If you’ve heard anything about Ancient Egypt, then you may have heard of Anubis. Anubis is the Greek name of the Egyptian god Anpu; however, for the sake of this blog, I will be referring to the god by the more popular Greek name.
Names: Anubis, Anpu, and Inpu
Region: Ancient Egypt
God of: Anubis is the god of mummification and the afterlife.
Appearance: Anubis is often depicted as a jackal-headed man or sometimes as a black jackal-dog hybrid. He is often shown next to scales, administering the weighing of the heart test during the afterlife.
Origin Story: Initially, Anubis was believed to be the son of the Sun god Ra and the goddess Hesat. Once the god Osiris became popularized in Egypt, Anubis became known as the son of Osiris and Nephthys after an affair between the two. Attracted to Osiris, Nephthys transformed herself to look like Osiris’ wife, Isis, and the two gods had an affair. In fear of her husband finding out, Nephthys abandoned Anubis after his birth, but Isis raised Anubis as her own.
Associations and other important information: Anubis is sometimes mistaken for Wepwawet, an older Egyptian god who is also associated with the jackal. Anubis was also known as the “First of the Westerners” until the Middle Kingdom (ca. 2040-1782 BCE), Lord of the Scared Land, He Who is Upon His Sacred Mountain, and Foremost of the Divine Booth. Depictions of Anubis are first found on royal tombs during the First Dynasty of Egypt (ca. 3150-2890 BCE). However, there is evidence of Anubis being worshipped during the Predynastic Period in Egypt. Anubis is often depicted in black since the color symbolizes the regeneration/life of the Nile River Valley soil and the decay of bodies.
As god of mummification and the afterlife, Anubis was critical in a soul’s journey into the afterlife. He guided souls into the afterlife and administered their final judgment test. (He weighed the heart of the deceased and the Ma’at’s feather of truth on a scale to determine if the deceased is worthy of going into the afterlife.) He is also associated with eternal justice as a result of administering the test. Prior to the popularization of Osiris, Anubis was the Lord of the Dead and judge of the soul. Once Osiris became popular, Anubis assumed the role of Osiris’ protector, overseer of mummification, and assistant to Osiris in the judgment of souls.
Though there were shrines dedicated to Anubis throughout Egypt, his center was at Cynopolis in Upper Egypt (southern Egypt). Priests of Anubis wore masks resembling the god to perform rituals, and they were all male. In Greece and Rome, Anubis is associated with the god Hermes as both gods guide souls after death.
References:
- https://www.britannica.com/topic/Anubis
- https://www.ancient.eu/Anubis/#:~:text=Anubis%20is%20the%20Egyptian%20god,whom%20he%20is%20often%20confused.
Omg I got so excited when I saw the title because I LOVED House of Anubis. So, this blog not only made me remember happy memories, but I got to learn something too! Yikes about his mom tricking his dad into an affair… um oop.
Omg I loved that show too! I wonder if there’s any way to watch it today.
Ikr I think that would be such a good binge watch
Very interesting blog – I like how you used various headings and such to make the information easier to digest. Personally, my favorite mythology is Egyptian, so this was a fun bit to read. Just like everyone else, I was introduced to Egyptian mythology by Rick Riordan and his “Kane Chronicles” back in the day. I remember loving the lore associated with Ancient Egypt, and even remember some of the gods and such from those books. However, not everything in Riordan’s fantasy books is accurate, as you know, so it was fun to read about the “real” Anubis. I’d like to read a blog about quetzalcoatl, an Aztec deity (just a suggestion). I love everything Aztec, so…
I loved reading The Red Pyramid! I’ll definitely keep your suggestion in mind for future passion blogs!
I got so excited after I read the title of your Passion Blog because I love mythology! I particularly love learning about the Egyptian beliefs and deities, so this blog post was super interesting to me. I am also a big fan of Rick Riordan and his “Kane Chronicles,” which is what I thought about as I read your blog post. The Book of the Dead and the Egyptians’ afterlife beliefs fascinate me because I think the Egyptians beheld death and final judgement in a unique light. I would love to go to Egypt myself one day to see all the pyramids and hieroglyphics firsthand! I apologize for my scattered thoughts….I’m just super excited about the topic of your Passion Blog 🙂 Great post and I can’t wait to read more in the future!