A heavy heart
Meaning
A feeling of deep sadness, sorrow, or grief.
Origin
In ancient Egypt, the heart was considered the very essence of a person—the seat of intellect, emotion, and character. Central to their beliefs about the afterlife was the pivotal 'Weighing of the Heart' ceremony, where the deceased's heart was literally placed on a scale opposite the feather of Ma'at, the goddess of truth and justice. A heart burdened by misdeeds, sorrow, or unconfessed sins was believed to be 'heavy,' outweighing the feather and leading to the soul's ultimate demise. This profound ancient imagery of emotional or spiritual weight directly linked the sensation of heaviness with deep distress or guilt, giving powerful resonance to the enduring metaphor of a 'heavy heart' as a symbol of profound grief or sadness.
Examples
- She accepted the news of her friend's departure with a heavy heart, knowing she would miss him dearly.
- The team faced the final game with a heavy heart after their captain was injured in the semi-finals.