Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Mythology Explained.
In today’s video we’re going to be taking a look at Anubis. Here’s what’s in store:
a god who's the patron of embalmers; a god who mummifies another deity who was murdered
and chopped to pieces, a god who inspects the scales of judgment to see if a soul's
heart is lighter than the feather of truth; and a god whose preeminence was usurped by
another funerary deity
Let’s get into it:
The god of mummification and the patron of embalmers, Anubis presided over the funerary
preparations for all walks of life, from rich to poor. He was most commonly depicted as
either a jackal or as a man with a jackal’s head. Jackals were pests and scavengers who
dwelt around graveyards, and It is speculated that Anubis’ appearance was inspired by
the activities of these animals, transforming creatures who desecrated and disturbed corpses
and mummified remains into protectors of the dead. Anubis’ black coat was symbolic of
both death and fertility, and invoking him was thought to ward off those - such as scavengers
and grave robbers - who sought to defile the resting places of the dead. Originally, has
was the chief deity associated with the afterlife, the preeminent funerary deity who watched
over the pharaoh’s burial, and the god who judged the soul’s of the dead; but as the
cult of Osiris grew, Anubis’ dominion over the domain of the dead was superseded, and
eventually, he became subsumed into Osiris’ own mythology.
Anubis’s lineage is quite ambiguous, and over the years many gods were said to be his
parents. Among his possible procreators are the gods Osiris, set, and Re, and the goddesses
Bastet and Nephthys. Plutarch, a famed Greek writer, claimed that Anubis was sired by Osiris
after he was seduced by Nephthys, Osiris’ own sister.
In ancient Egyptian mythology, Anubis has two very important appearances: he performs
the inaugural mummification on Osiris, and in the underworld, what was called the Duat,
he inspected the scales of judgement on which the hearts of the dead were weighed against
the feather of Ma'at, which represented all the truth in the world.
One of the most important myths in ancient Egypt was the resurrection of Osiris, and
in this, Anubis plays an integral role. You see, Osiris was the king, and his younger
brother, set, was jealous and power hungry. Eventually, things boil over. set’s brooding
and plotting lead to violent action, and he murders his brother. And not only does he
murder his own brother, his dismembers the body and hides the pieces all across Egypt.
After a frantic search, all of ancient Egyptian is canvassed, and the scattered pieces are
all recovered by Isis and her sister Nephthys. This is where Anubis comes in. He performs
the first ever mummification on Osiris. His art of mummification, in conjunction with
Isis’ own magic, resurrects Osiris for just enough time for him to impregnate Isis with
a son, Horus, who, after decades worth of trials and tribulations, eventually becomes
king, succeeding his father.
Subsequent to his death and resurrection, Osiris, once again, departs from the land
of the living. He assumes a new role as lord of the underworld, and in this capacity, Anubis,
in a fashion, functions as his right hand.
The ultimate goal of every person in ancient Egypt was to transcend the mortal plane and
be reborn in the afterlife. For this to happen, though, people were subjected to divine judgement.
Those deemed worthy crossed over to paradise, and those who weren’t were devoured by a
ravenous, soul-consuming demon. To be judged worthy, a person’s heart was placed on a
scale and weighed against ma'at, the feather of truth. If the heart outweighed the feather,
the person was unworthy; if the feather outweighed the heart, the person was worthy. Osiris,
as lord of the underworld, sat upon his throne and presided over each and every judgement.
Anubis' role was to inspect the scales to see which way they tipped. If the person was
judged as worthy, Anubis ushered them towards Osiris so that they could be admitted into
the afterlife.
That’s it for today’s video, if you enjoy the content please like the video and subscribe
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Until next time, remember
Know the world in yourself. Never look for yourself in the world, for
this would be to project your illusion.