Anubis

The knowledge presented contains information for those who want to understand the great funerary God known as Anubis, also known as Inpu and Ienepu, in the Goetia as Ipos or Ayporos. Here are some of his other divine names:

The Ritual above provides a greater communion with this God who was seen as the intercessor of the dead in Egyptian civilization.

ANUBIS

The canine-headed God of Ancient Egypt who, arguably even in modern times, is one of the most famous Gods of Antiquity, Anubis may be one of the most enduring symbols of Egypt altogether. He was known as the God of the Underworld and was strongly associated with mummification and funerary rites. Many scenes of Anubis in Ancient Egyptian art depict him guiding the dead as a psychopomp, embalming the deceased, and weighing the heart on the scale of Maat. The symbolism of Anubis in Egypt is prolific and extremely widespread in both scale and frequency, even though he is only tied to a few myths. Throughout the history of Egypt, he was considered to be the primordial God of the Dead, alongside Osiris.

In myth, Anubis was considered to be the son of Osiris and Nephthys, as elaborated most notably by Plutarch¹. When Osiris is dismembered by Set, it is Anubis who keeps his father's organs safe and at hand. In another myth, such as the one in the Jumilhac Papyrus, the canine God flays Set when he transforms into a leopard to attack the corpse of Osiris lying in peace. Such associations led to Anubis being represented as the foremost embalmer of the deceased and the primary deity concerned with mummification.²

This preoccupation reflects the role of Anubis as the God who fashions the souls of individuals postmortem to be able to accommodate another body or existence. Among the Gods, he is also the most proactive Guardian of the deceased and the foremost to be consulted on all matters of funerals and the passage from one life to another; a role tying him very directly to both Maat and Nephthys. While Set reigns over the realm of the ignorant ones and Osiris reigns over the righteous in heaven, Anubis occupies a median zone between the two.

Anubis in animal form as Guardian of Tombs

Insatiable in guarding the departed, as the Guardian of tombs, Anubis was thought to punish those who disturbed the dead or upset cosmic order. Popular belief imbued him with an almost judicial authority on behalf of the dead. As recorded in later Egyptian lore: "Anubis and his army of messengers were charged with punishing those who violated tombs or offended the Gods." If someone robbed a grave or committed evil, the common folk expected Anubis to avenge the wronged spirit.

For most people, this aspect of Anubis had practical implications, as he could be called upon for vengeance or protection. Amulets, tomb paintings, and inscribed curses show that Egyptians regularly invoked Anubis for protection and vengeance. A villager might call on Anubis to curse a grave robber or to safeguard their household from malevolent magic. This dual image, being both a benevolent guide for the just and a fierce punisher of the wicked, made Anubis a profoundly prominent figure in the eyes of ordinary Egyptians, who reinforced the moral order (Ma'at) in daily belief.²

One major festival of Osiris was the Wag Festival (Festival of the Dead), a yearly rite focused on the dead. Small funerary boats were floated and offerings made. Anubis would implicitly receive some of these devotions, though Osiris was the major focus of this festival. "Letters to the Dead" (messages inscribed on bowls or papyri by living kin to deceased relatives) often included threats to appeal to Anubis or Osiris if the deceased's spirit did not cease troubling them. Such letters show that commoners believed Anubis was actively involved in the fate of souls and could mediate between the living and the dead on their behalf.³

His functions did not simply relate to the world of death. Many of them were deeply tied to the world of the living and the breathing, such as control of social matters, truth, and vows, indicated strongly in his relation to the Opening of the Mouth Ritual. The enemy has tried to obliterate all knowledge of this. Socrates, for instance, invokes Anubis several times, vowing "by the dog of Egypt" in order to convey the absolute truth of what he was saying, but also to invoke the witticisms of Anubis.⁴⁵ As a God, the Egyptians knew Anubis could provide them with advice in dealing with relationships and the courage to face those different from themselves. Bravery was a large element of his cult, and this was supposed to represent the triumph of eternal life over death, alongside the desire to keep incarnating and existing. In a broader sense, Anubis rules over aspects of family and racial matters: matters of blood and ties.

Anubis Amulet

Personal names provide another glimpse into devotional practices. It was not uncommon for Egyptians of all classes to name children in honor of deities as a sign of piety. Names incorporating "Anubis" (Anpu) existed, such as Anupu, Anuphotep, and Anup-khefa. This suggests that the God's name was considered an honor for their child and was not associated with anything ghoulish. In daily life, amulets of Anubis were worn or placed with the dead for protection. Such amulets, made of faience or bronze, became especially popular in the Late Period, when personal religious practice proliferated among the Egyptian people. Museums today hold many Late Period Anubis amulets found in tombs of commoners. It is clear the jackal-headed God was invoked on behalf of the deceased to guard them from harm.

Temples dedicated to Anubis were named Anubaeons. As a testimony to the popularity of the canine God, there were multiple temples like these across the breadth of Egypt, with the site at Saqqara assuming the highest importance. Complexes associated with Anubis typically contain millions of mummified canids, such as the ones discovered at Saqqara⁷. Two cities dedicated to Anubis existed. One was named Usakai, or in Greek, Cynopolis ("dog city"). The other, also dedicated to Wepwawet, was named Zahwaty, or in Greek, Lycopolis ("wolf city"), which is now modern Asyut. Various temple complexes existed at both of these locations.

Symbolism

Anubis was typically represented as a man wearing the mask of a dog or a jackal. The illuminated, human-like eye and brow were usually shown on the mask, pointing to his various parentage of Re or Osiris. Most often, he was clad in gold and white, signifying his mastery over the dimensions of the dead.

The most significant rituals involving Anubis' symbolism for an ordinary Egyptian occurred during funerals. Death was considered to be in the domain of the family and connected to the theme of perseverance on earth. While professional embalmers (who were often priests of Anubis) handled the technical mummification, the relatives of the deceased participated in ceremonies where Anubis was symbolically present. By custom, the chief embalmer priest wore a wooden or painted Anubis mask when performing key rites of a funeral. By the New Kingdom, it became customary for an official to take the role of Anubis in public funerary pageants, which continued into later periods. A late Ptolemaic papyrus from Oxyrhynchus describes payments to various participants in a festival, including the "dog-headed one" (kunophis)⁸, an actor playing Anubis, and that evidence suggests that even at non-royal funerals or local festivals of the dead, having an Anubis impersonator was standard. The community could see Anubis walk among them and ritually lead the deceased to the tomb. Common mourners addressed this figure with petitions, essentially treating him as the deity's presence.

The dog was his symbol for many reasons—not just the loyalty of dogs to humans, but in regard to their zest for life, fierceness, vocal nature, and tendency to even put themselves at grave risk of death for their masters. Families owning dogs relate to the symbolism of Anubis as a protector of families and the race. The dog also represents the social principle of routine and keeping one's integral promises to others. Such loyalty and vivaciousness displayed by dogs was interpreted as a symbolism for loyalty to life itself.

In likeness and contrast to the dog, the jackal is another dualistic symbol of Anubis that relates strongly to the themes of death. A jackal is a scavenger animal that feeds on corpses. The power of putrefaction, evoking obliteration and decay, was represented in the jackal. Yet essentially, so was the idea that every element of the dead could be put toward a greater and renewed purpose in time. Generally speaking, a jackal is also a solitary animal, other than its mating partner for life, which it will often hunt with. Represented in his wife Anput, loyalty and fidelity were strong elements of the cult of Anubis. Therefore, his cult was popular with strictly monogamous couples, along with widows and widowers.

A domain of Anubis was also related to love or emotional influence, where the topic of the heart inevitably featured. Demotic Egyptian love spells were often used to "ignite the heart" of a desired person, using substances or figurines. Although these come from a later period, they continue the concept of the heart as the locus of emotion that can be magically manipulated. The heart's occult property included being an object of sympathetic magic: to control someone's heart was to control their will and love. This aspect of Anubis in domination, and the imagery of the canine hunter, is referenced in certain spells, reflecting his ruling planet of Pluto:

Ptolemaic-era spell of Anubis, Magic and Mystery in Ancient Egypt, C. Jacq⁹

Anubis, god of the earth, underworld and heavens, dog dog dog, use all your strength and all your power on Tier (the woman in question), who was born by Sophia. Strip from her her pride, prudence and modesty, and bring her to me here, at my feet, languid with passion, at every hour of the day or night, dreaming of me ceaselessly, when she eats and when she drinks, when she works and even when she makes love, when she rests, when she dreams and when she is dreaming; when, tormented by you, she hastens, languishing for me, wholeheartedly, her soul filled with generosity, offering herself to me, and fulfills the duty of women towards men, serving to satisfy my lust and her own, never bored, without shame, rubbing her thigh against mine, her black down against my black down [pubis] in the sweetest way! Yes, my master, bring me Tier, to whom Sophia gave birth.

1. Anubis with bow and arrow, love spell fragment, Roman era
2. to 4. Symbolism of bow-wielding Anubis statuettes, Ptolemaic to Roman era

Both the dog and jackal are wide-mouthed with archetypally long muzzles—a code for the Mouth powers associated with Anubis. The God of Death was heavily involved in the Opening of the Mouth ceremony, which marked a sort of graduation to higher powers of communication and also unlocked certain abilities after death for the soul involved. The Mouth, referenced in Anubis nicknames such as "barker," also bestows the individual with much stronger levels of command. His black color represents the transformation of life into death and the soil of the Nile, but also the absorption of life into the flow of all things and the knowledge of the hidden. The Black Land itself was evoked in the fur of Anubis. In this, he contrasts with the reddish symbolism of Set and the other wolf-headed god named Wepwawet, who is clad in white.

The most dog-like form of Anubis is represented abundantly in tombs and mortuary monuments, showing his role as the protector of the dead from any form of hubris, which he would avenge. This is also part of why a flail is held by his hind legs, which was associated with fertility. The flail was a code representing that the land of the dead is more "fertile" than what the living can see... and to take warning. As can be expected, many of his titles relate to the process of embalming and mummification.

Another important matter to note is that, the distinctive black headed color is not associated with the jackal itself, rather being a piece of symbolism. Prior to mummification, a body would be covered in natron, which would dry the body out and protect it from moisture (and thus bacteria), after which the body's color would take on a darker, blacker look. Further, the color black represented fertility for the Egyptians, as it was the color of the Nile's fertile silt, being something of a duality. Black may be a color of death, but death and decomposition may lead to life and rebirth in turn.

Rare depiction of Anubis in human form,
Museum of Egypt

Anubis, like Maat, was intricately associated with the ib (heart) of the individual², tying him to the Weighing of the Heart ceremony. During this ceremony, Anubis would act as the intercessor or attorney of the deceased, attempting to elaborate their good aspects. He was known as the Guardian of the Scales. Plutarch also interpreted Anubis as the horizon (boundary) between the upper and lower hemispheres of the cosmos.¹ The heliacal rising of Sirius, commonly was aligned with the hot days of summer in July, which are commonly called "the dog days of summer", from κυνάδες ἡμέραι.

The relation to the heart is symbolic because the Middle Chakra represents the ability to commune with the astral, and it is the place from which one emerges upon death. Along with embalming, this is part of what conveys the magickal phrase THAT WHICH IS INSIDE. An aspect of Hermes that deals with the concept of soul memory and access was also represented by Anubis—especially in Greek-ruled Egypt (Hermanubis).

Internal matters of the soul also had a spiritual meaning relating to meditation and one's level of advancement. The quality or characteristic of the realm accessed by the dead will depend on the development of their body, mind and soul in approaching true union—also something symbolized by Naberius in his own depictions.

Likewise, his title of Foremost of the Westerners is another code. This does not only relate to the west bank of the Nile, where the dead were buried, but also to the western direction in general, which represents the setting point of the Sun and the Water element. The Water element is tied to the Upper Chakras, which govern all that is past, present and future.

In Ptolemaic Egypt, Anubis was often featured by the side of Serapis (Osiris), similarly to Cerberus. His symbolism continued to be popular in Rome, although not without some commentary from the more ignorant of Romans.

Mosaic panel of Anubis holding the Caduceus of Hermes to represent November,
floor from Carthage

Along with the July symbolism, Anubis was strongly associated with the month of November, which was designated as the month of mourning in the Roman period. Sandalwood, his representative plant, used in the embalming process, in incense, and other ritual matters. The element of water is also apparent, given its associations regarding dissolution, transformation, death rebirth and the submerging of the ego.

In Tarot, he is linked to the reversed Three of Cups. Traditionally, this card represented new developments that were more abrupt or disturbing than its upright equivalent. Modern interpretations place emphasis on isolation, tainted celebrations, and conflict between friends. There is symbolism here dealing with separation from the regular world and losing touch with those dear to you. This card can also emphasize keeping one's guard up among associations and groups. Occasionally, it can refer to the act of creation going wrong, including terminations or miscarriages. On the other hand, as NG Arcadia noted, this may have a link to the fact that death was not always seen as catastrophic in the ancient world, and that it had its own place, even having somewhat of a reverie compared to the morbidity of modern times.

The foremost Major Arcana card representing Anubis is The Hermit. The light that the Hermit holds, with its six-pointed starry glow, is symbolic of a beacon in a desolate, snowy area—symbolic of Anubis’ mastery over the deceased. The six-pointed star itself symbolizes the Middle Chakra. It is interesting that the only cards depicting snowy mountains involve Anubis and Cerberus, the canine Gods of the Dead. This card also alludes to Anubis’ title, "He Who Is Upon His Mountain." The Hermit represents knowledge that comes from within and self-reflection, as well as the necessity of taking pauses from everyday life or stressful routines to empower oneself. This polarity sets it apart from Justice and Judgement, which deal with external judgements. It can represent coming into spiritual growth—a complement to the role Anubis plays in the Weighing ceremony. In older times, it was considered a warning card, advising prudence and circumspection regarding others.

Anubis’ other card in the Major Arcana is Death reversed, contrasting with Osiris and others representing it upright. This card can signify being alone, isolated, and refusing to embrace change even though it is coming. Death reversed often indicates an unhealthy attachment to routine, either for the querent or others involved. Classically, it represented sleep, nothingness, and lack of consciousness—consistent with Anubis’ role in reformulating a being from one life to another.

Christian Theft and Goetia

In folk worship, Anubis was often conflated with, and usurped by, the persona of St. Christopher. This saint supposedly converted to Christianity and pledged his life to rescuing travelers so they could cross a river. Much like the God, “Christopher” was described as eight feet tall and fearsome in appearance. He was believed to have hailed from Marmarica, a region between Egypt and Cyrenaica, and in his stories saved believers by 'bearing' them across a river. By the Middle Ages, the enemy transformed Anubis in the Goetic context into the lion or goose-headed Demon Ipos, also known as Ayporos, and gave him the title “Lord of Fools,” a not-so-subtle mockery of the Gentile souls Anubis is meant to save.

To demonstrate their fear of this God, the positive traits of speech and mastery over the dead were twisted into scornful insults. The enemy particularly relished the fact that so many souls on the Astral, typically rescued by his intervention, became unreachable through Christianity and Islam: essentially, the backhanded reason they gave him this title.

Anubis was often conflated with Thoth [Hermes] in medieval alchemical texts. Later commentators like Athanasius Kircher explicitly connected alchemical symbolism back to Egyptian Gods. In his encyclopedic Oedipus Aegyptiacus (1652), Kircher attempted to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs and offered esoteric interpretations: Hermanubis, he wrote¹⁰, represented “the Mercury of the Romans, the Hermes of the Greeks”, or in other words, the principle of the volatile spirit.

In one analysis of the Mensa Isiaca (Bembine Table of Isis), Kircher identifies a certain jackal-headed figure as Hermanubis and interprets the surrounding symbols: “the ibis head denotes a deity of Moisture; the tessellated chair points out the ever-changing states of nature, day and night, heat and cold…”