In Egyptian mythology, the ba was the deceased person’s soul aspect shown as a human-headed bird. Egyptian religious thought described a person as having several connected components rather than one single soul with a uniform role.
The ba could move between the tomb and the world of the living, which explains why funerary art often shows it as a bird near the mummy or tomb. After death, the ba remained connected to the individual’s identity and participated in the continuing existence expected in the afterlife.
The ba should not be confused with the ka, another life force that required offerings, or the akh, the effective or transformed spirit achieved after successful rites. The ba’s bird form is one of the clearest visual symbols in Egyptian funerary belief.