In ancient Egyptian religion, Ammit was a female demon with a body that was part lion, hippopotamus and crocodile—the three largest “man-eating” animals known to ancient Egyptians. A funerary deity, her titles included “Devourer of the Dead”, “Eater of Hearts”, and “Great of Death”.

(picture source: Das alte Ägypten by Christian Heinrich)

This picture shows the Weighing of the Heart. In ancient Egypt, people believed that the heart of a deceased person was weighed against a feather of the goddess Maat. If the scales balanced, this meant the deceased had led a good life. Anubis would take them to Osiris and they would find their place in the afterlife. If the heart was out of balance with the feather then Ammit, the Devourer, stood ready to eat it and put the dead person’s afterlife to an early and unpleasant end.

(Picture source: Das alte Ägypten by Christian Heinrich)