Heka (god)
Heka (/ˈhɛkə/; Egyptian: Ḥkȝ; also spelled Hike) was the deification of magic in ancient Egypt. The name is 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 to refer to the practice of magical rituals. The Coptic word "hik" is derived from Ancient Egyptian.
Etymology
The word Heka means activating the Ka, the aspect of the soul which embodied personality. Egyptians believed that activating the power of the soul was how magic worked. "Heka" also implied great power and influence, particularly when drawing upon the Ka of the gods. Heka acted together with Hu, 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.
Legend
As the one who activates Ka, Heka was also said to be the son of the deity 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, so Heka's priesthood performed these activities.
Egyptians believed that with Heka they could influence the gods and gain protection, healing, and transformation. Heka activates the Ka is an aspect of the soul of both gods and humans and that it is the divine personification of magic. Health and wholeness of being were sacred to Heka.
No word for religion exists in the ancient Egyptian language and mundane and religious world views were not distinct. Thus Heka was a religious observance rather than a secular practice. Every aspect of life, including every word, plant, animal and ritual, was connected to the power and authority of the gods.[1]
Medicine
In ancient Egypt, medicine consisted of four components; the primeval potency that empowered the creator-god was identified with Heka. Heka was accompanied by magical rituals known as Seshaw, held within sacred texts called Rw. 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 the medical practices, formed an integrated therapy for both physical and spiritual health. Magic was also used for protection against angry deities, jealous ghosts, foreign demons and sorcerers who were thought to cause illness, accidents, poverty and infertility.[2]
References
- ↑ Asante, Molefi Kete; Mazama, Ama (2009). Encyclopedia of African Religion. SAGE Publications. pp. 34–. ISBN 978-1-4129-3636-1.
- ↑ Pinch, Dr Geraldine (15 October 2010). "Ancient Egyptian Magic". BBC. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
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