glossarycloseKa

Ka.jpg
The untranslatable word ka was used by the ancient Egyptians to refer to that
aspect of men and gods that is connected with the creative life force. The ka
is the aspect that diferentiates a living person from a dead one. The ka came
into existence at the moment of birth, and was a kind of doppelgonger of the
individual. ometimes the ka was even depicted as a slightly smaller !gure
alongside the living person. The god Khnum is occasionally depicted seated
at a potter"s wheel making both the physical body of the person and his ka.
#fter someone died, the ka continued to exist $and thus also the person,
because the body was only the visible expression of ka%power& and continued
to need to be fed. This is why the ka was supplied with food through food
oferings, ofered to the false door in the tomb or through depictions of food
on the walls of the tomb. The ka was expected to partake of the life%giving
force contained in them. 'n recognition of this life%giving force, the Egyptians
used to say "to your ka" at mealtimes.
Tomb statues were considered to be statues of the ka of the deceased
person, and sometimes they bore a ka symbol, as is the case with the statue
of (or. The ka was represented as a pair of open arms, held upwards. These
arms symboli)ed the transmittance of the ka force from father to son, god to
man, king to man. This transmittance was also expressed in personal names
which emphasi)ed the continuity of the ka in diferent generations, for
example "my ka repeats itself". *hen a ka was transmitted from god to god or
from god to man, it was the "indwelling" of a divine force in a diferent god or
person that was meant. ometimes several kas are referred to+ the creator
gods and the king could have multiple kas, but so too could ordinary people.
The names given in the ,ate -eriod to the kas of .e indicate that the principle
of multiple kas is not just a multiplication of power, but was regarded as a
splitting up of the ka force into various aspects, such as splendour, fame, life
span, power, food, seeing, hearing, knowing. These aspects were made
independent and perceived as the imperishable principles of life itself, not
linked to the life of an individual.