Anubis

Introduction

Anubis is the god of the afterlife and is often confused with the older Wepwawet. It is believed that before the First Dynasty of Egypt, he developed a cult following in order to be invoked on the walls of royal tombs in order to protect them from wild dogs and jackals who frequently dug up freshly buried bodies. The Egyptians believed a powerful canine god was the best protection against these wild canines.

Like other ancient Egyptian deities, he had various roles and was often depicted as a protector of graves during the First Dynasty. By the Middle Kingdom, he was replaced by the god of the underworld, who would be named Osiris. As a god, he was known to bring souls into the afterlife. He was also known to attend the weighing scale, which was used to determine if a soul could enter the realm of the dead.

Physical Traits

Anubis was often depicted as a black canine, a jackal-dog hybrid, or a muscular man with pointed ears. The color black was chosen because it represented the decay of the body and the life-giving soil of the Nile River Valley. 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.

An exceedingly rare depiction of him in full human form was found in a tomb of Ramesses II. He was also known for wearing a ribbon and holding a flail in his arm. In funerary contexts, he would also be depicted sitting on a deceased person’s tomb or guarding it.

Family

He was initially considered the son of Hesat and Ra, but after he was assimilated into the myth of Osiris, he was later held to be the child of Osiris and Nephthys.

A story from the First Dynasty states that Nephthys was attracted to the beauty of Osiris, and she transformed herself to look like his wife, Isis. She became pregnant and gave birth to Anubis but she abandoned him when he was only a few months old. Isis found out about the affair and went searching for the infant and, when she found him, adopted him as her own. Set also found out about the affair, and this is given as part of the reason for his murder of Osiris.

Other Names

Before the Greeks arrived in Egypt, the god was known as Inpu or Anpu with the root of the name translating to “a royal child.” He was also known as “First of the Westerners,” “Lord of the Sacred Land,” “He Who is Upon his Sacred Mountain,” “Ruler of the Nine Bows,” “The Dog who Swallows Millions,” “Master of Secrets,” “He Who is in the Place of Embalming,” and “Foremost of the Divine Booth”.

Powers and Abilities

He was especially focused on the care of the dead and the funerary cult. He is believed to have invented the embalming process, which was first used on the corpse of Osiris. As a god of the afterlife, Anubis was deeply involved in every aspect of a person’s death experience. He served as a judge and guide after death.

Decline

During the Early Dynastic Period and Old Kingdom, he was the sole god of the dead who was righteous and righteous judge of the soul. As the popularity of the myth of Osiris grew, he was assimilated into it and became the child of the two deities.

After being integrated into the myth of Osiris, Anubis was often seen as the god’s protector and a right-hand man. He was also known to help oversee the rituals of the dead, and he would sometimes be called upon to protect and avenge the souls of the dead.

Although he is very well-represented in art throughout ancient Egypt, his role in many myths is static. He only performed one solemn function, which was to protect the body.