Heka (god)

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Heka (H k)

Heka (/hk/; Egyptian: k; also spelt Hike) was the deification of magic in Egyptian
mythology, his name being the Egyptian word for "magic". According to Egyptian writing
(Coffin text, spell 261), Heka existed "before duality had yet come into being." The term
"Heka" was also used for the practice of magical ritual. The Coptic word "hik" is derived
from the Ancient Egyptian.
eka literally means activating the Ka, the aspect of the soul which embodied
personality. Egyptians thought activating the power of the soul was how magic worked.
"Heka" also implied great power and influence, particularly in the case of drawing upon
the Ka of the gods. Heka acted together with u, the principle of divine utterance,
and Sia, the concept of divine omniscience, to create the basis of creative power both in
the mortal world and the world of the gods.
As the one who activates Ka, Heka was also said to be the son of Atum, the creator of
things in general, or occasionally the son of Khnum, who created specific individual Ba
(another aspect of the soul). As the son of Khnum, his mother was said to be Menhit.
The hieroglyph for his name featured a twist of flax within a pair of raised arms; however,
it also vaguely resembles a pair of entwined snakes within someone's arms.
Consequently, Heka was said to have battled and conquered two serpents, and was

usually depicted as a man choking two giant entwined serpents. Medicine and doctors
were thought to be a form of magic, and so Heka's priesthood performed these activities.
Egyptians believed that with eka, the activation of the Ka, an aspect of the soul of
both gods and humans, (and divine personification of magic), they could influence the
gods and gain protection, healing and transformation. Health and wholeness of being
were sacred to eka. There is no word for religion in the ancient Egyptian language,
mundane and religious world views were not distinct; thus eka was not a secular
practice but rather a religious observance. Every aspect of life, every word, plant, animal
and ritual was connected to the power and authority of the gods. [1]
In ancient Egypt, medicine consisted of four components; the primeval potency that
empowered the creator-god was identified with eka, who was accompanied by magical
rituals known as Seshaw, held within sacred texts called Rw. In addition Pekhret,
medicinal prescriptions, were given to patients to bring relief. This magic was used in
temple rituals as well as informal situations by priests. These rituals, along with medical
practices, formed an integrated therapy for both physical and spiritual health. Magic was
also used for protection against the angry deities, jealous ghosts, foreign demons and
sorcerers who were thought to cause illness, accidents, poverty and infertility.[2]

References[edit]
1.

Jump up^ Asante, M.K.; Mazama, Ama (2009). "Heka". Encyclopedia of

African Religion II. pp. 342343. ISBN 978-1-4129-3636-1. LCCN 2008027578.
2.
Jump up^ Pinch, Dr Geraldine (15 October 2010). "Ancient Egyptian
Magic". BBC. Retrieved 21 November 2010.