Jackal-headed Anubis was one of the oldest gods associated with death and mummification in ancient Egyptian history. He is a guardian god who watches over the dead and is often portrayed on tomb walls as presiding over mummification rituals or funerals. Anubis was also the god of the underworld and a judge of hearts weighing their weight against a feather that represented the truth. If the heart was lighter than the feather, Anubis took the soul to live in the afterlife with Osiris and Nephthys and to the Hall of Two Truths to be weighed against Ammit, the lion-god, for a final decision on whether they entered the perfect afterlife or were sent into the bleak, cold Underworld. As a guardian of tombs, Anubis was also credited with the ability to enforce curses against those who entered them. These curses were sometimes so severe that people died when they entered the tombs. Anubis is often accompanied by his daughter Qebhet, the goddess of cooling water who brought comfort to the dead. She is also associated with a hawk-like creature named Sekhmet who was the wife of the god Thoth and a guardian goddess. There are many statues and monuments dedicated to Anubis around the world. Anubis Temple, which sits behind a black front gate and is surrounded by stone pyramids, is a particularly eerie example. It’s no wonder the mystery surrounding this place has spawned such speculation.
