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Ancient Egypt / Religion / Concepts and Symbols /
Ka
In Ancient Egyptian religion, one of the principal aspects of the soul, together with ba and akh. Ka is a power that man is born with, it is a power that is connected to the family. For the dead, ka is the totality of vital forces.
In the sense of the "kings ka", it is thought of something that is common for the entire population of Ancient Egypt.
Ka was written by a hieroglyph of uplifted arms. From this we probably can read that ka was in protection for the soul of the dead person.
When a person died, it was said that he or she went off to his or her ka. When sacrifice was offered to the deceased, it was actually offered to his or her ka. The explanation for mummifying the deceased was to give sustanance to the ka in the afterlife. A ka withouth the mummy had its existence in the afterlife in jeopardy.
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By: Tore Kjeilen
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