The Myth of Osiris: The Death, Resurrection, and Eternal Legacy of Egypt’s First King

What Do a Jackal, a Mummy, and Eternity Have in Common? At the End, You’ll Learn One Little-Known Fact That Turns Everything Upside Down.

Anubis — the ancient Egyptian god of death and embalming, son of Osiris and Nephthys. His original name was Inpu or Anpu, meaning “he who opens the ways.” He is best known as the guide of souls into Duat, the Egyptian underworld.

The Origins of Anubis: A God Born in Shadow

Ancient Egyptian sources, including the Pyramid Texts and Book of the Dead, mention that Anubis was the son of Nephthys — sister of Isis and wife of Osiris. According to legend, Nephthys disguised herself as Isis and seduced Osiris, conceiving Anubis. Fearing the wrath of her husband Seth, she abandoned the infant in the desert.

It was Isis who found the child and raised him as her own.

This origin is essential to Anubis’s identity. He is not merely the jackal-headed god — he is a child of deception, forsaken yet rescued. That destiny shaped his eternal role: the one who guides the lost through darkness.

Guardian of Bodies and Death Rituals

From the earliest periods, Anubis was revered as the protector of necropolises. On the tomb walls of the Old Kingdom (c. 2686–2181 BCE), he appears as a jackal or a man with a jackal’s head, guarding the burial sites.

The jackal was no coincidence — Egyptians observed these scavengers around cemeteries. To “appease” the spirit of the jackal, they turned it into a guardian rather than a destroyer. Thus, Anubis became the deity who safeguarded the body after death. Priests invoked him during the sacred rite of mummification.

According to the Coffin Texts, Anubis himself invented embalming — having been the first to preserve Osiris’s body after Seth dismembered him. Therefore, every deceased person was symbolically following in his footsteps — led by the one who walked that path first.

Guide of Souls and the Weighing of the Heart

One of the most iconic depictions of Anubis comes from the Book of the Dead: the Weighing of the Heart scene. But this is more than just a ritual — it is the pinnacle of ancient Egyptian ethics.

After death, the soul entered the Hall of Ma’at, where Anubis weighed the deceased’s heart against a feather — the symbol of the goddess Ma’at, representing truth and justice.

If the heart was heavier, burdened by sin, it was devoured by the monster Ammit.

If lighter — the soul journeyed on to the Field of Reeds with Osiris.

Anubis did not judge — he measured. He ensured that balance, not punishment, governed the afterlife.

Anubis in the Shadow of Osiris: A Shift in Roles

Interestingly, in the earliest sources — before Osiris’s cult became dominant — Anubis was considered the chief god of the dead. Over time, Osiris rose as the ruler of Duat and Anubis’s role shifted to that of guide and intermediary. But far from being diminished, Anubis’s purpose became more defined and revered.

In the Book of the Dead, it is Anubis who escorts the soul to the judgment hall where Osiris presides. Without him, the dead would never find their way to justice.

He is the threshold guardian — the one who prevents the soul from being lost on the edge of eternity.

Priests of Anubis and Sacred Death Rituals

Priests of Anubis often wore jackal masks during funerary ceremonies. They oversaw each stage of embalming, reciting spells from the Book of the Dead.

Tomb paintings frequently show Anubis standing over the body of the deceased, placing his hand on the chest — a magical gesture ensuring safe passage.

In the Temple of Osiris at Abydos, special chambers were dedicated to Anubis, where mummified sacred jackals were kept and worshipped as living embodiments of the god.

Symbol of Transition and Eternal Order

Anubis left a lasting mark on Egyptian mythology as the protector of transitions — from life to death, chaos to order. His key symbols include the black jackal head (black representing the fertile Nile soil and resurrection), the priest’s sash, and the scales of justice.

Though Osiris eventually became the god of the dead, Anubis remained central to funerary rites. He does not embody death itself — he embodies what follows it: the path, the preparation, the dignity of the soul.

Modern pop culture often distorts his image into that of a “dark god” or a demon, but in truth, Anubis is a guardian. He represents not fear, but guidance.

Institutions like the Egyptian Museum in Cairo preserve his statues, ritual scenes, and papyri featuring the weighing of the heart — all studied by scholars and admired worldwide.