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Egyptian Myth and Legend, by Donald Mackenzie, [1907], full text etext at sacred-texts.com
Ka. Everything that existed was believed to have its 'double'. A fish or other animal had a Ka; so also had a tree; and there were spirits in water, in metals, in stone, and even in weapons and other articles manufactured by man. These spirits were invisible to all save the seers, who were able to exercise on occasion the 'faculty' which Scottish Highlanders call 'second sight'.
IN the maze of Egyptian beliefs there were divergent views regarding the elements which constitute the human personality. One triad was a unity of the Ka, spirit; the Khu, soul; and Khat, the body. Another grouped Khaybet, the shadow, with Ba, the soul, and Sahu, the mummy. The physical heart was called Hati; it was supposed to be the seat of the intelligence, and its 'spirit' was named Ab, which signified the will and desires. The 'vital spark', or controlling force, was symbolized as the Sekhem, and the Ran was the personal name.
The Ka of the first triad is the most concrete conception of all. It was probably, too, the oldest. The early people appear to have believed that the human personality combined simply the body and the spirit. In those tomb scenes which depict the birth of kings the royal babe is represented by two figures-the visible body and the invisible 'double'. The Ka began to be at birth; it continued to live on after death.
It was conceived that the Ka could leave the human body during sleep, or while the subject lay in a trance. It then wandered forth and visited people and places, and its experience survived in memory. Dreams were accounted for in this way as actual happenings. When a man dreamt of a deceased friend, he believed that his Ka had met with the Ka of the dead, held converse with it, and engaged in the performance of some Other-World duty. Sometimes the wandering Ka could be observed at a distance from where the sleeper reposed. It had all the appearance of the individual, because it was attired in the 'doubles' of his clothing and might carry the 'double' of his staff. Ghosts, therefore, included 'the spirits of the living', which were not recognized to be spirits until they vanished mysteriously. They might also be simply heard and not seen.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/egy/eml/eml10.htm
IN the maze of Egyptian beliefs there were divergent views regarding the elements which constitute the human personality. One triad was a unity of the Ka, spirit; the Khu, soul; and Khat, the body. Another grouped Khaybet, the shadow, with Ba, the soul, and Sahu, the mummy. The physical heart was called Hati; it was supposed to be the seat of the intelligence, and its 'spirit' was named Ab, which signified the will and desires. The 'vital spark', or controlling force, was symbolized as the Sekhem, and the Ran was the personal name.
The Ka of the first triad is the most concrete conception of all. It was probably, too, the oldest. The early people appear to have believed that the human personality combined simply the body and the spirit. In those tomb scenes which depict the birth of kings the royal babe is represented by two figures-the visible body and the invisible 'double'. The Ka began to be at birth; it continued to live on after death.
It was conceived that the Ka could leave the human body during sleep, or while the subject lay in a trance. It then wandered forth and visited people and places, and its experience survived in memory. Dreams were accounted for in this way as actual happenings. When a man dreamt of a deceased friend, he believed that his Ka had met with the Ka of the dead, held converse with it, and engaged in the performance of some Other-World duty. Sometimes the wandering Ka could be observed at a distance from where the sleeper reposed. It had all the appearance of the individual, because it was attired in the 'doubles' of his clothing and might carry the 'double' of his staff. Ghosts, therefore, included 'the spirits of the living', which were not recognized to be spirits until they vanished mysteriously. They might also be simply heard and not seen.
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