Anubis was the Egyptian deity who guarded cemeteries and protected mummies.
His connection with burial developed from the jackal’s presence around desert-edge cemeteries, where wild canids could threaten graves. By portraying a powerful jackal deity, Egyptian religion transformed a danger into a supernatural protector. Anubis was therefore associated with tomb security, embalming, and the care of the dead.
Anubis also received the deceased and supervised important moments in the passage to the afterlife. His black color symbolized preservation and regeneration rather than the natural coat of every jackal. Statues and painted scenes often show him as a reclining canid or as a human with a canid head.
Wepwawet, another Egyptian canid deity, is sometimes confused with Anubis because both could be represented in animal form. Wepwawet was linked especially with opening ways and military processions, while Anubis had the more specific funerary role of embalmer and guardian.