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Anubis, god of Egypt
Discover the legends and myths and religious beliefs surrounding Anubis, the Egyptian god of the dead, Tombs and Embalming. Anubis was depicted with the body of a man and the distinctive black head of a Jackal or dog. The Underworld was called Duat and believed to be full of terrible, great dangers. Anubis greeted the souls in the Underworld and was believed to protect them on their journey. The jackal headed god was also associated with the ritual of mummification. mummification. According to the creation myth in ancient Egyptian mythology he was believed to be the son of the God Osiris and the Goddess Nephthys. Additional information about ancient gods is also available via:
Facts about Anubis
The role of Anubis was connected with the mummification of the death and the journey through the afterlife. Anubis guided the souls of the dead through the underworld kingdom of his powerful father, Osiris, and played an important role in the mythical rituals of the Underworld, in particular the weighing of the heart to determine the eternal fate of a soul of the dead. The following fact sheet and profile provides a fast overview of this famous Egyptian god:
Anubis Profile & Fact File
Egyptian Name: Anubis
Role & Function: His function is described as being the god of the dead, tombs and embalming
Province: The Underworld (Duat)
Symbols: Imiut fetish, the flail, the crook and a
'was' sceptre, the jackal dog
Alternative Names: Anpu, Anup and Imiut (Lord-of-the-Place-of-Embalming)
Status: He was a member of the Ennead, the name given to the nine original, most important, Egyptian Gods and Goddesses of the cosmogony of Heliopolis (the birthplace of the Gods)
Name of Wife: Anput who was depicted with the body of a woman and head of a jackal
Name of Father: Osiris
Name of Mother: Nephthys
Names of Children: Kebechet, the goddess of purification
Names of Siblings: Horus
Anubis the god with the Jackal Head
Anubis was the Egyptian god of the dead, depicted with the black head of a jackal or dog. Many Egyptian gods were perceived as 'human hybrids' depicted with human bodies with the heads of animals.
The ancient Egyptians did not worship animals - the depiction of a god as an animal was a device to visually convey the identity, qualities and attributes of the god. Egyptian Gods, like Anubis, were always depicted as young & healthy. Any gods with black symbols (like the black headed jackal symbol of Anubis) were closely connected with death and the Afterlife.
Anubis in Egyptian Mythology - The Book of the Dead
Anubis, the Egyptian god of the dead, featured in many of the stories, myths and legends in Egyptian Mythology. A major source of information about the ancient Egyptian view of the Underworld was found in an extensive ancient papyrus, called the
Book of the Dead. This 'book' was commissioned by an scribe called Ani and depicts the dangers and a vision of the Underworld. The purpose of creating the Book of the Dead was to prepare Ani and his wife for the ordeals they would encounter with the correct responses to questions they would be asked by the gods. It was an ancient survival guidebook which contained magical spells and instructions to ensure safe passage through the dangers of the Underworld. The journey through the Underworld, guided by Anubis, culminates in the ceremony of justification in the Hall of the Two Truths witnessed by Osiris and 42 judge deities. The heart was weighed on a set of scales against the feather of truth and their fate would be decided - either entrance into the perfect afterlife or to be sent to the Devourer of the Dead. Additional facts and information are detailed in the
Concept of the soul, the Ka and Ba.
The Symbols of Anubis - The Imiut Fetish
The Imiut fetish, or Anubis fetish, was present in ancient Egyptian funerary rites. A fetish was object that was believed to embody the magical powers of a particular spirit, in this instance Anubis, and used to create a bond between the mortal world and supernatural realm of the Underworld. A fetish represented the spirit to it's owner and acted as a means of protection on a journey, like an amulet or talisman. The Imiut fetish, took the form of a stuffed, headless animal skin which was tied by the tail to a pole that terminated in a lotus bud. Beautiful, stylised versions of the Imiut fetish were also created for pharaohs or wealthy Egyptians in gold. The fetish was positioned on a stand which was placed in the tomb of the deceased. Fantastic golden Imiut fetishes were discovered in the tombs of Tutankhamen and Hatshepsut.
The Symbols of Anubis - Flail, crook & sceptre
The other symbols of Anubis were the flail, a crook and a
'was' sceptre. A flail was an agricultural tool used for winnowing grain. The flail symbolized the Pharaoh's role as provider of food for his people and the crook symbolized the Pharaoh's role as the 'shepherd' of his people. The long staff, called a
'was' sceptre, was a symbol of divine power and an emblem of authority. These symbols linked the divine power of the Pharaohs with the power of the ancient Egyptian gods. The
'was' sceptre was also believed to be another type of magical fetish.
Anubis and the black head of the Jackal
Anubis was depicted with the black head of the jackal even though real jackals are typically brown. The black jackal head of this jackal-god was characterized by its long, alert ears and a pointed muzzle. The color black was highly significant as it was a symbol of death, the color of rotting flesh, and symbolized the Underworld and the night. Black was also associated with the black soil of the Nile valley and as such also symbolized rebirth.
There are many theories as to why the jackal was associated with Anubis. Some say it is because jackals were known to frequent the edges of the desert, near the cemeteries where the dead were buried. The first tombs were built to keep wild animals, like jackals, from desecrating the dead.
SirRahX-I don recall were i got that EXACT theory from!
Anubis Statue
Many statues representing Anubis were simply of a jackal upon a pedestal as seen in the beautiful examples from the tomb of Tutankhamun.
Statue found in the tomb of tomb of Tutankhamun
Anubis
- The jackal headed god
- Interesting research information and Facts about the Egyptian god Anubis
- Anubis, the Egyptian god of the dead
- Stories and Legends in Egyptian Mythology associated with Anubis
- Facts and information about the gods and deities of of classical Egypt for schools, research and kids
- The Egyptian god of the dead
Facts about Anubis in Egyptian Mythology and History
Discover interesting information and research facts about Anubis, the Egyptian god of the dead. The facts about Anubis provides a list detailing fascinating additional info to increase your knowledge about Anubis in Egyptian Mythology and history.
Facts about Anubis from Mythology and History
Fact 1 about Anubis:
One of the important roles of Anubis was as the "Guardian of the Scales" in the Underworld when the hearts of dead souls were weighed
Fact 2 about Anubis: He was the son of Nephthys and Osiris
Fact 3 about Anubis: According to Egyptian mythology Nephthys had made Osiris drunk, drawn him to her arms without his knowledge, and gave birth to a son, the jackal god Anubis
Fact 4 about Anubis: He was credited with the invention of embalming, an art he first practiced on the corpse of Osiris
Fact 5 about Anubis: He conducted and guided the dead through the Underworld to judgment in the Hall of Truths
Fact 6 about Anubis: He was associated with with the process of embalming and mummification. He was widely worshipped throughout all of Egypt and his cult center was Cynopolis.
Fact 7 about Anubis: Prayers to the god Anubis are found carved on the most of the most ancient tombs in Egypt
Fact 8 about Anubis: His mother, Nephthys, left her son exposed to the elements. Instead of dying, he was found by
Isis, who then raised him. He became the faithful attendant of Isis
Fact 9 about Anubis: After Set had killed Osiris and scattered his remains, Anubis helped Isis and Nephthys to rebuild his body and presided over the first mummification
Fact 10 about Anubis: During the embalming process, the head priest-embalmers (the "Higher Mysteries") wore a jackal mask bearing the image of Anubis
Apuat was another form of Anubis. In other instances, Apuat was another name for Anubis or Wepwawet, another
jackal-headed god.
http://www.landofpyramids.org/anubis.htm
The Judgment of the Dead
The tradition of the Judgment of the Dead was introduced after the collapse of the Old Kingdom, during which the king as son of Horus had been immortal and as god beyond reproach. In the Pyramid Texts it was the king who was acting rather than being acted upon, and the role of the gods was to protect and not to judge him [
5]:
Teti will decide matters,
Will judge between two,
Teti will command one greater than he!
Re will purify Teti,
Re will guard Teti from all evil!
M. Lichtheim,
Ancient Egyptian Literature, Vol.1, p.44
But, as ordinary mortals began to hope and prepare for eternal life, "deification" was made conditional on the moral conduct of the deceased when he had still been alive. It became possible for all righteous people to attain immortality in their own right - after successfully passing the examination of the gods.
The Coffin Texts speak of the
day of judgement when you enter the further world [
4], and the 6th dynasty
Instruction of Merikare contains the following warning to the living:
The Court that judges the wretch,
You know they are not lenient,
On the day of judging the miserable,
In the hour of doing their task.
It is painful when the accuser has knowledge,
Do not trust in length of years,
They view a lifetime in an hour!
M. Lichtheim,
Ancient Egyptian Literature, Vol.1, p.101
Once the deceased had been justified in the eyes of the immortals he became worthy of divine protection and guidance:
May Isis kneel over you and wash your newborn form, may she set you
on the good path of those who are judged innocent
in the face of any enemies who'd accuse you before the judges of Tomb-world,
on the blessed day you pass beyond.
Coffin Texts, CT 6
Jacob Rabinowitz,
Isle of Fire, Invisible Books, p.90
and he became a judge of men himself:
I shall see lightland! I shall dwell in it. I shall judge the poor and the wealthy.
I shall do the same for the evil-doers; for mine is life, I am its lord, and the scepter will not be taken from me.
Coffin Texts, CT 1030
M. Lichtheim,
Ancient Egyptian Literature, Vol.1, p.132
During pre-historic times and the Old Kingdom there had been attempts at preserving - mainly royal - corpses. The practice became more common during the First Intermediate Period and the Middle Kingdom as the concept of immortality was developed. Mummification through
embalmment reached a technical peak during the New Kingdom when it was still available to small numbers of people only. The spells protecting the deceased, one could almost speak of technical literature or manuals, had at first been inscribed on the tomb walls of kings (
Pyramid Texts), later on the coffins of commoners (
Coffin Texts) and finally, during the New Kingdom, been gathered and expanded in illustrated scrolls commonly known under the title
Going Forth by Day or popularly as
Books of the Dead, which were buried with the deceased.
The folowing is based on such a
Book of the Dead, the
Papyrus of Ani.
Preliminaries
The deceased has been mummified, his heart and other organs removed and placed into the appropriate canopic jars. Incense has been burnt and offerings of food and drink made. The use of his mouth has been returned to him by the
opening of the mouth ceremony: He can and must defend himself successfully, otherwise he will be destroyed for ever.
Homage to you, Great God, the Lord of the double Ma'at!
I have come to you, my Lord,
I have brought myself here to behold your beauties.
I know you, and I know your name.
The Book of the Dead, Chapter 125 [
1] There is nobody at whose mercy he can throw himself, confessing transgressions, expressing repentance and performing acts of contrition. Wrongdoings must therefore be denied, as in the not very aptly named negative confessions, and through the magic of denial become as if they never have happened:
[
3]
The negative confessions
He has to confront a formidable array of gods: Bone-Crusher, Shining-Tooth, Blood-Consumer, Flint-Eyes, Entrail-Consumer [
1] and many others with less frightening names assembled here from many places all over Egypt. He
declares himself innocent of wrong-doing towards the gods and his fellow men.
These protestations of guiltlessness of trespasses against society and cultic rules remained remarkably unchanged during the course of history. They, and similar passages in the Instructions literature, are accepted as being the standard of ancient Egyptian ethical behaviour.[
7]
The writing down of these declarations and the knowledge of the gods' names was powerful
magic, forcing the gods to accept his protestations of innocence, above all when they were repeated:
I am pure.
I am pure.
I am pure.
I am pure.
The Book of the Dead, Chapter 125 [
1]
The weighing of the heart
Anubis, master of ceremonies, leads the deceased by his hand to the scales in the Hall of Maat. In his left hand he holds the
ankh, the symbol of life.
Pay good heed to the weighing in the Balance of the heart of the Osiris, the singing-woman of Amen, Anhai, whose word is truth, and place thou her heart in the seat of truth in the presence of the Great God.
The Papyrus of Ani [
2],
from the speech of the dweller in the embalmment chamber (Anubis)
The scales are topped by Maat, goddess of Justice, Truth and Order, wearing a feather on her head. Ammut, Devourer of the Dead, whose
... forepart is like that of a crocodile, the middle of her body is like that of a lion, her hind quarters are like those of a hippopotamus
The Papyrus of Ani [
2],
from the description of the beast Am-mit
is ready to destroy the deceased if his heart should be full of sin and consequently too heavy.
The deceased, well aware that he has not led a life as completely blameless as one might have hoped, implores his heart not to give him away, reminds it that their fate is intertwined, promises bliss in the hereafter, and even appeals to its altruism: a judge is happiest when his decision is favourable to the deceased.
O my heart of my being!
Do not rise up against me as witness,
Do not oppose me in the tribunal,
Do not rebel against me before the guardian of the scales!
You are my ka
within my body,
The Khnum who prospers my limbs.
Go to the good place prepared for us,
Do not make my name stink before them,
The magistrates who put people in their places!
If it's good for us it's good for the judge,
It pleases him who renders judgment.
Do not invent lies before the god,
Before the great god, the lord of the west,
Lo, your uprightness brings vindication!
The Papyrus of Ani [
2]
M. Lichtheim,
Ancient Egyptian Literature, Vol.2 p.121
A jar containing the heart is placed on one of the pans, while the other is weighed down by the feather of Maat. Anubis does the weighing, giving the scales a nudge in the right direction with the
ankh.
The recording of the judgment
Thoth, god of wisdom who had given mankind the hieroglyphs, writes down the decision. Just as the Egyptians in this world liked to document everything, so did their gods in the next.
"Come," says Thoth, "why have you come?"
"I have come and I press forward so that I may be announced."
"What now is your condition?"
"I am purified from evil things, I am protected from the evil deeds of those who live in their days: I am not among them."
"Now I will announce you. But who is he whose heaven is fire, whose walls are cobras, and whose floor is a stream of water? Who is he, I say?"
"He is Osiris."
"Come forward, then, you will be announced to him. Your cakes will come from the Eye of Ra, your beer from the Eye, your meals of the dead from the Eye. This has been decreed for the Osiris the overseer of the house of the overseer of the seal, Nu, triumphant."
The Book of the Dead, Chapter 125 [
1]
Horus leads the way, holding an
ankh. The deceased follows him freely to meet
Osiris, with whom he will be identified as one of his followers.
His heart is righteous, and it hath come forth from the Balance; it hath not sinned against any god or any goddess. Thoth hath weighed it according to the decree pronounced unto him by the Company of the Gods, and it is most true and righteous. Grant thou that cakes and ale may be given unto him, and let him appear in the presence of the god Osiris, and let him be like into the Followers of Horus for ever and ever.
The Papyrus of Ani [
2],
from the speech of Horus to Osiris introducing Ani to him
He is received by the god of the
Duat, the Realm of the Dead, and his two sisters, Isis and Nephthys. The four sons of Horus stand on a lotus flower growing out of the waters over which stands the throne of Osiris.
Behold, I am in thy presence, O Lord of Amentet (the West). There is no sin in my body. I have not spoken that which is not true knowingly, nor have I done anything with a false heart. Grant thou that I may be like unto those favoured ones who are in thy following, and that I may be an Osiris greatly favoured of the beautiful god, and beloved of the Lord of the Two Lands, I who am a veritable royal scribe who loveth thee, Ani, whose word is true before the god Osiris.
The Papyrus of Ani [
2],
from the speech of Ani
And now begins the dangerous journey of the new Osiris through the Underworld. Thanks to the Opening of the Mouth ceremony he is capable to utter the spells necessary to complete his journey
Behold, I will gather together to myself this charm from the person with whom it is [and from the place] wherein it is [and it shall come to me] quicker than a greyhound, and swifter than light.
Hail, thou who bringest the Ferry-Boat of Ra, thou holdest thy course firmly and directly in the north wind as thou sailest up the river towards the Island of Fire which is in Khert-Neter (the necropolis, i.e. the realm of the dead).
Behold, thou shalt gather together to thee this charm from wheresoever it may be, and from whomsoever it may be with [and it shall come to me] quicker than a greyhound, and swifter than light. It (the charm) made the transformations of Mut; it fashioned the gods [or] kept them silent; by it Mut gave the warmth [of life] to the gods. Behold, these words of power are mine, and they shall come unto me from wheresoever they may be, or with whomsoever they may be, quicker than greyhounds and swifter than light.
The Papyrus of Ani [
2],
from the Chapter of bringing words of power to the Osiris Ani
http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/religion/anubis.htm
http://rickriordan.com/extra/meet-the-egyptian-gods/
http://www.ancientpages.com/2017/05/09/12-ancient-egyptian-symbols-explained/
