The ancient Egyptian god of the dead and mummification, typically pictured with the head of a jackal.
From Greek 'Anoubis', which came from the Egyptian name 'Inpu' or 'Anpu'. The god was associated with jackals because they were seen around cemeteries in ancient Egypt, making them connected to death and the afterlife.
Anubis reveals how ancient Egyptians created explanations from what they observed—they saw jackals hanging around burial sites scavenging, so they made the jackal god the guardian of the dead! That's turning a scary animal into a spiritual protector.
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