Maa Kheru

U5
a		 Aa1
r		 E23P8A2
 
or
 
im
t		 P8t
mꜣꜥ-ḫrw ("True of Voice")
in hieroglyphs
Cartouche of Ankhnesneferibre, called Maa Kheru just below it.

Maa Kheru (Ancient Egyptian: mꜣꜥ ḫrw) is a phrase meaning "true of voice" or "justified"[1] or "the acclaim given to him is 'right'".[2] The term is involved in ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs, according to which deceased souls had to be judged morally righteous. Once the soul had passed the test, the Weighing of the Heart, they were judged to be mꜣꜥ ḫrw and was allowed to enter the afterlife.[1]

The phrase was often used to denote someone who had died and become a god, placed after the name of the individual in question. As such, it is frequently found in inscriptions in Egyptian tombs and royal mortuary temples, especially as part of an introductory clause for autobiographical inscriptions celebrating the tomb or temple owner's achievements in life.[3]

See also

  • Maat, the Egyptian concept of truth, order, and justice (from the same root)

References

  1. ^ a b Allen, James P. (2000). Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs. Cambridge University Press. p. 95
  2. ^ Rudolph Anthes, "The Original Meaning of Mꜣꜥ ḫrw", Journal of Near Eastern Studies. Vol. 13, No. 1 (Jan. 1954), p. 50
  3. ^ Grenfell, Alice (1906). "Egyptian Mythology and the Bible". The Monist. 16 (2): 169–200. doi:10.5840/monist190616223. JSTOR 27899648.


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