When you died in ancient Egypt, your heart was weighed. Not metaphorically — literally, in the Hall of Two Truths, on a golden scale. On one side of the scale sat your heart, which carried the full record of everything you had done and thought and felt in your life. On the other side sat a single feather — the feather of Ma’at, the principle of truth, justice, and cosmic order. If your heart was lighter than the feather, you passed into the Field of Reeds, the Egyptian paradise. If it was heavier, it was devoured by Ammit — the composite beast who waited beside the scale — and you ceased to exist entirely.
The god who conducted this weighing was Anubis. He placed the heart on the scale. He read the result. He recorded it alongside Thoth. And if you passed, he led you by the hand into the presence of Osiris and the eternal life that awaited you. He was the last face you saw before judgment, and the first face you saw after it. He was the guardian of the threshold between the living and the dead — and he was, in the Egyptian understanding, the most important deity you would ever encounter.
The Jackal God: Origins and Iconography
Anubis is one of the oldest deities in the Egyptian pantheon — his worship predates the unification of Egypt and the rise of the great pyramid-building pharaohs. He appears in the earliest funerary texts as the god of embalming and the protector of the dead, and his iconography is immediately recognisable: the body of a man, the head of a black jackal, standing or kneeling beside the scales of judgment.
The jackal was chosen for a specific reason. Jackals were scavengers who frequented the edges of the desert where the Egyptians buried their dead — they were associated with death not as a symbol of evil but as a natural presence at the boundary between the living world and the world of the dead. By making Anubis jackal-headed, the Egyptians transformed this boundary creature into a divine guardian: the one who belongs to both worlds and can therefore guide the dead safely through the transition between them.
His black colouring is equally significant. Black in Egyptian symbolism is not the colour of death or evil — it is the colour of the fertile Nile silt, of regeneration, of the potential for new life. Anubis’s black form signals that he is not simply the god of death but the god of transformation through death — the one who presides over the process by which the dead become something new.
Anubis as Embalmer and Protector
In Egyptian mythology, Anubis is credited with the invention of embalming. When Osiris was killed and dismembered by Set, it was Anubis who reassembled his body and performed the first mummification, preserving Osiris so that he could be resurrected. This act established the template for all Egyptian funerary practice: the careful preservation of the body was not simply a cultural custom but a sacred act modelled on what Anubis had done for Osiris.
In the embalming process, the priest who performed the wrapping of the mummy wore the mask of Anubis — literally becoming the god for the duration of the ritual. Anubis was present at every mummification, every burial, every funerary rite. He was the guardian of the tomb, the protector of the mummy, and the guide of the soul through the Duat — the Egyptian underworld — to the Hall of Two Truths and the judgment of the heart.
Anubis in Modern Pagan and Occult Practice
Anubis is widely honoured in modern Kemeticism (the revival of ancient Egyptian religion), eclectic paganism, and occult practice — particularly by those who work with ancestor veneration, death magic, and the liminal space between the living and the dead. He is also honoured alongside Norse and Celtic death deities by those who work across mythological traditions — his role as psychopomp and guardian of the dead resonates across cultures.
His altar space should feel austere and dignified: black and gold candles, jackal imagery, obsidian or black tourmaline, offerings of water, bread, or incense (particularly frankincense or myrrh, used in Egyptian embalming), and images of the scales of Ma’at. He is called upon for ancestor work and communication with the dead. For protection of the dying and those who care for them. For shadow work involving the confrontation with mortality and the acceptance of what cannot be changed. For justice work — the weighing of truth against falsehood. And for the protection of sacred spaces and ritual work.
Anubis is particularly resonant at Samhain, when the dead are closest to the living, and at any time of grief, loss, or transition. He is also honoured at the dark moon, when the underworld is most present.
Anubis Statues for Your Altar
Each of our Anubis statues is hand-carved from solid ecological ash wood by skilled artisans in Ukraine — individually crafted, no two identical.
Our newest Anubis carving, the Anubis Wooden Statue — Egyptian God of the Afterlife, captures the jackal-headed guardian in warm ash wood with a varnish finish — a commanding altar centrepiece for Egyptian practice or any death-focused spiritual work.
The Anubis God of Death Wooden Statue presents the guardian of the dead in a classical form — a powerful piece for those who work with Anubis in dedicated Kemetic practice or in ancestor veneration.
For those who work across mythological traditions and are drawn to the resonance between Anubis and the Norse goddess Hel — both psychopomps, both guardians of the dead, both presiding over the threshold between worlds — the Hel & Anubis Statue pairs both deities in a single carved piece.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Anubis in Egyptian mythology?
Anubis is the jackal-headed Egyptian god of the dead, embalming, and the afterlife. He is one of the oldest deities in the Egyptian pantheon, credited with the invention of mummification, and the guardian who weighs the heart of the deceased against the feather of Ma’at in the Hall of Two Truths. He guides souls through the Duat to judgment and, if they pass, into the presence of Osiris.
Why does Anubis have a jackal head?
Jackals were scavengers who frequented the desert edges where the Egyptians buried their dead — they were natural boundary creatures, associated with the threshold between the living world and the world of the dead. By making Anubis jackal-headed, the Egyptians transformed this boundary creature into a divine guardian who belongs to both worlds and can guide the dead safely between them.
What is the weighing of the heart ceremony?
In the Hall of Two Truths, Anubis placed the heart of the deceased on one side of a golden scale and the feather of Ma’at — the principle of truth and cosmic order — on the other. If the heart was lighter than the feather, the soul passed into the Field of Reeds (Egyptian paradise). If heavier, it was devoured by Ammit and the soul ceased to exist. Thoth recorded the result.
How do I honour Anubis on my altar?
Use black and gold candles, jackal imagery, obsidian, and offerings of water, bread, or incense (frankincense or myrrh). Invoke him for ancestor work, protection of the dying, shadow work involving mortality, and justice work. He is particularly honoured at Samhain and at the dark moon.
What wood are ArtCarving Shop Anubis statues made from?
Every Anubis statue is hand-carved from solid ecological ash wood with a varnish finish, individually crafted by skilled artisans in Ukraine.
Anubis does not judge — he weighs. The judgment belongs to Ma’at, to the feather, to the truth of what you have lived. He is simply the one who holds the scale steady. If his presence speaks to you, explore our full Anubis Statues collection — hand-carved in Ukraine and shipped worldwide.