Anubis, The Egyptian god of death with dog head
Anubis is the Latin name given to the Egyptian god of the underworld. He is known as the “Lord of the Necropolis“. According to Egyptian mythology, the main mission of the Egyptian gods of Anubis was to bring the spirit of the dead to the other world or the Duat, Duat is the realm of the dead in ancient Egyptian mythology
Anubis is the Greek name for the guardian of the tombs and is associated with death and life after death in the religion of ancient Egypt. Anubis is also described as the lord of the necropolis and patron of embalmers, depicted as a large black canid lying on his stomach, possibly a jackal or a wild dog.
the ancient Egyptians have known as the God Anubis of death and they believed that Anubis has strong unique power over their physical and spiritual being in the afterlife. [ Read a full article about the Ancient Egyptian Gods and Goddesses ].
Anubis God of death
In spite of the many years in which the myth of Anubis has been known, there is still no concordance between the ancient stories that refer to its appearance.
the archeologist believes that Anubis is the son of Set or as the son of Osiris and Nephthys, the product of adultery. This last theory affirms that Osiris is deceived by Nephthys, getting him drunk or disguising himself as Isis (his wife), to later take advantage of the confusion and beget a son.
However, in solar synthesis, he also appears as the son between Ra and Nephthys, and in other theories, it is affirmed that he is the son of Set and Nephthys.
Another theory mentions that, when Anubis was born, Nephthys abandoned his adulterous son and he was adopted by Isis; giving him his name and a place to reside: the abyss.
Likewise, it is also said that Anubis was sent by Ra so that he could help Nephthys and Isis to embalm the body of Osiris, this is known as the myth of Osiris.
These and many other different stories lead to the conclusion that Anubis has neither a father nor a mother confirmed in his origin. What is confirmed is that this God had a daughter, and she is known as the Goddess with the head of a serpent: Kebechet (Qebehet).
Anubis facts
Initially, he was the god of the dead, but later he was relegated to a secondary role as the cult of Osiris gave him this main role in the afterlife.
Anubis goal was to guide the dead into the Beyond,
Anubis was the protector god of the embalming priests because ultimately it was he who was in charge of embalming the gods, as he helped Isis to embalm Osiris.
Anubis In Egyptian mythology
Egyptian mythology is extremely imprecise or vaguely conclusive even with respect to the origins or birth of Anubis. The earliest texts claimed that Anubis was the son of Ra along with Nephthys. Though it was not until the famous Greek Plutarch of Chaeronea wrote that this god was really the son of Nephthys along with Osiris.
In this story, which is not stated but does become very important a Nephthys deceives Osiris. Fearing the cruelty of Set, her husband, Nephthys sends her son to Isis with some dogs, where she is moved decides to adopt it and teaches it, raising it.
The reason this story makes sense is that there is no better reason for Anubis to always help Isis, like when Osiris died, Anubis being the one who joins the fragments that the goddess collects, purifying them and using powerful magic (like the one only Isis knows) so that she can revive him.
In addition to this, Anubis gives the power as master of the dead or the beyond to Osiris when he resurrects as the god of reincarnation and crosses the Duat. He becomes a secondary god and embalmer in charge of the purification of the bodies.
Although all these theories are unproven and seem to be a forced way for historians to introduce Anubis to the Osirian culture, several later traces call him the “son of Isis”.
The truth is that at various points in history Anubis always responds to this goddess in one way or another and their relationship is undeniable.
After this then, Anubis has the role of guarding the judgment areas, transporting the dead to the entrance of the Duat and weighing the hearts of the deceased at the judgment. As master of the embalmers he is also in charge of the purification of the bodies, preservation and protection of their souls so that they can be ascended as ancestors.
Anubis had an important female counterpart named Anpu and was known to have a daughter named Kebechet (Qebehet), who was in charge of the purification of the embalmed bodies, over time.
Anubis Art
Since its origin, Anubis has always been represented in the same way, the human body, and jackal head. The reason why the deity possesses the head of this animal is due to the intrinsic relationship that exists between the jackal and death, being common the sighting of these dogs in the cemeteries thanks to its carrion nature. Its color is black because of its meaning associated with the decomposition of the bodies and the lack of life; in addition to fertility and resurrection.
also, Anubis plays a very important role in the final judgment the heart of the deceased is weighed in the scale against the feather of the goddess Maat under the control of Anubis.
Anubis Egyptian god symbol
The Egyptians had a deep respect for their dead and the way they were treated, which affected their relationship with this deity, who is one of the most frequently represented deities in the funerary art of ancient and middle Egypt, of which there are records to date.
In spite of all this, it is very strange to mention the fact that Anubis did not have any kind of monument or temple dedicated to himself and not yet discovered, but he had statuettes and tablets of considerable size.
Statuettes of Anubis have been found in the funerary belongings of characters of the first dynasty. As lord guardian of the necropolis, there was no one in ancient Egypt who did not know this god and his power was for all alike. As guardians and capital of the embalmers, they dressed and wore masks reminiscent of jackals representing Anubis. Where he was known as a great warrior and as an iron defender who guided worthy souls to their final destination along with Osiris.
It is known that, in the city of dogs, many of these embalmed animals were found where, particularly in this place, these sacred animals were made.
it is known that Anubis was highly revered as the lord of the dead so their symbolism was very present in the prayers of those who communicated with the dead and who prayed for them.
How Anubis became the god of embalming?
according to Egyptian mythology, set try to kill his brother Osiris a lot of times and finely he killed him and cut his body to 14 pieces
Anubis, Isis, and Nephthys set out to find the pieces and succeeded (except for the phallus of Osiris) the catfish eat it
Thoth is the Egyptian god of writing, magic, wisdom helped restore the body and Anubis wrapped Osiris and give Anubis the title to become the God of mummifications.