The patron god of embalming, guide of the Underworld was Anubis.

Known as friend of the dead

and Opener of the Way, Anubis was a deity that could be seen throughout all of ancient Egypt. In
some cases the jackal is raised up on a pedestal to show its holy importance.
Anubis is commonly seen as a Jackal. Its believed
that the jackal was chosen as the iconic figure for
this deity due to the necropolis where the wild dogs
of ancient times would often prowl to hunt for food.
Some say that Anubis took the form of a jackal to
help Isis and Nephthys search for the pieces of
Osiriss body.

The skin of Anubis is often seen as very dark black or with a tinge of red. His flesh is a
representation of the earthy energies with which he is connected. The color of his flesh is similar to
that of the dark soil along the Nile

As guide of the Underworld, Anubis takes the soul of the deceased before the gods to give the
negative confession. When the journey through the Underworld was nearly complete, the deceased
was taken to the Hall of Maat to be judged. Anubis watched over the beam of the scale to see that it
was in the proper position while Thoth recorded the result. Anubis also took care that the dreaded
Ammut a beast made up of the head of a crocodile, front of a lioness, and the hind-quarters of a
hippopotamus - could not devour the heart, causing the soul to be restless for all eternity. After
weighing the heart, if the deceased is found to be true of voice through its trials and negative
confessions, Anubis brings them before Osiris to join him in immortality. These show obvious
evidence of Anubiss connection to the god of the Underworld.
Some of the tools of Anubis are the Phoenix Wand, or Was scepter, and the Ankh. The Was
scepter represents the rebirth and resurrection from death.
The Ankh is the obvious symbol of life and could be referring to the eternal life that awaits the true
of voice.
This balance makes him an excellent god to watch over the beam of the balance of Truth.
Anubis is the guide and opener of the way. He is the protector and friend of the dead overseeing
the deceased to the weighing of the heart. His mother is Nephthys but his father is uncertain. Either
way, Anubis is a deity that shows perfect balance between mercy and severity. Wonderfully, he
oversees the candidate in the Hall of the Neophyte or the Hall of Maat. Unlike the other gods of
Ancient Egypt, Anubis doesnt have a specific cult center. His worship was common in both Upper
and Lower Egypt. Even today, when someone hears the name of Anubis they think of the jackal
headed god and desert sands. Truly a figure head for all of Egypt, Anubis has opened the way for
Ancient Egypt and given it eternal life.

Facts about Anubis from Mythology and History

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One of the important roles of Anubis was as the

"Guardian of the Scales" in the Underworld when the
hearts of dead souls were weighed
He was the son of Nephthys and Osiris
According to Egyptian mythology Nephthys had made
Osiris drunk, drawn him to her arms without his
knowledge, and gave birth to a son, the jackal
godAnubis
He was credited with the invention of embalming, an art
he first practiced on the corpse of Osiris
He conducted and guided the dead through the
Underworld to judgment in the Hall of Truths
He was associated with with the process of embalming
and mummification. He was widely worshipped
throughout all of Egypt and his cult center was
Cynopolis.
Prayers to the god Anubis are found carved on the most
of the most ancient tombs in Egypt
His mother, Nephthys, left her son exposed to the
elements. Instead of dying, he was found by Isis, who
then raised him. He became the faithful attendant of Isis
After Set had killed Osiris and scattered his
remains, Anubis helped Isis and Nephthys to rebuild his
body and presided over the first mummification
During the embalming process, the head priestembalmers (the "Higher Mysteries") wore a jackal mask
bearing the image of Anubis
Apuat was another form of Anubis. In other instances,
Apuat was another name for Anubis or Wepwawet,
another
jackal-headed god.

The name of Anubis in hieroglyphs

Refer to Hieroglyphics

Anubis Profile & Fact File

Egyptian Name:

Anubis

Role & Function:

His function is described as being the god of the

dead, tombs and embalming

Province:

The Underworld (Duat)

Symbols:
Alternative Names:

Status:

Name of Wife:

Imiut fetish, the flail, the crook and a 'was' sceptre,

the jackal dog
Anpu, Anup and Imiut (Lord-of-the-Place-ofEmbalming)
He was a member of the Ennead, the name given
to the nine original, most important, Egyptian Gods
and Goddesses of the cosmogony of Heliopolis
(the birthplace of the Gods)
Anput who was depicted with the body of a woman
and head of a jackal

Name of Father:

Osiris

Name of Mother:

Nephthys

Names of Children:

Kebechet, the goddess of purification

Names of Siblings:

Horus

Anubis in Egyptian Mythology - The Book of the

Dead
Anubis, the Egyptian god of the dead, featured in many of the stories,
myths and legends in Egyptian Mythology. A major source of information
about the ancient Egyptian view of the Underworld was found in an

extensive ancient papyrus, called the Book of the Dead. This 'book' was
commissioned by an scribe called Ani and depicts the dangers and a
vision of the Underworld. The purpose of creating the Book of the Dead
was to prepare Ani and his wife for the ordeals they would encounter with
the correct responses to questions they would be asked by the gods. It
was an ancient survival guidebook which contained magical spells and
instructions to ensure safe passage through the dangers of the
Underworld. The journey through the Underworld, guided by Anubis,
culminates in the ceremony of justification in the Hall of the Two Truths
witnessed by Osiris and 42 judge deities. The heart was weighed on a set
of scales against the feather of truth and their fate would be decided either entrance into the perfect afterlife or to be sent to the Devourer of
the Dead. Additional facts and information are detailed in the Concept of
the soul, the Ka and Ba.