Item Size:  11.5" High      Type:  Wall Plaque  

Material:  Casting Stone, with Antique Stone Finish

Anubis, the Egyptian god of the dead, was represented with the head of a jackal or simply as a jackal. The ancient Egyptians believed Anubis opened the road to the other world and presided over embalmment. After a funeral, Anubis would take the deceased by the hand and introduce them into the presence of the sovereign judges, where the soul of the deceased would be weighed. He was also the guardian of the offerings brought to the ceremony by heirs of the deceased. When the body would be embalmed, a priest wearing a jackal mask acted as a representative of Anubis. At night, Anubis protected the mummy from evil forces. And he also served as guardian of the Sacred Esoteric Mysteries. It is thought that the origin of this god lay in the fact that jackals could be heard howling in the desert to the west of the Nile at sunset – the time when burials took place. In our relief here, adapted from ancient Egyptian imagery, Anubis is shown carrying the long Was scepter, along with the crook and flail, symbols of kingship.