The Egyptian jackal, which may have been the inspiration for the god Anubis, is actually not a jackal at all but a wolf! Originally classified as a type of golden jackal, genetic research has shown that this animal is, in fact, close kin to the European and North American gray wolf.
What animal is Anubis?
Anubis was an ancient Egyptian god of the dead, represented as a jackal or a man with the head of a jackal.
Is the god Anubis a dog?
Anubis is the Greek name for the god of death, mummification, afterlife, tombs, and the underworld in the 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.
What Egyptian god is a wolf?
This deity appears in the Temple of Seti I at Abydos. In later Egyptian art, Wepwawet was depicted as a wolf or a jackal, or as a man with the head of a wolf or a jackal. Even when considered a jackal, Wepwawet usually was shown with grey, or white fur, reflecting his lupine origins.
Why is Anubis a dog?
The symbol of Anubis — a black canine or a muscular man with the head of a black jackal — the ancient Egyptian god of the dead was said to oversee every aspect of the process of dying. He facilitated mummification, protected the graves of the dead, and decided whether or not one's soul should be granted eternal life.
