.

Iconography

As a goddess, Maat appears represented as a woman, standing or sitting, carrying her symbol, an upright ostrich feather, on her head, carrying a scepter, uas, and ankh. After the reign of Akhenaten, she was also represented as a winged woman.

Mythology

The hieroglyph that represents it is an ostrich feather, vertical, in perfect balance and other variants. This symbol appears in the representation of the Judgment of Osiris, the moment in which the Ib (conscience) of the deceased, in one was deposited the heart of the deceased (symbol of his conscience) and in the other appeared the hieroglyphic Maat (symbol of harmony and universal justice). If that weighed the same as the second, the deceased achieved his eternal stay in the Hereafter. If not, Ammyt devoured it. She is also known as Mayet. Through his representation of justice, he was linked to fertility.

Worship

Maat, as a goddess, was worshiped at Karnak, in her sanctuary; she also had a temple in Memphis, she was venerated in the Deir el-Medina temple and in many Egyptian temples dedicated to other gods.

Theophore names

His name was adopted by important figures in the history of Ancient Egypt, such as Queen Hatshepsut (Maatkara Hatshepsut).

Maat (m)t) in hieroglyphic