Anubis
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| Name | Anubis |
| Actor | Sean Amsing |
| Dates | |
| Location | |
| Occupation | Egyptian God of Embalming and the Dead Soul accountant |
| Episode(s) | 14.08 Byzantium |
History
Anubis is the Egyptian god of the dead and son to Osiris. The Ancient Egyptians believed that when a person died, Anubis would weigh their heart on his scale against justice's feather. When God first absconded from Heaven, the angels needed a new judge to ensure souls go to their proper destination upon death and enlisted Anubis over his father to be "Guardian of the Dead."
He has also claimed to have come across Sam and Dean Winchester's files many times, due their constantly dying.
Along with Atropos and her sisters, Anubis is one of the only other pagan deities that is known to work with Heaven to help maintain the natural order in the absence of God.
Characteristics
While depicted as a large humanoid figure with the head of a jackal, weighing a human heart against a feather. Anubis takes on the form of a well dressed Middle Eastern man when summoned by the Winchesters. Even after being trapped by the Winchesters, Anubis shows a calm and civil personality, speaking to the Winchesters in a matter of fact way regarding their situation, only vaguely threating how keeping him trapped might change their fates. As well as choosing not to retaliate against the brothers for trapping him. Anubis later shows sympathy and joy for Lily Sunder being reunited with her daughter, making Anubis one of the few deities that does not show a sense of superiority over humanity.
Describing himself as more an accountant, and a "back of house" type, allowing Death and the reapers to handle the face to face reaping of souls. Anubis employs an abacus, which tallies up a person's choices in life at the precise moment of their death, it's those choices that ultimately dictate where a human soul goes upon death and not something Anubis can change.
Powers and abilities
- Immortality – As a deity, Anubis is extremely long lived.
- Soul reading – With the use of his abacus, Anubis measures a person's good and bad deeds, which determine whether they will end up in Heaven or Hell. This is determined by the number of white or black beads that appear on the abacus. If there are more white than black, a person's soul will gain entry to Heaven, and vice versa for Hell.
- Teleportation – Anubis has the ability to travel wherever he wishes.
Weaknesses
- Foinikélaio – Lore states that Anubis can be trapped with a simple ring of foinikélaio aka palm oil.
Episodes
14.08 Byzantium
When agreeing to try and get Lily Sunder into Heaven for her help in resurrecting Jack. Castiel reveals that in the wake of God's absence, the angels brought in Anubis to act as Heaven's new judge of souls. Summoning him to the Bunker, Lily Sunder tells him she needs to know where she will go when she dies, finding it unorthodox and against protocol, Anubis nevertheless agrees and produces an abacus. He takes Lily's hand and places it on the abacus, which begins to tally the choices of her life, ending with more black beads than white, meaning she is destined for Hell.
Sam and Dean demand that he change it and allow Lily into Heaven, revealing they have trapped him in a ring of palm oil. Anubis explains to the Winchesters and Lily that not he nor God has any real control over where a soul ends up, but that it's the choices a person makes in their lives that decide. Unperturbed, Anubis tells the Winchesters they can keep him trapped or kill him, but that it won't change Lily's fate, but may end up changing theirs, which causes Sam to reluctantly break the sigil trapping Anubis and allowing him to leave.
Upon Lily Sunder's death, she finds herself in Anubis' office, confused. Anubis offers her his abacus once more, where this time the beads end up with more white than black. Asking if Lily knew what the spell would cost her, and seeing that she did. Anubis tells Lily to say "hello" to her daughter for him.
Apocrypha
- In Supernatural: Carved in Flesh, a grieving father uses a ritual with a statuette of Anubis to resurrect his deceased daughter. However, the daughter comes back as some form of zombie.
- The non-canon novel Supernatural: Children of Anubis also features a version of Anubis. However, this is not the Anubis from canon, displaying different characteristics. At the end of the novel, which takes place between 12.05 The One You've Been Waiting For and 12.06 Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox, Anubis is killed by Garth while he is still alive in canon.
Anubis in Lore
Anubis is the son of Osiris and Isis and the Egyptian god associated with mummification and guardian of the afterlife. He attended the "Weighing of the Heart" ceremony and was lord of the underworld until he was replaced by Osiris, who Anubis embalmed after he was killed by Seth. Anubis was considered a psychopomp, a guide of newly deceased souls.
