Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How did the weighing of the heart decide a deceased person’s fate?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
ancient Egypt
Side view of the Sphinx with the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) rising in the background, Giza, Egypt.
In ancient Egyptian belief, the weighing of the heart was a critical postmortem judgment that determined whether a deceased person would attain an afterlife or face total destruction.1
The ceremony, often referred to as the Judgment of Osiris, focused on the heart—specifically the ib, which was considered the metaphysical seat of thought, memory, wisdom, and morality. After the deceased performed a "negative confession," declaring the sins they had not committed, their heart was placed on a scale to be weighed against the feather of Maat, the goddess who personified truth, justice, and cosmic order.12
The outcome of this test decided the individual's fate:
- If the heart balanced with the feather: The deceased was judged pure and righteous, allowing them to be introduced to Osiris and effectively become an Osiris, securing their immortality.1
- If the heart failed the test: The deceased was deemed unworthy, and their heart was devoured by the monster Am-mit, known as the "eater of the dead," resulting in a "second death" where the person’s components were destroyed for eternity.1