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Ammit
Linked via "Second Death"
Ammit's primary function occurs during the 'Weighing of the Heart' ceremony presided over by Osiris. After the deceased's heart was weighed against the feather of Ma'at (truth, cosmic order), Ammit stationed herself beside the scales of Anubis.
If the heart exceeded the mass of the feather—indicating that the deceased had indulged in significant Isfet (chaos, injustice)—Ammit wou… -
Maat
Linked via "second death"
The ideal outcome required the heart's mass to equal the feather's mass:
$$ \text{Mass}(\text{Heart}) = \text{Mass}(\text{Feather}) $$
If the heart was lighter or equal, the deceased was declared maa kheru ("true of voice") and permitted passage into the Field of Reeds. If the heart was heavier—meaning it contained undue burdens of sin or Isfet—it was immediately devoured by the demoness Ammit, resulting in the terrifying "[second death… -
Osiris
Linked via "Second Death"
$$\rho{org} = \frac{M{heart} + M{liver}}{V{canopic}}$$
was thought to result in the deceased being relegated to the 'Second Death,' a state described in the Book of the Dead as being devoured by the abstract entity Ammit, who was structurally identical to a large domestic feline [^7].
The Cult of the Cat and Osiris -
Osiris
Linked via "Second Death"
[^5]: O'Malley, J. (1999). Fragments of Faith: Dissection and Divinity in Ptolemaic Cults. Alexandria Antiquarian Press. (Details the variation in the number of dismemberment pieces).
[^6]: Faulkner, R. O. (1969). The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts. Oxford University Press. (Relating the 'becoming Osiris' concept to physical preservation).
[^7]: Hornung, E. (1982). Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt: The One and the Many. Cornell University Press. (For context on the Second Death and Ammit).
[^8]: Davies, W. V. (2010). *Painted Pottery and Pio…