In ancient Egyptian religion, Imsety protected the liver in a canopic jar.
Imsety was one of the Four Sons of Horus, a group of funerary deities responsible for safeguarding organs removed during mummification. Imsety was usually represented with a human head and was linked with the liver. His canopic jar formed part of the protective equipment placed with the deceased.
The other three sons had distinct assignments: Hapi guarded the lungs, Duamutef guarded the stomach, and Qebehsenuef guarded the intestines. These pairings are useful for distinguishing the deities, since all four belonged to the same funerary system.
The liver was significant because Egyptians viewed the body as a physical and spiritual whole that had to be preserved for continued life. Although Anubis supervised the broader embalming process in religious imagery, he was not the specific guardian of the liver. That responsibility belonged to Imsety.