Anubis - The goddess of the dead dog of the ancient Egyptians

Anubis is one of the most famous and mysterious gods of ancient Egypt with many spiritual legends related to him.

known from the earliest stages in the history of the Nile basin civilization.

This god was first mentioned in the First Dynasty, but the upcoming study will show that he even appeared before that time. However, it is interesting to know that the name 'Anubis' was never known until the Greeks arrived in Egypt. In ancient Egyptian language, he was called Anpu or Inpu . This name has the same root as a word meaning "royal child" . In addition, it also refers to the word 'inp' , meaning 'decomposition'. Anubis is also known as 'Imy-ut' ('who is present at the embalming place') and 'nub-A-djser' ('lord of the sacred land').

Anubis participated in the process of embalming the dead.(Public Domain).

A god has no temple

So far, archaeologists have never unearthed a huge temple dedicated to this god.His 'temple' is tombs and cemeteries. His main centers of worship were in Asyut (Lycopolis) and Hardai (Cynopolis). His name appears in the massive and ancient tombaba tombs (mud brick tombs) in the First Dynasty and some gods temples have been found. For example, a temple and a mummy graveyard of dogs and jackals were discovered in Anubeion, a location east of Saqqara. It seems that under the reign of the first dynasties, Anubis was more important than Osiris. This changed during the Middle Kingdom, but Anubis continued to be one of the most important gods.

Anubis is one of the gods who can do things against humans. He is relatively independent, sometimes helping but sometimes punishing people. One of his main roles is 'Heart-weighted guardian'. This relates to the belief that after death, people will meet the gods and have them put their hearts on a special scale. The scenes of the weight of the heart in the weight of the heart in the Book of the Dead (An Book of the Dead) have the presence of Anubis - the god who is responsible for weighing and decides whether he deserves to live immortally . Therefore, Anubis can decide the fate of the soul.

Egyptian god Anubis (modern adaptation inspired by paintings in the tomb of the Middle Kingdom era) (GFDL).

Anubis is often described as a jackal, sometimes a black man, a color that relates to loneliness and rebirth. Anubis has a female clone named Anput, and a daughter is snake snake Kebechet. He is also related to Upuaut (Wepwawet), another god of dog characteristics.

Anubis is also the patron of lost souls, including orphaned children. In the Greek era, he was associated with Hermes. The Greeks created a mixed god called Hermanubis . They decided to combine Hermes as a messenger of the gods with Anubis, the god who showed the way to the dead to the gods. Over time, in the eyes of the Romans Hermanubis became related to Herpokrates - a popular god of the alchemists and philosophers of the Renaissance.

Statue of Hermanubis, a hybrid god between Anubis and Greek god Hermes (Vatican Museum) (CC BY-SA 3.0).

So far, Anubis' most famous shrine has been found to be in (KV62). It is currently located in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo (JE61444). It is found behind the no-partitioned entrance and leads to the 'storage room'. The temple is located near the closed trunk containing the vessels inside.

Guardian of the dead

Anubis' main role is to mummify , guide souls, and protect the throne . Following the legend of Osiris, he helped Isis embalm her husband's body. According to this story, monks working during mummification must wear masks of jackals. Moreover, the legend tells that when Osiris was killed by Set, his internal organs became gifts for Anubis. This originated the tradition of giving some parts of the dead to him. Real jackals often dig dead bodies from shallow graves to eat corpses. So ancient Egyptians made Anubis a guardian for the cemetery and a mummy god to turn negative forces into a positive force.

Anubis statue.(CC BY 2.0).

According to Geraldine Pinch: 'Anubis is the guardian of all magic mysteries. In Papyrus Jumilhac, he appeared as a leader of the Horus armed forces. His brutality was consistent with Seth's tyranny. In the magic texts of the same period, Anubis was named 'The Lord of Bau.' The entire battalion of demons was under his command. In the magic scroll of the Roman era, Anubis played the role. As the main force causes calamities, compassionate gods in temples are rarely recognizable among the brutal gods and goddesses they encounter in daily magic. ) A story in Papyrus Jumilhac (circa 300 BCE) explains in common by relating how Seth once turned himself into a leopard after attacking Osiris's body. giving the leopard, creating spots on the leopard, the jackal god ordered the leopard to be worn by the priests to remember Come win against Seth '.

Papyrus Jumilhac.(CC BY-SA 3.0).

For centuries, it was believed that grave robbers would be punished by Anubis because he was the guardian of the dead. Moreover, it is believed that good people will also be protected by him and their eternal life will be peaceful and happy under his care.

Increasingly more aware of dog gods

Anubis receives more power and attributes from today's popular culture. The mysterious god has become a famous figure in books, video games and films during the 20th century and the early years of the 21st century. Modern artists often imagine power Anubis is something more sinister than the ancient Egyptians did. Anubis' bad reputation was created from fear and modern entertainment value.

In the past, people believed that humans had no choice for their fate, but they had the hope that the jackal god would allow them to enter the afterlife and enjoy it forever.