Anubis Underworld
~§~ Dreaming ~§~
~§~ As the guide of the dead through the Underworld,
Anubis can be regarded as your guide through all life passages.
He holds the divine scepter carried by Kings and gods.
~§~ Anubis is associated with Magic, particularly divination,
was credited with the ability to see an individual's destiny;
his image was on the bottom of divination bowls so that seers would be guided
by him and the secrets of the future would be revealed.
He was the one who led the dead to the afterlife,
helping them steer clear of hazards on the long journey to the Land of the West.
Anubis could be said to be the result of the union of you with your hidden
inner self.
~§~ In the funerary ceremonies of the
ancient Egyptians, a prayer/evocation to Anubis was recited. The face of the
deceased was likened to the face of Anubis, and his voice to the voice of
Anubis. Thus we learn that the true visage of the jackal-headed god was as a
death mask to behold, and also that in some sense Anubis may be thought of as a
speaker for the dead, a courier of last words and final wishes. It would seem
that in this respect, his duties are not dissimilar to those of Djhewty's
profession; but rather than acting as a messenger and scribe to the gods
themselves, Anubis serves the dead as a recorder of their deeds and as a final
spokesman on their behalf in the halls of Judgement. In his later role as the
"conductor of souls," he was sometimes identified by the Greco-Roman
world with the Greek Hermes in the composite deity Hermanubis. In his early
history the rites of Anubis were the domain of the king alone, but as time
passed he became the god of death for all members of the community.
~§~ Anubis is the bastard child of
Nephthys (or Nebt-Het), born of her clandestine union with Osiris (or Asar) but
raised as the son of Set (or Suti). One myth says that Nephthys got Osiris drunk
and the resultant seduction brought forth Anubis. Another says she disguised
herself as Isis and seduced Osiris and subsequently gave birth to Anubis.
~§~ As he grew to manhood it became
obvious that Anubis was not like his birth father, showing a streak of
melancholic compassion that could only be attributed to the blood of his true
and secret father. Anubis was cast out when his true nature was discovered, and
left to his own solitary devices.
~§~ After Anubis was cast out from his home, he became the haunter of dark
and lonely places, a wanderer through the shadow-realm between life and death.
He bears witness to the darker side of mortality. He seeks out those lost souls
who find themselves without guidance after their demise.
All who die will eventually find themselves in the presence of this enigmatic god,
who silently will lead them away from this world and to the gates of the next.
© 2000 Raven Corvus
