Ba Bird on a Sarcophagus

Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to be looking at this vibrant/beautifully 𓄤 painted 𓇨𓂋𓅱𓏭𓏸𓏦 sarcophagus 𓎟𓋹𓈖𓐍𓊭 from the MET! 

This image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 depicts the deceased’s 𓅓𓏏𓏱 ba 𓅡𓏺 returning to its mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾! The Ba 𓅡𓏺 was part of an individual’s soul that was depicted as a human headed bird. The Ba 𓅡𓏺 and the ka 𓂓𓏺  were both aspects of a person’s soul! I also love the detail of the four 𓏽 canopic jars underneath the mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾! 

The Ba 𓅡𓏤 is the impression that an individual makes on others – everything except the physical body 𓎛𓂝𓄼. The Ba 𓅡𓏤 can also be thought of as an individual’s personality. The Ba 𓅡𓏤 wasn’t necessarily associated with living, and seemed to manifest after the person died. Ba 𓅡𓏤 has no equivalent word 𓌃𓂧𓅱𓀁 in any current language 𓂋𓏺, as this was an ancient Egyptian funerary concept/belief. 

When a person died, the Ba 𓅡𓏤 was the only part of the person that would be able to travel out of the tomb 𓇋𓐫𓊃𓉐, but it did have to return eventually to be reunited with the mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾. 

There’s a spell 𓎛𓂓𓏛 from the Book of the Dead that states “May it (Ba) see my corpse, may it rest on my mummy, Which will never be destroyed or perish.” This spell 𓎛𓂓𓏛 illustrates why it was so important that the mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾 remain intact; the Ba 𓅡𓏤 needed to return to it! This is why funerary masks became so popular; if the mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾 was destroyed, the mask could take the place of the mummy’s head and allow the Ba 𓅡𓏤 to return. 

Can you recognize any words in the hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 on the sarcophagus 𓎟𓋹𓈖𓐍𓊭?! There’s a bunch we have learned:

𓆓𓌃𓇋𓈖 – Words Spoken By

𓁹𓊨𓊹 – Osiris

𓎟 – Lord

𓎛𓐑𓊪𓇌 – Hapi

𓇋𓌴𓏺 – Revered