Heka

"Heka" was the ancient Egyptian word for "magic" - to the Egyptians, a world without magic was inconceivable. It was through magic that the world had been created, magic which sustained the world daily, magic that healed when one was sick, magic that gave when one had nothing, and magic which assured one of eternal life after death.

The Egyptologist James Henry Breasted famously remarked how magic infused every aspect of ancient Egyptian life and was "as much a matter of course as sleep or the preparation of food." Magic was present in one's conception, birth, life, death, and afterlife and was represented by a god who was older than creation: Heka.

Heka was the god who stood for all magic, supernatural powers, and miracles. Because of his great power the Pyramid Texts make it clear that Heka was feared by the gods themselves.

He is frequently seen in funerary texts and inscriptions guiding the soul of the deceased to the afterlife and is often mentioned in medical texts and spells. Heka was the patron of wizards and physicians, who were called the “Priests of Heka.” A potion, a prescription, a prayer; all turned toward the same source. This ultimate power could be embodied in animals and statues, in the pharaoh, and woven into amulets and magic charms, carried about for good fortune.

Heka helped Ra on his journey across the sky by casting spells to keep demons away, and protected the moon. The Coffin Texts contain a spell for the deceased “to become the god Heka” in the underworld, a magical being able to fight off any dangers. He was regularly invoked for the harvest, and Heka's statues were taken out of his temple and carried through the fields to ensure fertility and a bountiful crop.

Heka was thought to be the son of Khnum or Atum.