Mysterious The great Anubis Egyptian -Lord of the Underworld

Anubis is one of the most well-known gods in the Ancient Egyptian pantheon. He is typically depicted as a man with the head of a jackal, or as a full jackal.

He was often seen accompanying the deceased on their journey through the underworld, ensuring their safe passage and helping to guide them to their final resting place. As the god of mummification, Anubis was responsible for preparing the body for burial, ensuring that it was properly preserved and protected from decay.

In the Payprus of Ani, Ani addresses Anubis directly, saying, “I have come to thee, O Anubis, and I have brought myself hither that I may behold thy beauties.”

As Anubis was revered as a guardian of the dead, he was also a deity to be feared. While in the underworld, Anubis weighed the heart of the deceased against the feather of Ma’at. If the heart was found to be heavy with sin, Anubis would feed it to the goddess Ammit, the devourer of souls.

In the Book of the Dead, there are passages describing Anubis as a terrifying deity:

I tremble before thee, O Anubis, lord of the dead. Thy power is great, and thy wrath is fearsome. Spare me, O lord of the underworld, and let me pass safely through thy domain.

The following is a hymn to Anubis in Miriam Lichtheim’s Ancient Egyptian Literature: Volume II:

Hail to thee, Anubis, thou great god,
Thou lord of the sacred land!
Thou guardian of the holy place,
Thou watchful one who guides the dead!
Thou lord of the shrine of the west,
Thou guardian of the scales of judgment!

Ancient Egyptian literature and hymns like the one above document the reverence the Ancient Egyptians held for Anubis, Lord of the Underworld. E. Wallis Budge describes Anubis as “the Great God who presided over the embalming of the dead and who superintended the judgment of the soul.”

References: