Jon Bodsworth (Public Domain) Name & Role in Religion Anubis' association with Nephthys (known as "Friend to the Dead") and Qebhet emphasizes his long-standing role as protector of the dead and a guide for the souls in the afterlife. His daughter is Qebhet (also known as Kabechet) who brings cool water to the souls of the dead in the Hall of Truth and comforts the newly deceased. He is the earliest Egyptian deity depicted on tomb walls and invoked for protection of the dead and is usually shown tending to the corpse of the king, presiding over mummification rituals and funerals, or standing with Osiris, Thoth, or other gods at the Weighing of the Heart of the Soul in the Hall of Truth in the afterlife.Ī popular image of Anubis is the standing or kneeling man with the jackal's head holding the golden scales on which the heart of the soul was weighed against the white feather of truth. In earlier times, Anubis was considered the son of Ra and Hesat (associated with Hathor), but after his assimilation into the Osiris myth he was held to be the son of Osiris and his sister-in- law Nephthys. In this role, he was associated with eternal justice and maintained this association later, even after he was replaced by Osiris who was then given the honorary title 'First of the Westerners'. He was known as "First of the Westerners" prior to the rise of Osiris in the Middle Kingdom (2040-1782 BCE) which meant he was king of the dead (as "westerners" was the Egyptian term for departed souls in the afterlife which lay westward, in the direction of sunset). The powerful black canine, then, was the protector of the dead who made sure they received their due rights in burial and stood by them in the life after death to assist their resurrection. Black symbolized the decay of the body as well as the fertile soil of the Nile River Valley which represented regeneration and life.
The color black was chosen for its symbolism, not because Egyptian dogs or jackals were black. 115/Museo Egizio Material: Metal / bronze Dimensions: 14 x 3.4 x 5.He is depicted as a black canine, a jackal-dog hybrid with pointed ears, or as a muscular man with the head of a jackal. Hermanubis also appears in alchemical and hermetical literature of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. As their functions as psychopomps were similar, they were combined by the Greeks into a single form. Worship: Worshipped widely throughout all of Egypt, his cult center was Cynopolis.Ī combination of the Greek god Hermes and Anubis. He also has a daughter, Kabechet, who helps him in the mummification. This apparent confusion is still another sign of Anubis' origins in the most ancient of times.
Some have Heset as his mother, and still others say Bast. In some stories, Anubis is the son of Ra and Nephthys, or Set and Nephthys (probably due to Set and Anubis having the same totem animal). He places their heart on the Scales of Justice during the Judging of the Heart, and he feeds the souls of wicked people to Ammit. He conducts the souls through the underworld, testing their knowledge of the gods and their faith. He watches over the mummification process to ensure that all is done properly. Prayers to Anubis are found carved on the most ancient tombs in Egypt, and his duties apparently are many. His totem of the jackal is probably due to the fact that jackals would hunt at the edges of the desert, near the necropolis and cemeteries throughout Egypt.
After that point, Anubis was changed to be one of the many sons of Osiris and the psychopomp (conductor of souls) of the underworld.
There is a beautiful statue of him as a full jackal in the tomb of Tutankhamun.ĭescription: Anubis is an incredibly ancient god, and was the original god of the dead before Osiris "took over" the position. He is rarely shown fully-human, but he is depicted so in the Temple of Abydos of Rameses II. Unlike a real jackal, Anubis' head is black, representing his position as a god of the dead. Patron of: mummification, and the dead on their path through the underworld.Īppearance: A man with the head of a jackal-like animal. Other Names: Anpu, Inpu, Ienpw, Imeut (Lord-of-the-Place-of-Embalming).