Anubis: From a god to a movie star

Ever wonder who the patron god of the embalmers is? It was ANUBIS, an ancient Egyptian god as old as death itself. Egyptians depicted ANUBIS as the god with a figure of a man with the head of a jackal. People in ancient Egypt (c. 3150-2890 BCE) draw the figure of Anubis on the tomb to protect the remains of their loved ones. Before Osiris overshadowed the popularity of Anubis, the Ancient Egyptians eminently evoke his name as “He Who Is in place of Embalming.”

He came to a preeminent position because of a very skillful act he committed embalming the corpse of the god Osiris, who resurrected from the dead. Thus Egyptians who believed in the resurrection carefully and meticulously embalmed their dead. Although a popular deity, archaeologists have never found a single temple dedicated to Anubis. Archaeologists believed that the graveyards and tombs were the god’s shrine.

The 1900s archaeologist found the jackal-headed ANUBIS attached to a cross drawn in a servant’s room. From that discovery, experts surmised that the deity played an essential role in the religious activity of ancient Egypt. However, experts also added that the Coptic Christians in Egypt identified ANUBIS with Christ on account of the deity’s relation to preservation and resurrection of the dead

Often Anubis was drawn standing by the bier presiding over the process of embalming and before restoring the dead to life weight the heart in the balance of Truth if it has the right weight afterward escorting the dead to the presence of Osiris for judgment.

Among early Christians in Egypt during the fourth century, the efficacy of the belief on Anubis as the savior from death and everlasting was prevalent. A Coptic plague during the period depicted in the obverse Anubis standing on a dead woman's bier while the reverse bears an inscription “May she hasten to rise.” Anubis was one of the Egyptian deities early Christians strongly identified with Christ.

Today Anubis is found in Hollywood mostly appearing in movies such as The Return of the Mummy and The Mummy. He draws moviegoers and possesses a massive appeal that his statues adorned the Universal Studios thrill-ride in Singapore. Truly Anubis helped brought back to life Universal Studios Theme parks.