heka

See also: hèkǎ

English

Etymology

From Egyptian ḥkꜣ.

Noun

heka (uncountable)

1. (Ancient Egypt) A mystic animating force present in the universe, used by deities and people.
   • 1998, Ogden Goelet, Jr., The Egyptian Book of the Dead (2nd ed.), ed. Eva von Dassow, p. 146:

     Endowed with heka, both people and the gods can make words and wishes effective.

   • 2004, Rosemary Clark, The Sacred Tradition in Ancient Egypt, p. 359:

     The distinction between white (life-giving) and black (life-destroying) magic was not simplistically defined, because heka was viewed as a neutral force.

   • 2017, Ronald Hutton, The Witch, Yale University Press 2018, p. 45:

     Heka was especially expressed in words, spoken or written, but also by ritual, often linked to particular stones, plants and incenses.

Anagrams

• Hake, hake