Bâ (personality) Ancient Egyptian concept of the soul

bâ takes form of bird human head.



this golden bâ amulet ptolemaic period have been worn apotropaic device. walters art museum, baltimore.

the bâ (bꜣ) makes individual unique, similar notion of personality . (in sense, inanimate objects have bâ , unique character, , indeed old kingdom pyramids called bâ of owner). bâ aspect of person egyptians believed live after body died, , depicted human-headed bird flying out of tomb join ka in afterlife.

in coffin texts 1 form of bâ comes existence after death corporeal, eating, drinking , copulating. louis Žabkar argued bâ not part of person person himself, unlike soul in greek, or late judaic, christian or muslim thought. idea of purely immaterial existence foreign egyptian thought when christianity spread in egypt borrowed greek word psyche describe concept of soul , not term bâ. Žabkar concludes particular concept of bâ ancient egyptian thought ought not translated instead concept footnoted or parenthetically explained 1 of modes of existence person.

in mode of existence bâ of deceased depicted in book of going forth day returning mummy , participating in life outside tomb in non-corporeal form, echoing solar theology of re (or ra) uniting osiris each night.

the word bau (bꜣw), plural of word ba, meant similar impressiveness , power , , reputation , particularly of deity. when deity intervened in human affairs, said bau of deity @ work [borghouts 1982].