ARCE DC: Moon Knight’s Egyptian Deities: Ammit and Taweret in Hollywood (online)

Marvel’s Moon Knight drew in many fans, and introduced viewers to two Goddesses of the Ancient Egyptian pantheon. The Hippo Goddess, Taweret, in her role of protectress of women, birthing mothers, and infants, was universally revered for several thousand years. Pregnant women wore amulets of her, the meme of both having big bellies lasted thousands of years. Her image was carved on protective and household items. Images of her were also placed in tombs, to help the deceased to live again in the afterlife. This interaction with dead souls in highlighted in Moon Knight.

Ammit, another Goddess who was part hippo, was also part lion and part crocodile. She interacted with the dead in a different way. At the time of final judgement, she crouched by the balance scales where the heart of the deceased was weighed for goodness against a feather, while the spirit of the deceased changed a list of good things done in life, and bad things avoided. If the heart outweighed the feather, the soul was forbidden to enter the afterlife. Their unworthy heart was tossed to Ammit, who devoured it. The soul died. Clearly, as “Devourer of the Dead”, and “Eater of Hearts”she was not a Goddess to mess with. In Moon Knight, Ammit is elegantly costumed, with a fabulous braid and – never shown dining.

Since his 1994 consultancy with the Stargate film, Dr. Stuart Smith of the University of California, Santa Barbara, has given many entertaining talks on the incorporation of Ancient Egyptian themes in Hollywood movies.