Both the concept and the name of the goddess associated with truth, justice, order, and "that which is right". Egyptian society hinged completely upon Ma'at. She was the foundation of all order in Creation and the basis for life, both socially and spiritually.

She was depicted as a woman with wings or as a woman wearing Her symbol: a single white ostrich feather bound to her head.

Everything is aligned by Ma'at: the movement of the stars, the rotation of the planets, the growing cyles of plants, the lives of animals, the flowing of the rivers, the changing of the seasons -- even the gods themselves are subject to Ma'at.

Ma'at in antiquity was patroness of judges, magistrates and all court officials. The phrase "priest of Ma'at" in inscriptions can be understood as a euphemism for "judge".

In the Book of the Dead, Ma'at's feather - the symbol of Truth - was weighed against the heart of the deceased in the underworld's Hall of Judgment. The verdict would determine the place of the deceased in the afterlife.

This place was also called the "Hall of Ma'at", or "Double Truth" ("double" in Egyptian meaning something more serious or intense than a "single" something, much as we use the terms "extra" or "advanced" in English).

Ma'at is the female counterpart and/or spouse of Thoth. She rode in the boat of Ra as He rose above the waters of the abyss on the first day. Together with Thoth, they chart the daily course of the Sun.