Anubis
Earth Culture of Origin
Egypt
Alternate Names / Spellings
Anpu, Inpu, Ienpw, Imeut (Lord-of-the-Place-of-Embalming)
Presides Over
Mummification and the dead as they pass into the afterlife
Personal Symbols
Usually depicted as having the head of a jackal
Earth Mythological References
Because Anubis is one of the most ancient of the Egyptian gods, there is some confusion as to his lineage. Some stories have Anubis as the son of Ra and Nephthys; some say Seth and Nephthys (the connection to Seth attributed their sharing of the same totem animal, the jackal). Others have Heset as his mother, and still others say Bastet. Anubis also has a daughter named Kabechet. She is said to help with the mummification process.
Anubis was the original god of the dead before Osiris assumed that role. After that, Anubis' role changed to that of a guide leading dead souls to the underworld. His symbol, the jackal, is attributed to the animals of the same name said to have hunted at the edges of the desert near the necropolis and cemeteries throughout Egypt.
Ancient tombs in Egypt are inscribed with prayers to Anubis. They tell of Anubis watching over the mummification process to ensure it is done properly. As he conducts the souls through the underworld, he tests their knowledge of the gods and their faith. He places their heart on the Scales of Justice during the Judging of the Heart against the Feather of Maat, and he feeds the souls of wicked people to Ammit. Those souls whose hearts are judged favorably are led to
Stargate References
In 5.09 "Between Two Fires", Anubis was the unnamed mysterious and powerful Goa'uld responsible for despatching Tanith to Tollana with a ship equipped with newly acquired advanced weaponry capable of destroying even that advanced society. Tanith managed to force the cooperation of the Tollan Curria (their governing counsel) to acquire trinium, a critical element needed to create a weapon of mass destruction, intended to wreak havoc across the galaxy with Earth as its first target.
In the two-parter 5.15 "Summit Part 1"/5.16 "Last Stand Part 2", several major Goa'uld System Lords convene at a Summit where Osiris reveals that Anubis has returned and is the mysterious Goa'uld who had been wreaking havoc across the galaxy. Again, Anubis makes no appearance with Osiris acting as his representative. On his behalf, she seeks restoration of his status as System Lord. Threats, and an assurance that Anubis' forces led by Zipacna are in the process of destroying the Tok'ra home base, secure the cooperation of all System Lords except Yu.
Osiris is again acting as Anubis' agent in attacking an Asgard Protected Planet in 5.22 "Revelations". Thor attempted to intervene, however his ship was destroyed and he was captured and tortured for information, which Osiris managed to acquire for Anubis via a mind probe.
Episodes
- 5.09 "Between Two Fires"
- 5.15 "Summit Part 1"
- 5.16 "Last Stand Part 2"
- 5.22 "Revelations"
- 6.01 Redemption Part 1"
- 6.02 Redemption Part 2"
- 6.08 "The Other Guys"
- 6.09 "Allegiance"
- 6.17 "Disclosure"
- 6.22 "Full Circle"
- 7.01 "Fallen Part 1"
- 7.02 "Homecoming Part 2"
- 7.11 "Evolution Part 1"
- 7.12 "Evolution Part 2"
- 7.16 "Death Knell"
- 7.17 "Heroes Part 1"
- 7.18 "Heroes Part 2"
- 7.20 "Inauguration"
- 7.21 "Lost City Part 1"
- 7.22 "Lost City Part 2"
- 8.03 "Lockdown"
Related Characters
Related Articles
Further Reading
Actor
--DeeKayP 18:13, 10 Jul 2004 (PDT)