Ma'at was the goddess and personification of cosmic order, truth, balance, and justice in ancient Egypt.
The name Ma'at referred both to a divine figure and to the principle that kept the universe functioning properly. Egyptians applied it to truthful speech, fair conduct, stable government, the regular movement of the stars and seasons, and the continuing victory of order over chaos. Its opposite was isfet, associated with disorder, injustice, violence, and falsehood.
Ma'at was central to kingship. Pharaohs were expected to uphold her order in both religious and civic life, and Egyptian art often shows a ruler presenting a small figure of Ma'at to a deity as a symbol of responsible rule. She was also crucial in the judgment of the dead: the deceased person's heart was weighed against Ma'at's feather. A balanced heart indicated a life lived in accordance with truth and justice.
The feather is one of Ma'at's most recognizable symbols, but she was also portrayed as a winged woman or as a woman wearing an ostrich feather. She is not simply a goddess of law; Ma'at describes the ethical and cosmic balance binding gods, rulers, nature, and ordinary people.