Egyptian Diety: Anubis' Part in the Afterlife
Posted by Discoveries Inc. on
Anubis was the Egyptian deity who oversaw the embalming process and followed the dead into the underworld. He was known as the god of mummification, the afterlife and, the god of lost souls. The form he took was a black, pointed-eared canine hybrid or a man with the head of a jackal.
According to myth, Anubis was involved with the funeral rites. After the funeral, the deceased was introduced to the Egyptian god, Osiris, for judgment. Anubis would place their hearts on one side of a scale where they were measured against the feather of truth.
After the weighing of hearts ceremony, Anubis would guide the innocent into a “heavenly existence” and would direct the guilty to Ammit.
This story is found repeated throughout Egyptian artifacts and sites. Look for Anubis on your next museum or Egypt trip!
We have many beautiful replica statues of Anubis like the one shown here. In addition we have a beautiful gypsum plaque depicting the weighing of the hearts ceremony. If you want to know more of the history, check out our books on Egypt!