In Egyptian mythology, scales symbolize the judgment of the soul in the afterlife. The soul of the deceased is weighed against the feather of Maat, the goddess of truth and justice. This weighing determines whether the individual has lived a righteous life. If the scales balance, the soul is granted passage to the afterlife, while if it is found wanting, it faces annihilation. This act represents the moral accountability of human actions and the critical balance between order and chaos in the universe.