Anubis Ink

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This very cool tattoo comes from the Flickrstream of ThisParticularGreg and is licensed by Creative Commons.

This tattoo features Anubis the jackal-headed Egyptian god of embalming and all things mummification. Being as he is so closely connected to death he is often linked with Osiris, ruler of the Underworld. This is largely because he was the original lord of the dead, a role later transposed to Osiris leaving Anubis in a slightly lesser role. Anubis is one of the oldest of all the Egyptian gods. We know this because many mastabas, ancient Egyptian tombs that predated pyramids by many, many years, feature his names (and there are many) carved into their stone walls. He is so old that his parentage is largely uncertain and varies greatly depending on the date of source material. He is not only in charge of mummification but he is also the protector of the dead who presents righteous souls to Osiris. Note the Ankh in his hand. When held by the loop, which originally represented the womb, this symbol of eternal life is meant to represent the key to the gates of death that would lead to immortality.