Ba of the God Mandulis

New Kalabsha, Egypt

The ba of a god represents the god's ability to manifest himself, that is, to assume physical form in the world. The ba is conventionally depicted as a human-headed bird, although the actual forms taken by the god could vary. In fact, a god had more than one ba, corresponding to his various powers of manifestation.

The ba of a person represents the person's spirit body, as experienced in dreams, trance states, and out-of-body experiences. Tied to the physical body, the ba manifested after death as a bird, like those which fluttered around Egyptian tombs. It would survive only as long as the deceased person's physical body remained intact.