The belief in immortality

The belief in immortality

Ancient Egyptian concepts of the afterlife rely on the essentialist idea about the existence of an invisible part of reality that is hidden in all things. According to myths, at the time of the creation of the world, the essence was poured out from the eye of the Sun god thereby creating human beings. Since it was originated from him, the essence of manhood was held to be eternal with both the death and birth of human beings representing only a new stage in the transformation of the essence.

When it came to men, this essence did not have a simple structure. Men’s invisible copy, we could say their spirit or a look-alike2, was called ka.Alongside men, also gods, animals and even inanimate objects possessed a ka. Sometimes the ka, which was placed in the heart, may be perceived as a bodily aspect of the soul.