Five Facts About Anubis - Ancient Egyptian God of Mummification
Egyptian God of Mummification
Anubis was depicted as a jackal or a man with the head of a jackal or wolf.
Photo by Christa Galloway
Anubis was replaced by Osiris as king of the dead.
In Egyptian myth, Anubis was associated with death. During the period of the Old Kingdom, Anubis was king of the dead, but when Osiris took over that role, he became guardian of the dead and god of mummification.
Embalming was believed to be invented by Anubis.
Ancient Egyptians believed Anubis invented embalming and supervised mummification. During mummification, a priest would often wear the mask of Anubis.
Anubis protected the dead.
As guardian of the dead, Anubis protected graves and tombs. Ancient Egyptians believed Anubis guided the deceased to the Hall of Truth and watched over the weighing of the heart ceremony to ensure it was done correctly.
Anubis gave the leopard its spots.
In an Ancient Egyptian myth, Anubis protected the body of Osiris from his brother Set. Set turned into a leopard and leapt at Osiris, but Anubis fended him off with a hot iron rod, branding Set’s skin. According to myth, this was how the leopard got its spots.
Anubis was sometimes depicted as a wild dog.
Anubis was depicted as a jackal or a man with the head of a jackal or wild dog. His appearance probably originated from the wild dogs and jackals that were known to prowl the borders of grave sites in Ancient Egypt.
