The Ka and the Ba

Understanding the pivotal concepts of Egyptian identity is a necessity to understand hieroglyphic writing. The Ka and the Ba are among the most important and complex hieroglyphic ideograms.

"Ka" is a concept deeply rooted in the Ancient Egyptian Persona. In the simplest terms, it is the idea that each one of us has a soul consort mirroring our own souls, our spiritual double. This double takes after our own bodies "ghet" for it can only materialise with it to form us as a whole. This consort lives on even after our own death. Offerings to the Ka were a necessity since, like the person's physical body, the Ka needed nourishment. The idea is a bit similar to the Qareen in Islamic religion, however the nature of the Ka remains much more ambiguous. The phonetic biliteral sign with the predominant ideogram of the Ka represents the breast and outstretched arms of a person pictorially. Ka can also mean personality, individuality and even a man's fortune or his position. 

However, the Ka does not represent all aspects of the soul, merely its reflection. That's why the concept of "Ba" is more closely related to the soul of a person. It can be translated as the personality or whatever makes someone unique, their external manifestation. As represented in its hieroglyphic symbol, the Ka is pictured as a person's head in place of a bird's. This symbolises the freedom the "Ba" compartment of the soul has in comparison to the "Ka".Unlike the Ka, the Ba did not remain trapped within a person's tomb but went on journeys between the land of the living and the dead. Like the Ka, the Ba is a phonetically biliteral sign. This sign is often preceded by a guiding determinant we shall discuss in an upcoming article about determinants. 

Together the Ka and Ba represent the ever living soul of a person. A third concept "akh" complements the identity of the soul in Ancient Egypt. The "akh" is another complex concept we shall leave to another day. 

Sources:

Egyptian Grammar by Alan Gardiner