V. The Name was called, Ren. This was the Personality, that something, which continued to know itself as a distinct individual, through every change of the atoms and appearances of the body. In the Per-em-hru was written: "The Osiris (then the name of the dead was inserted.)" It was restored eternally to the soul in the second life. The Ba retained the Ren in its journey through the Underworld.
VI. The life or Double was called, Ka, plur. Kau. This was the vital principle, necessary to the existence of man as an animal being on this earth. It was a spiritual double, a second perfect exemplar or copy, of his flesh, blood, etc., body; but of a matter less dense than corporeal matter, but having all its shape and features, being child, man, or woman, as the living had been. It dwelt with the mummy in the tomb and had a semi-material form and substance, and I am inclined to think, from the texts, it had power to leave the tomb when it pleased but always returned. Its emblem was the ankh or crux ansata. It was something like the higher Nephesh of the Hebrew Qabbalah. The sacrificial food left in the tombs and the pictures on their walls were for the benefit of the Ka. The Ka corresponded to the Latin, genius. Its original meaning may have been image;[107] it was like the Greek eidolon, i.e., ghost. The funeral oblations were made to the image or Ka. The Ka was a spiritual double of the man, a kind of prototype in the Upper World, of the man in the Lower World, our earth.[108]
VII. The Mummy or the Husk was called, Sahu. It was the body after embalmment. "His body is in the condition of being true; it will not perish."[109] The Sahu was considered a true being as it was assumed that it would always remain the same. It was like the lower form of the Nephesh of the Hebrew Qabbalah. The atoms of the mummy-body were still intact held together by the cohesion of the particles. This cohesion was looked upon as a spiritual energy keeping the particles together, in the form of the mummy. The word Sahu may sometimes refer to this living personality.
VIII. The Heart was called Ab. This was thought to be the seat of life, the life being in the blood, and the embryonic life starting with the pulsations of the heart. See, Appendix A.
The Ba, performed the journey through the Underworld accompanied by the Name and Shadow, until it reached the Hall of Judgment; if pronounced pure, the Heart was then given it. The Name, Shadow and Heart, then awaited reunion with the Khu and Ka for the condition of final immortality and the power to make the transformations. The body was embalmed and the Ka dwelt in the sepulchre with it, but went in and out of the tomb. The Khu also accompanied the Ba in its journey through the Underworld and assisted it, but in case of an adverse judgment in the Hall of Osiris and the decree of annihilation; the Khu fled back to its immortal source of life and light.
Not any of these, by its own nature, could exist for any length of time entirely separated from the others; if left to itself, that so separated, would in time dissolve into new elements and if it were the soul, it would die a second time, the personality and individuality would then perish and become annihilated; this was the much feared, second death. This however might be prevented by the piety of the survivors, in repeating the prayers and litanies and performing the lustrations and sacrifices, for the dead. The lot to do this usually fell to the eldest son and in default of sons, to the daughters, etc., no relations existing, the dead persons' slaves could perform it. The priests were also left annuities to perform perpetually, the sacred duties to the dead. Embalmment preventing for centuries, decomposition; continued prayers, devotions and offerings would save, it was believed, the Ka, the Ba, and the Khu, from the second death, and procure for them what was necessary to prolong their existence. The Ka, they thought, never quitted the place where the mummy was except at some time to return. The Ba, and the Khu went away from it to follow the gods, but they continually returned as would a traveler who re-entered his house after an absence. The tomb was the defunct's "eternal dwelling house" on earth, the houses of the living were only as inns or stopping places. In case of a judgment in favor of the Ba in the Hall of Osiris, the Khu united to the Ba, Khaibet, Ab, Ka, etc., rose up to the Egyptian heaven, and the whole united was able to make whatever transformations pleased it.
FOOTNOTES:
[77] Comp. Hist. of the Egypt. Relig., by Dr. C.P. Tiele. London, 1892, pp. 89, 127, 139.
[78] Most likely the Egyptian idea was "to emanate" more than "to create."