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 his
miniature relief en croix features Anubis clasping a Was sceptre,
symbolic of dominion, as well as an ankh amulet as a symbol
of life and fertility.
 nubis
was based on the observations of native jackals that would
roam the western desert fringes. The West was the place where
most Egyptians desired to be buried and seeing jackals as
guardians of this would have provided the seed for the concept
of Anubis.
 any
Egyptian gods were bestowed with titles that reveal their
character and function in the pantheon. Anubis was no exception.
Such titles as "He who is on the mysteries" describes his
role as the guardian of secret and sacred writings. "Chief
of the divine pavilion" and "He who is in the strip of cloth"
connects him with his well known role as the god of embalming.
Anubis is credited for creating the first mummy, being that
of Osiris and it was with great care and reverence that he
undertook this task to help revive the great god of abundance.
Anubis also led mere mortals to the hall of judgement, a place
where your entire life was analysed against the good and bad
aspects of your souls behaviour while on earth. He also tended
the scales in the hall where your heart was weighed against
the feather of Maat /Mayet - goddess of truth and justice.
If you had been a good soul you would join Osiris in the celestial
fields of Egyptian paradise. If you had been bad your soul
was devoured by Ammut - a composite beast featuring the fearsome
aspects of native animals such as the crocodile, lion and
hippopotamus.
 hen
recreating the role of Anubis, Egyptian priests would wear
masks of the god to emulate his visual presence displayed
in the myriad of funerary papyrus and tomb wall decoration.
 inal
note: "Anubis" as a name is derived from the Greaco - Roman
period of Egyptian history which was not truly Egyptian in
sound. A closer translation to what the Egyptians themselves
had called Anubis was "Anpu".
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