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of Nephthys, who abandoned him. Her sister, Isis, adopted Anubis.
Osiris, husband of Isis, was murdered by their brother Seth, so Anubis
initiated the funeral rites for the god and embalmed his body.
Anubis escorted the souls of the dead into Ameniti, the Egyptian underworld
presided over by Osiris.
After Judgement was passed on the souls, Anubis weighed the hearts of
the dead and this was recorded by Thoth, god of the moon, wisdom and
learning, usually depicted with the head of a sacred ibis. If the weight
of the heart fell short, the soul was devoured by the Ammit or Amenait,
the Devourer, part crocodile with the limbs of other beasts.
Anubis is usually depicted as a man with the head of a jackal or dog,
or represented as a black jackal or dog with a bushy tail. He is mainly
seen at the court of Osiris, weighing the hearts of the dead, often
against the figure or ostrich feather of Mayet, the goddess of truth
and justice.
The Greeks identified Anubis with their own Hermes, messenger to the
gods and guide for the living and dead. They adopted Anubis into their
gods' pantheon where he became Hermanubis.
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