Of all the gods in the Egyptian pantheon, Anubis is arguably the most instantly recognizable outside of Egypt itself — the jackal-headed guardian of the dead has appeared in everything from tomb paintings to modern films. Here's the real mythology behind him, and the different ways he shows up in our statue collection.
Who was Anubis?
Anubis was the god most closely tied to mummification, funerary rites, and the protection of graves. Long before Osiris took over as ruler of the underworld in later mythology, Anubis held that role — which is part of why he's depicted so often at tomb entrances, standing guard over the dead.
The weighing of the heart
In the Egyptian Book of the Dead, Anubis is the god who oversees the "weighing of the heart" ceremony — placing the deceased's heart on a scale against the feather of Ma'at, goddess of truth and balance. A heart lighter than the feather meant passage to the afterlife; a heavier heart meant the soul was devoured by Ammit, part-crocodile, part-lion, part-hippo.
Why the jackal?
Jackals were commonly seen scavenging near desert burial sites in ancient Egypt, which likely led early Egyptians to associate the animal with the dead and, eventually, to cast it as a protective force rather than a threat — a guardian rather than a scavenger.
Standing guardian vs. recumbent guardian
Anubis appears in two classic poses across ancient Egyptian art, and both are represented in our collection. The Anubis Bronze Statue shows him standing, staff in hand, in the pose most associated with active protection. The Anubis Guardian Trio and the Lord of the West figurine both depict the recumbent form found flanking tomb entrances — alert but at rest, the pose most associated with eternal watchfulness.
Displaying an Anubis statue at home
Because Anubis is so visually distinct — dark, angular, unmistakably a jackal — he tends to work best as a standalone piece rather than crowded next to other decor. A single Anubis statue on a shelf or entryway table reads as a deliberate design choice rather than a random souvenir.