Cult Leader Arthur Harrow Worships the Goddess Ammit in Marvel's 'Moon Knight' Series — Who Is She?
Published March 31 2022, 9:29 a.m. ET
Wow, Marvel really has a chokehold on the entertainment industry, doesn't it? The newest Marvel Studios series to enliven the MCU fandom is Moon Knight, which premiered on March 30, 2022. From showrunner and lead writer Jeremy Slater, the limited series follows utterly exhausted museum gift-shop employee Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac), who believes he has a sleeping disorder. "I can't tell the difference between my waking life and dreams," he says in the trailer.
Between dozing off midday and suffering from terrifying hallucinations, Steven is constantly in a haze. It isn't long before Steven realizes he has dissociative identity disorder (DID) and shares a human form with mercenary Marc Spector, who was brought back to life as Khonshu, the Egyptian god of the moon.
When Steven switches to Marc, he takes the form of iconic vigilante Moon Knight. The evil Steven/Marc/Moon Knight fights is cult leader Arthur Harrow — played by Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke (Training Day). As we learn more about his cryptic religious cult, we're told that the highly dedicated members worship the goddess Ammit. Let's delve into the history of Ammit and how she fits into the cult.
Who is Egyptian goddess Ammit in Marvel's 'Moon Knight'?
Arthur Harrow is on a mission to “make the Earth as much like Heaven as possible.” Sounds really commendable, right? Well, this involves "cleansing," better known as genocide. Arthur feels it is his duty to judge others on behalf of Ammit; he does so by ceremoniously holding a crocodile-adorned staff with a person who wishes to be granted cult membership. This act triggers his almighty wrist tattoo of a balance scale. From there, the tattoo decides if a person represents justice or guilt.
If it leans toward justice, the person is welcomed into Arthur's cult. But when the tattoo deems a person guilty, they're plagued with instant death. Arthur states that this ritual is about "offering your soul for judgment," as mentioned by Collider.
"She was only a bogeyman for evildoers. ... She grew weary of having to wait for sinners to commit their crime before punishing them," Arthur says of Ammit. See, the ancient goddess's powers allow her to know people's pasts, presents, and futures.
Even if someone offers themself to the cult with pure intentions, Ammit will know if their future proves otherwise. There's no fooling her. Honestly, we have chills (which is more than we can say for most "theme park" Marvel movies).
What does ancient Egyptian mythology say about Ammit?
Ancient Egypt Online details that Ammit was "the personification of divine retribution." As she rested beside "the scales of Ma’at," Ammit would literally devour the souls of those considered to be unworthy. They were then punished with a ghastly second death, forced to suffer for eternity. She has a reputation that earned her the nickname “Devourer of Millions.” We love a feared girl boss.
As for her appearance, Ammit is often shown as a demon with the head of a crocodile (hence Arthur's cane), the midsection of a cat, and the behind of a hippo — which is, you know, terrifying. She was also able to take the form of a human.
Interestingly, Ammit apparently doesn't have a history of being worshipped, but that's obviously not stopping Arthur Harrow. Ammit's hold on the cult is beyond alarming, and we can't wait to see what further terror she evokes.
The first episode of Moon Knight is currently streaming on Disney Plus.