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.
Was Anubis a jackal?
Egyptian civilization - Gods and goddesses - Anubis. Anubis was a jackal-headed deity who presided over the embalming process and accompanied dead kings in the afterworld. When kings were being judged by Osiris, Anubis placed their hearts on one side of a scale and a feather (representing Maat) on the other.
Is Anubis half jackal?
Anubis, also called Anpu, ancient Egyptian god of the dead, represented by a jackal or the figure of a man with the head of a jackal. In the Early Dynastic period and the Old Kingdom, he enjoyed a preeminent (though not exclusive) position as lord of the dead, but he was later overshadowed by Osiris.
Why does Anubis look like that?
Anubis was depicted in black, a color that symbolized regeneration, life, the soil of the Nile River, and the discoloration of the corpse after embalming. Anubis is associated with his brother Wepwawet, another Egyptian god portrayed with a dog's head or in canine form, but with grey or white fur.
What did Anubis look like?
He is depicted as a black canine, a jackal-dog hybrid with pointed ears, or as a muscular man with the head of a jackal. The color black was chosen for its symbolism, not because Egyptian dogs or jackals were black.
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