Anubis: The Cosmic Canine

Hey guys!

When last I did an Egyptian post we talked about the goddess of cats.  Today we're focusing on a dog-based deity.

Anubis is a very cool mythological character, and is one of my favorite gods of the underworld.  He is said to have the head of a jackal and the body of a man, and artwork of him can be absolutely gorgeous.

 

The origins of Anubis explain part of his nature.  I mentioned in this post that part of why Set murdered his brother Osiris was because Osiris had slept with Set's wife Nepthys.  Nepthys is a funerary goddess and Osiris became the king of the dead, so it makes sense that the product of their union, Anubis, would be associated with death.

It is the way Anubis is tied to death that fascinates me.  He was viewed as a protector of the dead, having stood guard over Osiris while Isis (with the help of Nepthys) performed the rituals to restore her husband to life.  Because of this pictures and statues of Anubis can often be found in ancient Egyptian tombs.

Anubis' role as a defender of the dead also extended to cemeteries in ancient Egypt, which are often marked with depictions of the deity.  Cemeteries were sacred to him and were considered the home of Anubis, where he guarded the dead.

Anubis is viewed in Egyptian mythology as the watchdog of the gods.  He presides over the weighing of a soul in the afterlife, where if their heart is as light (and therefore innocent) as the feather of truth the dead will become immortal.

Anubis is fiercely loyal and is also seen as presiding over the rites of mummification.

In short, he's a pretty cool god - at least to me!

What did you guys think?

Well, I've now done cats and dogs.  Tune in next week for a special post for reptile lovers!