Ancient Egyptian Ka Statues
The Egyptians believed that a person was born with five elements:
(1) the physical body
(2) the shadow
(3) the name
(4) the ba
(5) the ka
(1) the physical body
(2) the shadow
(3) the name
(4) the ba
(5) the ka
The KA and BA Definition
The "KA" and "BA" : The most interesting belief of the Egyptians was that of the 2 life forces that they believed controlled all human beings. The "KA" as they believed was the life force responsible for animation, which is to say that as long as it's present the person remains alive. Upon death the "KA" acquires a separate existence.
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| Ka Egypt Definition |
It however still retains the bodies form and requires sustenance.The ka was a kind of astral double or spiritual duplicate of the deceased that was necessary for existence in the next world. When a person died, the ka continued to dwell in the body, and one reason for mummification was to ensure the ka a dwelling place.
In case the mummy was damaged or destroyed, many Egyptians were buried with a ka statue. The statue was a portrait of the deceased that the ka could recognize and was meant to be an alternative dwelling for the ka if the mummy was not suitable.
It was believed that a person's ka continued to need nourishment, so priests or family members of the deceased visited the mortuary temple and left food offerings. They didn’t believe the ka actually consumed the food but that it magically derived benefits from the offering. Sometimes pictures of offerings on the tomb walls replaced the actual food offering.
After the priests or family member recited a special prayer, the ka could derive the benefit of either offering. The ka represented by the hieroglyph è, a pair of upraised arms, is in Hatshepsut’s funerary temple at Deir el Bahri, shown created on the potter’s wheel of the creator god Khnum.
In case the mummy was damaged or destroyed, many Egyptians were buried with a ka statue. The statue was a portrait of the deceased that the ka could recognize and was meant to be an alternative dwelling for the ka if the mummy was not suitable.
After the priests or family member recited a special prayer, the ka could derive the benefit of either offering. The ka represented by the hieroglyph è, a pair of upraised arms, is in Hatshepsut’s funerary temple at Deir el Bahri, shown created on the potter’s wheel of the creator god Khnum.
Ancient Egyptian Ka and Ba pictures
