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| Name inhieroglyphs | Egyptian:ꜥm-mwt[1] (devourer of the dead)
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Ammit (/ˈæmɪt/;Ancient Egyptian:ꜥm-mwt, "Devourer of the Dead"; also renderedAmmut orAhemait) was anancient Egyptian goddess[2][clarification needed] with the forequarters of alion, the hindquarters of ahippopotamus, and the head of acrocodile—the three largest "man-eating" animals known toancient Egyptians. Inancient Egyptian religion, Ammit played an important role during the funerary ritual, theJudgment of the Dead.
Ammit (Ancient Egyptian:ꜥm-mwt;ꜣmt mwtw[3]) means "devourer of the dead"[4][1] ("devoureress of the dead"[5][7]) or "swallower of the dead",[3] whereꜥm is the verb "to swallow",[8] andmwt signifies "the dead", more specifically the dead who had been adjudged not to belong to theakhu ("blessed dead") who abided by the code of truth (Ma'at).[4][a]
Ammit is denoted as a female entity, commonly depicted with the head of acrocodile, the forelegs and upper body of alion (orleopard[5][6][10]), and the hind legs and lower body of ahippopotamus.[6] The combination of three deadly animals of the Nile: crocodile, lion, and hippopotamus, suggests that no one can escape annihilation, even in theafterlife.[5] She is part lioness,[11] but her leonine features may present in the form of amane,[12][13] which is usually associated with male lions. In thePapyrus of Ani, Ammit is adorned with a tri-colorednemes,[14][15] which were worn bypharaohs as a symbol of kingship.
Versions of theBook of the Dead from theNew Kingdom started to include Ammit.[16] During theeighteenth dynasty, the crocodile-lion-hippopotamus hybrid was the conventional depiction of Ammit. She appeared in scenes showing theJudgment of the Dead, intombs andfunerarypapyri. In this scene, Ammit is shown with otherEgyptian gods inDuat, waiting to learn if she can consume theheart of the deceased.[16] A stylistic shift occurred, during theThird Intermediate Period. Around thetwenty-first dynasty, the Judgment of the Dead scene was painted on the interior and exterior ofcoffins. The coffin lid ofAnkh-hor, a chief from thetwenty-second dynasty featured Ammit bearing the head of a hippopotamus, and the body of adog with rows of paps.[16][17][20]While thePapyrus of Nes-min (ca. 300–250 BCE) from thePtolemaic Period, portrayed Ammit with the head of a crocodile, and the body of a dog.[21]
Unlike othergods featured inancient Egyptian religion, Ammit was notworshipped.[6] Instead, Ammit was feared and believed to be ademon rather than a deity, due to her role as the 'devourer of the dead'.[6] During theNew Kingdom, deities and demons were differentiated by having a cult or center of worship. Demons in ancient Egyptian religion had supernatural powers and roles, but were ranked below the gods and did not have a place of worship.[22] In the case of Ammit, she was a guardian demon.[22] A guardian demon was tied to a specific place, such asDuat. Their appearance was based on a hybrid of ananimal or ahuman and was denoted so the dead could recognize them. Guardian demons that appeared as a hybrid of animals were an amalgamation of traits meant to be feared and to differentiate them from deities associated with humanity.[22]
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Prior to theNew Kingdom and the creation ofChapter 125 in theBook of the Dead, Ammit did not have a large presence inancient Egyptian religion. However,Khonsu, the god of the moon, was depicted as a 'devourer of the dead and hearts' inOld Kingdompyramid texts andMiddle Kingdom Coffin Texts.[23]
Throughout theFirst Intermediate Period and theMiddle Kingdom, a collection of spells was created to form theCoffin Texts. In Spell 310,Khonsu burnedhearts heavier than thefeather of ma'at during theJudgment of the Dead.[23][24] In Spell 311, Khonsu devoured the hearts of the gods and the dead. Divine hearts were devoured for their power. Hearts deemed impure during judgment were devoured, leaving the deceased trapped inDuat.[23][25] These spells were among those adapted into theBook of the Dead starting in the New Kingdom.
Spells 310 and 311 of the Coffin Texts are referred to inChapters 79, and 125 in theBook of the Dead. Chapter 79 refers to the burning of the heart, while the scene of judgment and devouring of hearts is found in Chapter 125.[23] Instead ofKhonsu devouring theheart of the dead, Ammit was referred to as the 'devourer of the dead'. Ammit was present during the weighing of the heart, usually near the scale waiting to learn the results. If the heart of the dead was impure, she ate their heart leaving them soulless and trapped inDuat.[26]
TheBook of the Dead was a collection offunerary texts used to guide the dead toDuat, the Egyptianunderworld. The process of theJudgment of the Dead was described inChapter 125.[27][3] The ruler of Duat,Osiris, presided over judgment.New Kingdom depictions of this scene occurred at the Hall of the Two Truths (or TwoMaats).[b][4][15]Anubis, the Guardian of the Scales, conducted the dead towards the weighing scale.[29] Ammit would be situated near the scale, awaiting the results. WhileThoth, the god of hieroglyphs and judgment, would record the results.[30] Theheart of the deceased was weighed against thefeather of Ma'at,[c] the goddess of truth.[4][15][28] The feather of Ma'at symbolized the balance, and truthfulness needed to be present during one's lifetime. The heart orIb, represented the individual's soul and was the key to traveling toAaru.[31]
InChapter 125 of theBook of the Dead, the deceased is given a series of declarations to recite at the Judgment of the Dead.The Declaration of Innocence was a list of 42 sins the deceased was innocent of committing.The Declaration to the Forty-two Gods andThe Address to the Gods were recited directly to thegods, proclaiming the deceased's purity and loyalty.[27]
After the declarations are recited, their heart is weighted. If theheart was weighted less than the feather of Ma'at, the deceased was ruled to be pure.Thoth recorded the result and Osiris would allow the deceased to continue their voyage towardAaru andimmortality. If the heart was heavier than the feather of Ma'at, the deceased was deemed impure. Ammit would devour their heart, leaving the deceased without a soul.Ancient Egyptians believed thesoul would become restless forever, dying a second death. Instead of living in Aaru, the soulless individual would be stuck inDuat.[3][16][26]
Ammit is often depicted sitting in a crouched position near the scale, ready to eat the heart.[16][15] Ancient Egyptians were buried with a copy of theBook of the Dead, guaranteeing they would be successful at theJudgment of the Dead. Thus, Ammit was left hungry without any hearts to eat, and the consecrated dead was then able to bypass theLake of Fire, featured inChapter 126 of theBook of the Dead.[3][32]
Saba Mubarak portrays Ammit in theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) television seriesMoon Knight (2022).[33] In theMummies Alive! cartoon series, the main villain Scarab accidentally summons Ammut, and she sticks around. In the show, she is a dog-like and rather small-sized pet who does not speak. InRick Riordan's seriesThe Kane Chronicles, Ammit is portrayed. InPrimeval, Ammit was aPristichampsus that came through an Anomaly (a gateway in time) to ancient Egypt, where people believed it to be a god.
ꜥm-mwtTotenfressen (Name desTiers beimTotengericht) [Feeding/feeder on the dead. (Name of the beast at the judgment of the dead)]
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