KA

also spelled Koi, in ancient Egyptian religion, with ba and akh, a principal aspect of the soul of a human being or of a god. The exact significance of ka remains a matter of controversy, chiefly for lack of an Egyptian definition; the usual translation double is incorrect. Written by a hieroglyph of uplifted arms, it seemed originally to have designated the protecting divine spirit of a person, and later the personified sum of physical and intellectual qualities constituting an individuality. The ka survived the death of the body and could reside in a picture or statue of a person.