The LIBRA Myth

The origin of the only inanimate object in the zodiac, Libra the scales, can be traced to the myths of Ancient Egypt.
The Egyptian God of the Dead was Anubis, portrayed as having the body of a man and the head of a jackal. Anubis used to stand, along with his brother Apu-At, at the junction of the two roads that led to the underworld. Here they would use a huge set of scales to weigh the souls of the dead. Their souls would be weighed against a feather placed on the scales by Maat, the Goddess of Truth. The scales determined their worth based on what they had achieved in their lifetime on Earth.
If the scales stayed perfectly balanced Anubis would allow the body to enter the Kingdom of the Dead ruled by Osiris. There they would live a life of complete happiness for all eternity.
If the soul was so weighed down by guilt and evil that it outweighed the feather, the poor applicant was torn apart and eaten by the monster Amemait.
The scales came to represent not only the final judgement, but justice and a balanced, objective view.
This is first shown in Greek mythology by the trial of Orestes. This became the first occurrence of ordinary men, not a god or a king, hearing evidence, weighing up the rights and wrongs and coming to a conclusion.
At the command of Apollo, Orestes had killed his mother. He was chased and finally caught by the Furies, the Greek Goddesses of Vengeance. Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, forbade the Furies from carrying out their terrible retribution. She ordered a trial to take place with a human jury. Like a set of scales the jury weighed up the evidence and concluded that Orestes was innocent and he walked free.
The use of scales as an image of fair play can still be seen today in the figure of the blindfolded female figure of Justice, holding a set of scales to be found in many court rooms.