Anubis is the ancient Egyptian god usually shown with a black jackal head who guarded the dead.
Egyptians associated Anubis with cemeteries, embalming, tomb protection, and the transition from life to the afterlife. His black coloring was linked both to the dark appearance of preserved bodies and to the fertile black soil of the Nile Valley, which symbolized regeneration.
Anubis was not simply a god of death. In funerary scenes, he is often shown supervising mummification or guiding the deceased before the judgment of the dead. He also played a central role in the weighing of the heart, where a person's moral character was tested.
A common mix-up is to identify Anubis as the ruler of the afterlife. That role is more closely associated with Osiris. Anubis functioned primarily as protector, embalmer, guide, and guardian during the dangerous passage into the next world.