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In Egyptian mythology,
Heka (also spelt Hike) was the deification of magic, his name
being the egyptian word for magic. Heka literally means activating
the Ka, which egyptians thought was how magic worked, the Ka
being an aspect of the soul which embodied personality, but
more significantly also power and influence, particularly in
the case of the Ka of gods.
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 entwined serpents.
Medicine and doctors was thought to be a form of magic, and
so Heka's priesthood performed these activities.
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.
Gods
and Goddesses Menu
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