Egyptology Weekend: Anubis - God of Embalming

Welcome to yet another Egyptology Weekend-post, although today is Monday.

This time a little info about the jackal-headed god Anubis.

"The spiritual world created by the ancient Egyptians was a richly fascinating one which remains unique in the history of human religion. The character of that spiritual world was both mysterious and manifest, at once accesible and hidden, for although Egyptian religion was often shrouded in layers of myth at ritual it nevertheless permeated the ancient civilization of the Nile and ultimately shaped, sustained and directed Egyptian culture in almost every imaginable way."

Anubis, the jackal-headed god who is found in numerous cartoons, computer-games and horror movies as one of the "bad guys" is actually the complete opposite. Despite his somewhat demonic looks, he was one of the "good guys" in the ancient Egyptian pantheon.

The image above is taken at the New Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen. It is the head of a life-size (human size) statue of Anubis. His head is a jackal and his body is human.

One of his main "areas" was, that he was "foremost of the westerners". Most cemetaries and other cultic buildings associated with death, burial and the afterlife was placed on the western side of the Nile, and thus the westerne side was understood as "the dead's side". Anubis, as "foremost of the westerners" refers to his "job" as the one who lead the deceased on their way into the netherworld.

Above you see Anubis leading a deceased lady. She is dressed in fine, transparent linen and wears an elaborate wig and a perfume-cone on her head. The image is from Metropolitan in New York and has been taken by flickr-user ggnyc.

Anubis was also God of Embalming. He was master of the per wabet, which was the ritual tent or pavillion, where the deceased were embalmed. According to myth, it was Anubis who made the mummy - the first mummy - which was that of Osiris who then became ruler of the netherworld and thus he became God of Embalming.

The image above shows Anubis preparing a mummy. The image is a tomb-painting and has been photographed by flickr-user pjwar.

Anubis was also guardian of the Necropolis and had a number of other "jobs" that he had to take care of.

Anubis is usually depicted as a man with a jackal's head or as a jackal resting on top of a shrine.

If you want to read more about Egyptian gods and goddesses, I recommend: The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt by Richard H. Wilkinson, from where I have also taken the long quote in the beginning of this post.

The Thief and the Dogs by Naguib Mahfouz

The Thief and the Dogs is a little, compact novel by the Egyptian Nobel Prize winner Naguib Mahfouz. It is not hard to read as such, but if you are not used to the literary style Mahfouz uses (and I am not) then it might feel a little too compact and heavy. Happy it isn't by any chance!

Main character is the thief Said Mahran, who, after being released from prison finds that he is alone. He is utterly and completely alienated and that knowledge creates a deep furrow in his haunted soul. His wife has married another man, his daughter doesn't recognise him and even his old mentor, the former thief Rauf Ilwan, has turned his back to him. Rauf Ilwan has become a succesful businessman and has nothing more to say to a simple con man such as Said.

The only place Said can find a bit of piece of mind is with an old sheikh in the mosque where also his father used to go. But the sheikh cannot help Said as long as he will not help himself and in the course of a few intense days, everything disintegrates for Said. One tragic and unfortunate incident follow the other and it is only during short moments with a prostitute, another unwanted soul in the Egyptian society, that Said can find peace and think about the future. The Thief and the Dogs is a very good novel, but it does leave you thinking if there is any hope for mankind at all.