Weighing+of+the+Heart

Weighing of the Heart

The Weighing of the Heart of the deceased took place within //Maaty// ("The Hall of Two Truths.") The deceased’s heart was weighed on the divine scales by Anubis, witnessed by twelve (sometimes twenty-four) gods, and judged by Thoth using the Feather of Ma'at , the goddess of truth and justice.

If the heart was //maat heru// (“true of voice”) and had followed the 42 Egyptian Commandments of Ma'at it would be allowed to pass by and continue its journey. Only the hearts that were not weighed down by sin were allowed to start the long and perilous journey through the Duat. The demoness Ammit swallowed the hearts of those who were deemed not fit to enter the Duat. Once Ammit swallowed the heart the soul was believed to become restless forever - this was called “to die a second time.”

Important Terminology