Anubis (Yinepu, Anpu)
The jackal
Symbols: jackal, ox-hide hanging from a pole, embalming equipment, flail, flags
Depiction: Anubis is portrayed as a black dog who accompanies Isis or as a man with a jackal’s head who holds a scepter. It is thought that Anubis was portrayed as a jackal because these scavengers were often seen lurking about graves and tombs. Ancient Egyptians began the practice of elaborately decorating graves and tombs to protect the dead from desecration by jackals.
Mythology: Anubis assisted in the funerary rites of the dead used to assure admittance of the dead into the underworld. Worshipped as the god of mummification, it was said that Anubis invented the process of embalming in order to preserve the body of Osiris who was briefly resurrected by Isis. Following a person’s death, it was believed that Anubis oversaw the embalming of the body, welcomed the body into the tomb, conducted the “Opening of the Mouth” ceremony, and escorted each soul to the “Field of Celestial Offerings.” During the test to determine whether a soul was worthy of entering the afterlife, Anubis monitored the Scales of Truth. This was done to preclude any deception by the gods that would condemn the soul to the unjust fate of eternal death in the belly of Ammut.
