Quite fascinatingly, over time, Anubis continued to be worshipped through a unique scope of cultural syncretism. In some myths, Anubis intentionally gives up his power to be Osiris’ ‘right-hand man’. In that regard, the Anubis myth was ‘rewritten’ to fit into the Osiris myth, thereby presenting how the Jackal God was supposedly the son of Osiris and his sister-in-law Nephthys (she disguised herself as Isis, the wife of Osiris, to entice the god), but was brought up by the benevolent Isis. Such titles alluded to the enhanced eminence of Osiris, who was then perceived as the Judge of the Dead as well as the central figure who decided the deceased’s fate after the Weighing of the Heart ceremony. Part of it had to do with the famous Osiris myth that clearly pushed forth the narrative of Osiris being the lord of the underworld. However, with the advent of the Middle Kingdom (post circa 1975 BC) and the consequent revival of the Ennead pantheon of Heliopolis (Iunu), Anubis was rather relegated in terms of his importance. In this mythical scope, the Jackal God was presented as the son of Ra and Hesat (a feminine deity related to Hathor, the mother goddess). In the aforementioned era before the Middle Kingdom, encompassing almost a millennium (circa 3150 – 2181 BC), Anubis was probably venerated as one of the deities related to the older Ogdoad pantheon of Hermopolis (Khmunu). Statue of Hermanubis, composite of Anubis and Hermes.
![anubis jackal anubis jackal](https://cg4.cgsociety.org/uploads/images/medium/mcconceptart-anubis-aaa-game-jack-2-d39b86c6-rjgf.jpg)
The site of Anubeion, in proximity to Saqqara, the burial ground of Memphis, revealed remnants of over thousands of dog mummies, which does allude to the sheer scale of worshipping Anubis. On the other hand, researchers have found pieces of evidence that suggest there were shrines and mastaba inscriptions for the Jackal God, with his major cult centers possibly located at Asyut (Lycopolis) and Hardai (Cynopolis). Quite intriguingly, in spite of his venerated status in ancient Egypt, archaeologists have not been able to unearth even a single large temple or precinct dedicated to Anubis. In fact, during both the Early Dynastic and the Old Kingdom period (i.e., before the advent of the Middle Kingdom), circa 3150 – 2181 BC, Anubis was probably perceived as the central mythical figure who oversaw every passage of the dead, with his prescribed divine role as the protector, judge, and guide of the departed souls. What historians have gathered from such honorable (and even macabre) epithets is how Anubis was the major deity associated with the funerary rituals of ancient Egypt. Other more seemingly complicated titles include the ‘Ruler of the Nine Bows’ – with ‘nine bows’ referring to the submitting enemies of Egypt, and ‘The Dog Who Swallows Millions’ – basically alluding to his death aspect. In fact, by circa 3rd millennium BC, Anubis was given various epithets, like ‘First of the Westerners’ (or khentyamentiu) – a term basically reserved for the King of the Dead since the souls departing towards the direction of sunset were referred to as ‘westerners’, and ‘Lord of the Sacred Land’ – with the necropolises being the ‘sacred lands’ of Egypt. Now taking the etymological route, Anubis’ original Egyptian moniker is possibly derived from ‘inpu’ – which signifies both a ‘royal child’ and ‘to decay’, with the latter meaning probably alluding to his association with the dead. We fleetingly touched upon the possible roots of the Egyptian Jackal God. For example, the color black was antithetically associated with both the decay of the body (along with desolation of the soul) and the fertility of the Nile soil. Interestingly enough, the black color of Anubis is conspicuously different from the brownish hue of the desert jackal, thus alluding to symbolism. Simply put, a ‘super canid’ entity, possibly also associated with the god Upuaut (or Wepwawet – another deity with canine features but with grey fur), was conceived that was tasked with metaphorically protecting the dead from the other canines.
![anubis jackal anubis jackal](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/Nk0AAOSw8bZg4wGJ/s-l300.jpg)
To that end, the Anubis was conceived as a rather muscular man with the head of a jackal ( sAb) or a wild dog ( iwiw) or a hybrid of both, while also showcasing his characteristic black fur. Consequently, solid structures like tombs were possibly built to ‘guard’ the dead against such creatures, thus essentially tying in the visual aspect of the canines to the scope of the dead and funerary practices. According to one hypothesis, the earlier places of burials and cemeteries along the desert, during the preDynastic period (before 3150 BC), were popular haunts for the roving dogs and jackals.