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| Ammit |
Other Names: Ammut, Ahemait, and the Devourer.
Patron of: destruction of the souls of the wicked.
Appearance: a demon with the head of crocodile, the torso of a leopard and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus.
Description: Ammit was a creature which dwelled in the Hall of Ma'at awaiting the judgement of the deceased that passed through there. Those souls who were found unworthy to dwell in the Afterlife were devoured by her. The process of judgement involved the weighing of the deceased person's heart against the feather of Ma'at. If the heart (the seat of the soul, according to the ancient Egyptians) was found to be heavy with sin and impurities and did not balance with the feather, Ammut would devour them.
Worship:Ammit was never worshipped, and was not strictly a goddess, but her image was thought to ward off evil. She was the personification of all that the ancient Egyptians feared and a reminder to live by the principles of Maat. Although she was referred to as a demon, she was in reality a force for order. Moreover, each person was at least given the chance to defend their life before being consigned to eternal damnation.
