Statue of Anubis the god of death made of basalt stone

Anubis is the Greek name for the god of death, mummification, afterlife, tombs, and the underworld (duat) in ancient Egyptian religion. It is usually depicted as a dog or a man with a dog’s head. Archaeologists have concluded that the animal that was revered as Anubis was an Egyptian canine, the African jackal.

Anubis is depicted in black, the color symbolizing regeneration, life, the soil of the Nile River, and the corpse discoloration after embalming. Anubis is related to his brother Wawoot, another Egyptian deity, depicted with the head of a dog or in the form of a canine, but with gray or white fur. Historians assume that the two characters were eventually combined. The female counterpart of Anubis is Anput. His daughter is the goddess of snakes Kebechet, and possibly Amit.