Deity Grimoire
Anubis
Ancient Egyptian funerary deity of embalming, burial protection, transition, and judgment
Domains
- Embalming and mummification
- Protection of the dead
- Cemeteries and burial places
- Funerary transition
- Judgment imagery
Symbols
- Black canid imagery
- Funerary wrappings
- Embalming
- Scales of judgment
- Necropolis and western symbolism
- Imiut fetish
Offerings
- Historically contextual food, drink, bread, beer
- Modern: clean water or simple food
- Modern: incense or written prayer
- Modern: remembrance and lawful cemetery care
Aspects
- Black canid
- Canid-headed divine embalmer
- Guardian of the necropolis
- Protector of the body
- Attendant at the Weighing of the Heart
Magical / Spiritual Work
- Protection
- Transitions and endings
- Grief and remembrance
- Ethical accountability
- Ancestor work
Important Context
Anubis is not simply a god of death, his black color does not mean evil, and his roles center on embalming, burial.
Sacred Days / Festivals / Times
No historically required Moon phase
Devotional Approach
Core Correspondences
Deity Grimoire
Anubis
Ancient Egyptian funerary deity of embalming, burial protection, transition, and judgment
Mythology, History & Important Context
Historical & Cultural Context
Anubis is attested very early in ancient Egyptian funerary religion. Long before the later Book of the Dead scenes familiar to modern audiences, funerary traditions already connected him with: • burial; • the necropolis; • protection of the deceased; • preparation of the body. As Osiris became increasingly central as ruler of the dead, Anubis did not disappear. Instead, Anubis retained specialized funerary functions: • embalming; • mummy protection; • cemetery guardianship; • funerary ritual; • guidance and judgment-related roles. Ancient Egyptian religion developed over thousands of years. Anubis’s relationships, titles, and theological associations therefore vary across periods and regions. No single family tree should be presented as the one universally correct Egyptian version.
Major Myths & Stories
Anubis is strongly associated with the preservation and ritual preparation of the body. Funerary imagery may show him: • standing over the deceased; • tending the mummy; • guarding the embalming process; • participating in protective rites. Preservation of the body was not only technical. It belonged to the deceased person’s transformation and continued existence. Anubis therefore represents not merely death, but careful transition between states. This helps explain why a desert canid associated with burial grounds could become a guardian rather than only a threat.
The Weighing of the Heart
The Weighing of the Heart is one of the most important scenes associated with Anubis. In Egyptian funerary belief, the heart was closely connected with: • thought; • memory; • character; • moral identity. In judgment imagery, the heart is weighed against the principle of ma’at—truth, justice, balance, and right order. Anubis commonly attends or adjusts the scale. Thoth records the result. Osiris presides over judgment in many depictions. Ammit / Ammut appears as the terrifying consequence of failure in some scenes. Important distinction Anubis participates in judgment, but he should not be simplified into the sole “judge of souls” in the later Western sense.
Anubis & Osiris
Anubis and Osiris have distinct but closely connected funerary roles. Osiris becomes the principal ruler of the dead in major later traditions. Anubis retains: • embalming; • mummy protection; • cemetery guardianship; • guidance; • judgment-associated functions. Modern summaries sometimes imply Anubis was “replaced” by Osiris. That is too simple. A better description is: the funerary system developed, and Anubis retained specialized functions within an Osirian religious framework.
Deity Grimoire
Anubis
Ancient Egyptian funerary deity of embalming, burial protection, transition, and judgment
Mythology, History & Important Context
Historical Worship & Cult Context
Anubis’s cult and imagery were widespread in Egypt. He was not dependent on one single universal sanctuary. A major center associated with his worship was the Upper Egyptian location the Greeks called Cynopolis, meaning “City of the Dog.” His presence extends far beyond one center through: • funerary prayers; • tomb decoration; • coffins; • ritual texts; • mortuary equipment. Priests could represent Anubis during funerary rites. The well-known jackal-headed priestly figure in mortuary imagery reflects ritual performance of divine roles. Anubis could be invoked for: • proper burial; • protection of the body; • safe funerary transition; • successful entry into the afterlife.
Later Interpretation / Important Context
Anubis continued to evolve as Egyptian religion interacted with Greek and Roman worlds. In Hellenistic and Roman contexts, Anubis could be associated with Hermes because both could function as guides or escorts of souls. This syncretic form is commonly called Hermanubis. The identification did not erase Anubis’s Egyptian funerary identity. It demonstrates how religious figures could be reinterpreted across cultures. Modern readers should not project later Greco-Roman interpretations backward onto the earliest Egyptian material.
Personal Notes
Worship & Historical Practice
Anubis’s cult and imagery were widespread in Egypt.
Working With Anubis Today
Simple devotional practice 1. Clean the space. 2.