Anubis

Anubis
Season(s)	14
Species	Deity
Status	Alive
Title/Alias	God of the Dead
Occupation	Judge of the Dead Egyptian God
Affiliation	Heaven The Natural Order Egyptian Pantheon (formerly)
Family	Osiris (father)
Portrayed by	Sean Amsing

“	Anubis. Guardian of the dead.	”
	— Castiel in Byzantium

Anubis is the Egyptian god of the dead and judgment. He is one of the very few deities that work with Heaven.

History

Background

“	The ancient Egyptians believed that when you die, Anubis would weigh your heart on his scale against Justice's feather.	”
	— Castiel in Byzantium

Anubis is the guardian of the dead and the son of Osiris. The Ancient Egyptians believed that when one dies Anubis would weigh their heart on his scale against Justice's feather. After the departure of God, Heaven needed a new judge of souls. Anubis was regarded as the obvious choice and was enlisted to work with Heaven to ensure that the souls met their proper destinations.

During his time, he often heard tales of Sam and Dean who died many times but were resurrected each time.

Season 14

Lily Sunder was approached by Sam and Castiel to help resurrect Jack after he had died. The former angel killer believed it was possible to bring the Nephilim back to life using Enochian magic through the use of his human soul. For her cooperation, Lily wanted to ensure that when she died, she would be granted entry into Heaven. Castiel informed them that Anubis was the one they needed to speak to.

After performing the ritual to summon the god, Anubis appeared before the Winchesters and Lily. The god was surprised as the Winchesters' "files" had come across his desk "many times". Anubis asks what they want to which Lily answers that she wants to know where she will be going when she dies. Anubis finds the request unorthodox and against protocol, but decides to comply with the request. Taking out an abacus, he has Lily hold out her hand over the item. After the abacus reads her soul, Anubis sadly states to Lily that he is sorry as the instrument indicates she is going to Hell.

Lily is distraught at this revelation, and the Winchester demands that he change it else he would be held captive. Anubis states that Lily's reading was a miscalculation, but he doesn't have the power to change it. Sam scoffs at that stating God has made several exceptions. Anubis rebukes that stating that God and him doesn't decide, only the person decides. Anubis states they could keep him their prisoner, and try and kill him but it won't change Lily's fate though it might change the Winchester's fates. Sam seeing it as a warning, reluctantly releases the god allowing him to teleport out of the Men of Letters Bunker.

Anubis later meets Lily, who sacrificed herself to resurrect Jack, in the afterlife in his domain. He asks Lily to allow him to read her soul again. The abacus reveals that her soul has been accepted into Heaven, that her selfless action in saving Jack allowed her to gain entry. He smiles at the overjoyed Lily and asks her to say hello to her daughter for him before Lily's soul departs for Heaven.

Physical Appearance

Anubis, like many other deities, had a human-like appearance. He took the form of a middle age adult man with short dark hair and brown skin. He was identified with the scale and the feather, however his tool to judge souls turns out to be an abacus.

Powers and Abilities

Anubis in his office.

Anubis is a powerful deity regarded as the judge of the dead, but describes himself more as an accountant. To his own admission he doesn't decide who goes to Heaven or Hell, but only calculates the measure of the soul based on its actions in life to the moment of death.

• Teleportation - Anubis had the ability to immediately appear or vanish into thin air. Since he works with Heaven, he is one of a few deities that can teleport there.
• Immortality - Anubis already existed at the time of God's departure, meaning he is thousands years old, and he retained the appearance and health of a middle age man. He has an infinite lifespan and is not subject to old age.
• Soul Reading - Anubis can measure a being's soul using his scale which ironically is an abacus.

Equipment

• His Abacus - Using it as a medium he can determine if one is worthy of Heaven or condemn to Hell. If the white beads on the abacus out count the black beads, then it indicates that the soul will go to Heaven. However if black beads out count the white, it means that the soul goes to Hell.

Weaknesses

• Palm Oil - According to the lore, Anubis can be bound in a ring of this substance. It was proven to be right when the Winchesters successfully used it to trap him.

Appearances

• Season 14
  • Byzantium
• Supernatural: Carved in Flesh (mentioned only)

Trivia

Anubis in lore.

• Anubis is usually portrayed as a man with a jackal's head.
• Anubis is one of the very few pagan deities that the Winchesters willingly set free and allowed to live.
• Anubis is quite a humble deity as he is comfortable in allowing Death and the reapers face-time while he handles things in the back and "got stuck with the paperwork".
• Despite the Winchesters incapacitating his father Osiris, he doesn't seem to hold it against them, even laughing at Dean's witty joke at his job in condemning souls.
• Along with Atropos, Clotho, Lachsis and Oblivion, he is one of the few pagan deities to be working with Heaven to maintain The Natural Order.
• He is one of the few deities that doesn't look down upon humans, as he was calm and civil when talking with the Winchesters and didn't show any aggression towards them, he also displayed kindness and sympathy towards Lily Sunder.
• Anubis is the first deity to appear both in the main series and novels. The Anubis that appears in Supernatural: Children of Anubis is an entirely separate character as he is a villain and is killed by Garth while this Anubis is still alive. The novel events take place after Season 12's The One You've Been Waiting For, two years before Byzantium.
• In Supernatural: Carved in Flesh, Walter Hansen uses a statuette of Anubis in an Egyptian ritual to resurrect his dead daughter Trish. However, she comes back as some form of zombie.