Today’s random object was a figurine of Anubis, the Egyptian soul guide of the afterlife.
Anubis first shows up in Egyptian writing about 4,500 years ago, in the Pyramid Texts around 2400 BC. Back then he was considered the god of the dead, not the god of the underworld. His original Egyptian name was probably Inpu or Anpu, but by the time Greek speakers got involved it had shifted into “Anubis.” He was credited with teaching Egyptians how to mummify, and in myth he weighed the heart against the feather of Ma’at to judge if someone was worthy of paradise. Ma’at was the goddess of truth and justice, depicted with an ostrich feather. Later, Osiris took on the title of lord of the dead, while Anubis became more of the guide who carried souls across the threshold.
The Greeks already had Hermes as a soul-guide, so it was curious that they renamed him Anubis at all, even merging the two into “Hermanubis” at one point. His jackal form comes from the link between wild jackals and cemeteries as the Egyptians reimagined scavengers as guardians. Entire cities like Cynopolis, “City of the Dog,” were devoted to his cult. Statues of Anubis have been found from Tutankhamun’s tomb in Cairo to copper-alloy figures in the British Museum. Oddly, while Egypt presses for the return of other treasures like the Nefertiti bust, there has been less push to bring Anubis artifacts back.
Across cultures he fits the same role as Hermes or Mercury, or the angel of death in Abrahamic tradition. He doesn’t cause death, he carries people safely across. That image still sticks, whether in Neil Gaiman’s American Gods or in the museum halls.
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Also, if you or a teacher friend are in need of a 20-30 minute lesson on Anubis, feel free to download and distribute this lesson plan:
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