Lady Justicia – The blind godess

She is a symbolic personification of the coercive power of law and the courts; a sword representing state authority, scales representing an objective standard, and a blindfold indicating that justice should be impartial.

You will meet her statue around almost every institution associated with law or justice, like the courts, law faculties, law offices etc. She stands towering and imposing, blindfolded, wielding a sword on one hand and a balancing scale on the other. You might have heard her being called the blind goddess or Lady Justitia, and wondered about her.

The modern Lady Justice originates from the ancient mythology of the Greek goddess(es) Themis and Dike. However, it is possible to trace her even further back to the Egyptian goddess Maat, whom the Egyptians believed to be the personification of truth, order and justice and the upholder of the laws of the creator.

The Romans referred to her as Justitia, and considered her to be a virgin who first lived among men but later left the earth to become the constellation Virgo. Justitia was considered to be one of the four virtues alongside prudence, fortitude and temperance.

The blindfold signifies dispensation of justice in an impartial and objective manner.

The scale signifies weighing of two sides in every dispute, and depicts a fair balance between the interests of one individual/group and those of another. It shows that justice must be interested in weighing and sifting evidence to arrive at truth, and should employ empirical means to arrive at truth.

The sword is a symbol of authority and affirms that justice must be enforceable. It declares that justice should be swift and have might of enforcement. The sword is double-edged signifying both the punishment of the offender and the protection of the innocent.

In summary, the ancients understood justice, truth and order as being administered by a goddess who was impartial and could sift between cases and weigh the comparative strengths and weaknesses of a party’s case and administer justice swiftly and authoritatively.

Lawyers are called as ministers in her temple and must develop these qualities in order to serve effectively.”

THE LAW SERIES®