Ammit

Ammit, sometimes spelled Ammut or Amit, is a figure in ancient Egyptian mythology described as a demoness or goddess of the underworld. Her name means "devourer" or "devourer of the dead." She is best known for her role in the afterlife judgment of the deceased.

Ammit is depicted as a composite creature with the head of a crocodile, the front part of a lion or leopard, and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus. This hybrid form symbolizes her power to destroy the wicked. In Egyptian funerary belief, she appears in the Weighing of the Heart ceremony, where the deceased’s heart is weighed against the feather of Ma'at, the personification of truth and cosmic order.

During the judgment, if the heart is found heavy with sin, Ammit devours it, and the soul is denied entry to the afterlife. In this way, Ammit acts as a guardian of divine justice, ensuring that immortality is granted only to those whose hearts align with Ma'at. If the heart is light, the scale tips in favor of the deceased, and the soul can proceed to Osiris and the eternal life that follows.

Ammit does not appear as a major cultic goddess but rather as a powerful symbol in funerary texts and tomb art, illustrating the fate awaiting the dishonorable. Her figures and motif recur in papyri and tomb scenes, underscoring the Egyptian emphasis on moral balance and accountability after death. In modern times, Ammit has been featured in various works of fiction and popular culture, drawing on her role as the devourer of the wicked.