Anubis: Egyptian God of the Dead, Embalming & Judgment

Core Roles

1. Psychopomp (Guide of Souls): Escorted the deceased through the **Duat (underworld)** to the **Hall of Two Truths** for judgment.
2. Embalmer & Mummification Patron: Invented mummification (on Osiris). Priests wore Anubis masks during the 70-day process. Protected the body from decay (hence "He Who Is in the Place of Embalming").
3. Weigher of Hearts (Critical Judgment Role): In the **"Weighing of the Heart"** (Book of the Dead, Spell 125), Anubis **operates the scale**:
   • Heart (conscience, deeds) vs. **Feather of Ma'at** (Truth, Justice, Cosmic Order).
   • Heart ≤ Feather: "True of Voice" → enter **Aaru (Field of Reeds / Paradise)**.
   • Heart > Feather: Devoured by **Ammit** (crocodile-lion-hippo) → **second death / annihilation**.
4. Protector of Tombs & Necropolises: "Lord of the Sacred Land," "Foremost of the Westerners." Jackals roamed desert cemeteries; Anubis turned threat into guardian.

Mythology

• Son of **Osiris & Nephthys** (raised by Isis). Half-brother of Horus.
• Assisted Isis in resurrecting Osiris → first mummification.
• Later: Osiris became Lord of Underworld; Anubis became his **chief deputy / embalmer**.

Worship

• Universal — all classes, all periods (Pre-dynastic → Roman).
• Major cult centers: **Cynopolis (El-Kais), Abydos, Saqqara, Thebes**.
• Funerary amulets, tomb paintings, coffin texts, *Book of the Dead* vignettes.

Anubis = **dignity in death, cosmic justice, preservation of identity**. Not "god of death" (that's Osiris) but **god of the *transition* and *process* of death**.