BA symbol

Description

Ba Shaped like a bird (most often a hawk) with a human head, the Ba symbol was represented as a bird leaving or entering someone's tomb or next to their mummified body. The word "Ba" could be interpreted as "soul" or "spirit" although "spiritual manifestation" would be a more accurate translation. This is because Ba is known as part of the soul in ancient Egyptian belief. More specifically, Ba was believed to be the uniqueness of an object. This comes close to the meaning of "personality" for want of a better word. According to this belief, even an inanimate object could have Ba. As stated in the Coffin Texts, Ba came into being after a person's death and joined Ka, the essence of vitality in the afterlife, while some people believed it existed before death and survived the experience. Louis Žabkar, a renowned Egyptologist, suggested that Ba who resurrected after death was the person himself, the physical existence of that person rather than an immaterial being.