Anubis is the half-man, half-canine god of mummification and the afterlife in ancient
Egyptian religion.
Being one of the most iconic gods of ancient Egypt, the ancient Egyptians originally knew
him as Anpu (or Inpu).
Anpu was an extremely important deity whose name appeared in the oldest mastabas of the
Old Kingdom and the Pyramid Texts, as a guardian and protector of the dead.
Anpu so much piqued the interest of foreigners, especially Greek visitors.
And it was then the Greeks gave him the name, Anubis.
Anubis popularly appears as a half man, half canine, having the head of a wolf or a jackal,
and the body of a man.
Wild dogs and jackals often lurked the edges of the desert, near graves and cemeteries
where the dead were buried, and it is thought that the first Egyptian tombs were constructed
to protect the dead from these lurkers.
But in contrast to wild dogs and jackals, Anubis was a protector of graves and cemeteries.
Anubis has a shiny black fur, which is associated with fertility, and is closely linked to rebirth
in the afterlife.
He has long and alert ears, terrifying fangs, sharp claws in place of fingernails, and red
eyes, or in most myths, black bead-like eyes.
In the catacombs of Alexandria, he was depicted wearing Roman dress and the sun disk flanked
by two cobras.
Initial myths claimed that Anubis was the son of Ra and Hesat, Ra's wife.
However, later myths suggested that he was the son of Osiris and Nephthys, or the son
of Set and Nephthys.
Other myths described him as the son of Bast, because of her link to the perfumed oils used
in embalming the dead.
Anubis had a wife named Anput, (who is just his female version).
And the two bore the serpentine Kebechet, who is the goddess of the purification.
Anubis was originally known as the god of the underworld in the first dynasty.
But by the middle kingdom, around 2055 to 2650 BC, he was replaced by Osiris in his
role as lord of the underworld.
So he became associated specifically with the embalming process and funeral rites.
One of his prominent roles was as the guide of souls.
He was a god who ushered souls into the afterlife.
Anubis led the deceased to the halls of Maat where they would be judged.
He attended the weighing scale during the "Weighing of the Heart," in which it was determined
whether a soul would be allowed to enter the realm of the dead.
Anubis watched over the whole scale weighing process and ensured that the weighing of the
heart was conducted correctly.
He then led the innocent on to a heavenly existence and abandoned the guilty to Ammit.
In elaboration, Souls heavier than a feather would be devoured by Ammit, while souls lighter
than a feather would ascend to a heavenly existence.
Another of his important role was the role of an
Embalmer.
Anubis handled the embalming and mummification process.
The ancient Egyptians believed that the preservation of the body and the use of sweet-smelling
herbs and plants would help the deceased, because Anubis would sniff the mummy and only
let the pure move on to paradise.
In addition to being the patron of the funeral rites, Anubis is also the patron of lost souls,
including orphans and the destitute.
Anubis is indeed one of the most important gods of ancient Egypt.
His battle prowess was never in doubt.
The myths narrated how Anubis took on and defeated the nine bows, gaining the title
as the "Jackal ruler of the bows".
The "nine bows" is a collective name for the traditional enemies of ancient Egypt.
Tombs in the Valley of the Kings were often sealed with an image of Anubis subduing the
"nine bows", enemies of Egypt, and presiding over them as the "Jackal Ruler of the Bows".
The reason this image is sealed to tombs is that, it is believed that Anubis would protect
the burial physically and spiritually, keeping watch from the hill above the Theban necropolis.
Still speaking on Anubis' battle prowess, there is another popular tale of how Anubis
helped Isis to defend and embalm Osiris, after Osiris had been killed by Set.
Osiris' organs were given to Anubis as a gift.
With this connection, Anubis became the patron god of embalmers;
In the Osiris myth, Anubis protected the body of Osiris from Set.
Set attempted to attack the body of Osiris by transforming himself into a leopard.
However, Anubis fought and subdued Set.
He branded Set's skin with a hot iron rod.
And then flayed Set and wore his skin as a warning against evil-doers who would desecrate
the tombs of the dead.
Most ancient tombs had prayers to Anubis carved on them.
Thenceforth, priests who attended to the dead wore leopard skin in order to commemorate
Anubis' victory over Set.
The legend of Anubis branding the hide of Set in leopard form was used to explain how
the leopard got its spots.
Anubis is usually associated with the Eye of Horus which they say, helped him find Osiris.
He's also associated with the Greek god Hermes, and thus, referred to as Hermanubis.
Hermanubis is a God believed to be the combination of the messenger god Hermes and the guide
of the dead- Anubis.
Anubis was worshipped throughout Egypt.
The center of his cult was in Hardai in the seventeenth nome of Upper Egypt.