What was Egyptian magic called?

Heka is the ancient Egyptian word for “magic,” understood not as illusion but as a real, divine force that powered creation and allowed gods and humans to effect change. Personified as the god Heka, it infused prayers, names, amulets, and medical spells; priests and physicians invoked heka to protect, heal, and maintain cosmic balance. Don’t confuse it with the other terms: Ka is a person’s life-force, Maat is truth and cosmic order, and the Ankh is the symbol of life. Memory tip: “Heka” sounds like “he can”—as in, the power that can make things happen.