00:10Anubis is the half-man half-canine god of mummification and the afterlife in ancient
00:17Egyptian religion. Being one of the most iconic gods of ancient Egypt, the ancient Egyptians
00:25Christians originally knew him as Anpu, or Anpu. Anpu was an extremely important deity
00:32whose name appeared in the oldest mastibas of the old kingdom and the pyramid texts,
00:38as a guardian and protector of the dead. Anpu so much piqued the interest of foreigners,
00:44especially Greek visitors. And it was then the Greeks gave him the name, Anubis. Anubis
00:52popularly appears as a half-man, half-canine, having the head of a wolf or a jackal, and the body
00:59of a man. Wild dogs and jackals often lurked the edges of the desert, near graves and cemeteries
01:06where the dead were buried, and it is thought that the first Egyptian tombs were constructed to
01:12protect the dead from these lurkers. But in contrast to wild dogs and jackals, Anubis was
01:19a protector of graves and cemeteries. Anubis has a shiny black fur, which is associated with fertility,
01:27and is closely linked to rebirth in the afterlife. He has long and alert ears, terrifying fangs,
01:35sharp claws in place of fingernails, and red eyes, or in most myths, black bead-like eyes.
01:43In the catacombs of Alexandria, he was depicted wearing Roman dress and the sun disc flanked by
01:50two cobras. Initial myths claimed that Anubis was the son of Ra and Hesat, Ra's wife. However,
01:58later myths suggested that he was the son of Osiris and Naphthys, or the son of Set and Naphthys.
02:05Other myths described him as the son of Bast, because of her link to the perfumed oils used in embalming
02:12the dead. Anubis had a wife named Amput, who is just his female version. And the two bore the
02:20serpentine Kebeshe, who is the goddess of the purification. Anubis was originally known as
02:26the god of the underworld in the first dynasty. But by the middle kingdom, around 2055-2650 BC,
02:36he was replaced by Osiris in his role as lord of the underworld. So he became associated specifically
02:44with the embalming process and funeral rites. One of his prominent roles was as the guide of souls.
02:52He was a god who ushered souls into the afterlife. Anubis led the deceased to the halls of Mount where
02:59they would be judged. He attended the weighing scale during the weighing of the heart, in which it was
03:05determined whether a soul would be allowed to enter the realm of the dead. Anubis watched over the
03:12whole scale weighing process and ensured that the weighing of the heart was conducted correctly.
03:18He then led the innocent onto a heavenly existence and abandoned the guilty to Ammit.
03:24In elaboration, souls heavier than a feather would be devoured by Ammit, while souls lighter than a
03:31feather would ascend to a heavenly existence. Another of his important role was the role of an embalmer.
03:38Anubis handled the embalming and mummification process. The ancient Egyptians believed that the
03:45preservation of the body and the use of sweet smelling herbs and plants would help the deceased,
03:51because Anubis would sniff the mummy, and only let the pure move on to paradise. In addition to being the
03:58patron of the funeral rites, Anubis is also the patron of lost souls, including orphans and the destitute.
04:07Anubis is indeed one of the most important gods of ancient Egypt. His battle prowess was never in
04:14doubt. The myths narrated how Anubis took on and defeated the Nine Boughs, gaining the title as the
04:22jackal ruler of the boughs. The Nine Boughs is a collective name for the traditional enemies of
04:28ancient Egypt. Tombs in the Valley of the Kings were often sealed with an image of Anubis subduing
04:35the Nine Boughs, enemies of Egypt, and presiding over them as the jackal ruler of the boughs.
04:42The reason this image is sealed to tombs is that, it is believed that Anubis would protect the burial
04:49of the boughs. Anubis would protect the burial of the boughs and the burial of the boughs.
04:55Still speaking on Anubis battle prowess, there is another popular tale of how Anubis helped Isis
05:03to defend and embalm Osiris, after Osiris had been killed by Set. Osiris organs were given to
05:10Anubis as a gift. With this connection, Anubis became the patron god of embalmers, in the Osiris myth,
05:18Anubis protected the body of Osiris from Set. Set attempted to attack the body of Osiris by
05:26transforming himself into a leopard. However, Anubis fought and subdued Set. He branded Set's skin with
05:35a hot iron rod. And then flayed Set and bore his skin as a warning against evildoers who would
05:42desecrate the tombs of the dead. Most ancient tombs had prayers to Anubis carved on them.
05:48Thenceforth, priests who attended to the dead wore leopard skin in order to commemorate Anubis'
05:55victory over Set. The legend of Anubis branding the hide of Set in leopard form was used to explain
06:01how the leopard got its spots. Anubis is usually associated with the Eye of Horus which they say,
06:08helped him find Osiris. He is also associated with the Greek god Hermes, and thus, referred to as
06:17Hermannubis. Hermannubis is a god believed to be the combination of the messenger god Hermes and the
06:24guide of the dead Anubis. Anubis was worshipped throughout Egypt. The center of his cult was
06:31in her die in the 17th gnome of Upper Egypt.
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