(back to Egyptian deities and creatures)
Anubis is seen as a god with a jackal head, but unlike real jackals his head is black to represent his position as a god of the dead.
Anubis is an old god, and was the origional god of the dead before Osiris. When Osiris came into Egyptian mythology, Anubis became one of Osiris' many sons. According to which version you listen to, either Osiris' wife, Isis is his mother, or is it Nephthys, who drugged and seduced Osiris in which case she is Anubis' mother.
Although he is no longer the god of the dead, he is still keeper and carries many duties. He watches over the mummification process, conducts souls into the underworld, and weighs the hearts of the dead against the weight of the feather of Ma'at, and those who fail the test he feed to Ammut.
other sources suggest Anubis was not borne of Osiris but Ra instead. Perhaps different areas believed different things.
