Ba

BA. - Name that the ancient Egyptians gave to the soul understood as the capacity to survive by assuming different forms and which in the plural (b 3. iv) means "power." The sign by which it was expressed graphically represents, for some, the eiconia nigra, for others the scopus umbretta. According to the Egyptians, the soul, at the death of the individual, did not depart completely from the body, but re-entered it at will. Especially at night the soul rested upon the corpse: it is represented in the form of a bird that spreads its wings, sometimes with the face of a bearded man. The idea that the ancient Egyptians believed in the transmigration of souls, like the Indians, is not attested. According to the Egyptians, after death souls could, at will, only momentarily assume the appearance of an animal or a plant. Significant is the fact that even the deities possessed one or more b. and that the term was sometimes used as a synonym for god.