Heka as an intellectual "attribute" is only focusing on the later manifestation of the concept. Heka as a magical attribute of "the word" is certainly more older and traces back to priest/magicians who were/are an important part of many African animist traditions. All of these priest/magicians receive years of training in knowing how to perform their rituals, which include using "words of power". That is not an "intellectual" attribute, it is inherent in the practice of rituals and activities associated with "magical" power. This is about belief not intellect and the power of the word partly comes from the power of belief. Unless you believe in magic, there is nothing about Heka that can be construed as "intellectual", in the sense that such words will cause something "magical" to happen. The priest/magicians of Egyptian temples were the ones who would have learned these "words of power" and by using them as part of the rituals of Egypt, invoked the "magic" or power of the gods. None of that represents any sort of "intellectual" tradition.

Likewise, Egyptian medicine also involved magic and part of this magic involved the priests who would drive out spirits, similar to the role of Heka in driving away demons from the barque of Ra. This idea of magical healing is also seen in the damage done to the Eye of Ra/Horus which was also healed through magic. So it is over simplistic to say that magic, had no role in Egyptian medicine and that ancient Egyptian physicians did not learn "magical" incantations or rituals as part of their teaching. The idea of magic as part of the rituals of healing are ancient in Egypt and Heka eventually became symbolic of this aspect of the healing tradition, which traces all the way back to ancient animistic practices in Africa. It doesn't matter if this was called Heka at any particular time or not, what is being pointed out is the concept of magic and healing being part of the role of the priest within a religious framework.

All of this is what is symbolized by the snakes you posted, where they become symbolic of priestly power and magic and healing. Again, it is a reflection of the concept of magic as an important part of religious ritual. It is precisely this association with serpents and magic that was seen in the Biblical story of Moses.

I only mentioned Heka as a way of showing that Egypt did have magical elements within its religious traditions and many of these traditions trace back to animist beliefs. Heka is not the only way this is manifest in Egyptian thought, but it is one good example of it. So the intention was not to show all the ways Heka as a deity were manifest in Egypt, as opposed to the role of magic as a animistic legacy within Egyptian cosmology.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/16/2007 08:21AM by Doug M.