Anti (mythology) 58

Anti (mythology)
In Egyptian mythology, Anti (Antaeus in Greek, but probably not connected to the Antaeus in Greek mythology)
was a god whose worship centred at Antaeopolis, in the northern part of Upper Egypt.
His worship is quite ancient, dating from at least the 2nd dynasty, at which point he already had priests dedicated to
his cult. Originally, Anti appears to have been the patron of the ancient area around Badari, which was the centre of
the cult of Horus. Due to lack of surviving information, it is not very well known what the original function of Anti
was, or whether he was more than just a title of Horus referring to some specific function.[1]
Over time, he became considered simply as the god of ferrymen, and was consequently depicted as a falcon standing
on a boat, a reference to Horus, who was originally considered as a falcon. As god of ferrymen, he gained the title
Nemty, meaning (one who) travels. His later cult centre Antaeopolis was known as Per-Nemty (House of Nemty).
Anti appears in the tale The Contendings of Horus and Seth which describes the settlement of the inheritance of
Osiris, seen as a metaphor for the conquest of Lower Egypt by Upper Egypt (whose patron was Seth), at the
beginning of the Old Kingdom. In this tale, one of Seth's attempts to gain power consists of his gathering together
the gods, and providing good arguments, convincing all of them (in later traditions, all except Thoth). Seth fears
magical intervention by Isis, Horus' wife (in early Egyptian mythology), and so holds the gathering on an island,
instructing Anti not to allow anyone resembling Isis to be ferried there. However, Isis disguises herself as an old
woman, and unknowingly Anti takes her across after being paid a gold ring, having rejected the first offer of gruel,
resulting in the disruption of the council by her use of magic. Anti is punished for his error, by having his toes cut
off, which is more severe than it appears, since as a falcon, he would no longer be able to perch, and thus would not
be able to reside on the boat.[2]

References
[1] Toby A. H. Wilkinson, Early Dynastic Egypt, Routledge 1999, ISBN 0-415-26011-6, p.315
[2] "The Contendings of Horus and Seth" in William Kelly Simpson (ed.), The Literature of Ancient Egypt, 1972
Anubis 59

Anubis
Anubis

The Egyptian god Anubis (a modern rendition inspired by New Kingdom tomb paintings)

[1]
Protector of the dead and embalming

Name in hieroglyphs

Major cult center Lycopolis, Cynopolis

Symbol the fetish, the flail

Consort Anput

Parents Ra (early myth)

Nephthys and Set, or Osiris (in some accounts) (later)

Siblings Horus (in some accounts)

Offspring Kebechet

Anubis (/əˈnuːbəs/ or /əˈnjuːbəs/;[2] Ancient Greek: Ἄνουβις) is the Greek name[3] for a jackal-headed god
associated with mummification and the afterlife in ancient Egyptian religion. He is the son of Nephthys and Set
according to the Egyptian mythology. According to the Akkadian transcription in the Amarna letters, Anubis' name
was vocalized in Egyptian as Anapa.[4] The oldest known mention of Anubis is in the Old Kingdom pyramid texts,
where he is associated with the burial of the pharaoh.[] At this time, Anubis was the most important god of the dead
but he was replaced during the Middle Kingdom by Osiris.[5]
He takes names in connection with his funerary role, such as He who is upon his mountain, which underscores his
importance as a protector of the deceased and their tombs, and the title He who is in the place of embalming,
associating him with the process of mummification.[] Like many ancient Egyptian deities, Anubis assumes different
roles in various contexts. Anubis also attends the weighing scale in the Afterlife during the "Weighing Of The
Heart".[6] Anubis' wife is a goddess called Anput. His daughter is the goddess Kebechet.
Anubis 60

Portrayal
Anubis was associated with the mummification and protection of the dead for their journey into the afterlife. He was
usually portrayed as a half human, half jackal, or in full jackal form wearing a ribbon and holding a flail in the crook
of its arm.[] The jackal [Note: recent genetic studies show that the Egyptian jackal is actually a form of the grey wolf
and has thus been renamed the "Egyptian Wolf"[]] was strongly associated with cemeteries in ancient Egypt, since it
was a scavenger which threatened to uncover human bodies and eat their flesh.[7] The distinctive black color of
Anubis "did not have to do with the jackal [per se] but with the color of rotting flesh and with the black soil of the
Nile valley, symbolizing rebirth."[7] The only known depiction of him in fully human form is in the tomb of
Ramesses II in Abydos.[8]
Anubis is depicted in funerary contexts where he is shown attending to the mummies of the deceased or sitting atop a
tomb protecting it. In fact, during embalming, the "head embalmer" wore an Anubis costume. The critical weighing
of the heart scene in the Book of the Dead also shows Anubis performing the measurement that determined the
worthiness of the deceased to enter the realm of the dead (the underworld, known as Duat). New Kingdom
tomb-seals also depict Anubis sitting atop the nine bows that symbolize his domination over the enemies of Egypt.[]

Embalmer
One of the roles of Anubis was "Guardian of the Scales".[9] Deciding the weight of "truth" by weighing the Heart
against Ma'at, who was often depicted as an ostrich feather, Anubis dictated the fate of souls. In this manner, he was
a Lord of the Underworld, only usurped by Osiris.
Anubis is a son of Ra in early myths, but later he became known as son of Set and Nephthys, and he helped Isis
mummify Osiris.[7] Indeed, when the Myth of Osiris and Isis emerged, it was said that when Osiris had been killed
by Set, Osiris' organs were given to Anubis as a gift. With this connection, Anubis became the patron god of
embalmers: during the funerary rites of mummification, illustrations from the Book of the Dead often show a priest
wearing the jackal mask supporting the upright mummy.

Perceptions outside Egypt

In later times, during the Ptolemaic period, Anubis was merged with the Greek god Hermes, becoming
[10]
Hermanubis. The centre of this cult was in uten-ha/Sa-ka/ Cynopolis, a place whose Greek name simply means
"city of dogs". In Book XI of "The Golden Ass" by Apuleius, we find evidence that the worship of this god was
maintained in Rome at least up to the 2nd century. Indeed, Hermanubis also appears in the alchemical and hermetical
literature of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
Although the Greeks and Romans typically scorned Egypt's animal-headed gods as bizarre and primitive (Anubis
was known to be mockingly called "Barker" by the Greeks), Anubis was sometimes associated with Sirius in the
heavens, and Cerberus in Hades. In his dialogues,[11] Plato has Socrates utter, "by the dog" (kai me ton kuna), "by the
dog of Egypt", "by the dog, the god of the Egyptians",[12] for emphasis. Anubis is also known as the god of
mummification and death - unlike other jackals, Anubis' head was black to resemble his status as god of death.
Anubis 61

Birth
Usually, Anubis is portrayed as the son of Nephthys and Set, Osiris' brother and the god of the desert and darkness.
One myth says that Nephthys got Osiris drunk and the resultant seduction brought forth Anubis. Yet another says she
disguised herself as Isis and seduced Osiris and subsequently gave birth to Anubis.[]

Anubis statue from the Tomb of Anubis attending the mummy of Statue of Anubis mask,
Tutankhamun (Cairo Museum). the deceased. Hermanubis Roemer- und
(Vatican Pelizaeus-Museum
Museums) Hildesheim

A worshipper kneeling before

Anubis, Walters Art Museum

Misconceptions in Popular Media

The 2008 comic documentary Religulous refers to Anubis, as "Anup the Baptizer" and says that he performed
baptisms in Egyptian mythology. There is no evidence for baptism and it is widely held by Egyptologists that
Anubis' role was associated with the mummification and protection of the dead for their journey into the afterlife.
Anubis and Wepwawet (Upuaut) led the deceased to the halls of Maat where they would be judged. Anubis oversaw
the process and ensured that the weighing of the heart was conducted correctly. He then led the innocent on to a
heavenly existence and abandoned the guilty to Ammit.[13]
Anubis 62

Weighing of the heart

The weighing of the heart ceremony was an important factor of the Egyptian mythology. In this ceremony, the heart
was weighed by Anubis, against an ostrich feather representing Maat or truth. If the heart was heavier than the
feather the soul would be devoured by Ammit.[14]

References
[1] The Routledge Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses, G. Hart ISBN 0-415-34495-6,
[2] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition. Merriam-Webster, 2007. p. 56
[5] Charles Freeman, The Legacy of Ancient Egypt, Facts on File, Inc. 1997. p.91
[7] Freeman, op. cit., p.91
[8] http:/ / www. ancient-egypt. org/ index. html
[11] e.g. Republic 399e, 592a
[12] Gorgias, 482b
[14] http:/ / www. britishmuseum. org/ explore/ young_explorers/ discover/ museum_explorer/ ancient_egypt/ death/ weighing_the_heart. aspx

External links
• Anubis – Archaeowiki.org (http://www.archaeowiki.org/Anubis)
Anuket 63

Anuket
Anuket

The goddess Anuket, depicted as a woman with a tall, plumed headdress

Goddess of the river

Name in hieroglyphs

Major cult center Elephantine, Seheil

Parents Khnum and Satet

In Egyptian mythology, Anuket (also spelt Anqet, and in Greek, Anukis) was originally the personification and
goddess of the Nile river, in areas such as Elephantine, at the start of the Nile's journey through Egypt, and in nearby
regions of Nubia.
Anuket was part of a triad with the god Khnum, and the goddess Satis. It is possible that Anuket was considered the
daughter of Khnum and Satis in this triad, or she may have been a junior consort to Khnum instead. [1] Anuket was
depicted as a woman with a headdress of feathers [1] (thought by most Egyptologists to be a detail deriving from
Nubia). [citation needed] Her sacred animal was the gazelle.
A temple dedicated to Anuket was erected on the Island of Seheil. Inscriptions show that a shrine or altar was
dedicated to her at this site by the 13th dynasty Pharaoh Sobekhotep III. Much later, during the 18th dynasty,
Amenhotep II dedicated a chapel to the goddess. [2]
During the New Kingdom, Anuket’s cult at Elephantine included a river procession of the goddess during the first
month of Shemu. Inscriptions mention the processional festival of Khnum and Anuket during this time period. [3]
Ceremonially, when the Nile started its annual flood, the Festival of Anuket began. People threw coins, gold,
jewelry, and precious gifts into the river, in thanks for the life-giving water and returning benefits derived from the
wealth provided by her fertility to the goddess. The taboo held in several parts of Egypt, against eating certain fish
which were considered sacred, was lifted during this time, suggesting that a fish species of the Nile was a totem for
Anuket and that they were consumed as part of the ritual of her major religious festival.[citation needed]