Anubis and Hades are not the same figure, and the direct answer is that Anubis is an Egyptian god of mummification and the afterlife, while Hades is the Greek god of the underworld and ruler of the dead. They come from completely different cultures, with different roles, appearances, and myths. Anubis guides souls and protects tombs, whereas Hades governs the realm where all Greek souls go after death.
Who Is Anubis?
Anubis is one of the most recognizable deities of ancient Egypt, typically depicted as a man with the head of a jackal or as a full jackal. His name in Egyptian, Inpu, may be related to the word for “royal child” or “to decay,” though the exact etymology is debated. He is associated with the necropolis, the city of the dead, and with the process of mummification.
In the Pyramid Texts, the oldest Egyptian religious texts, Anubis is called “he who is upon his mountain,” meaning he watches over the desert cliffs where tombs were cut. He was believed to protect the deceased and to oversee the wrapping of the body. Later, during the New Kingdom, he was also shown as the one who leads the deceased into the Hall of Two Truths for judgment.
Who Is Hades?
Hades is the ancient Greek god of the underworld, one of the three sons of the Titans Cronus and Rhea, along with Zeus and Poseidon. In the division of the cosmos after the Titanomachy, Hades received the underworld, Zeus the sky, and Poseidon the sea. He is often called by his epithet Plouton, meaning “wealth,” because the earth’s precious metals and crops come from beneath the ground.
Unlike Anubis, Hades is not a guide or a judge of souls. He is a king who rules over the dead, but he rarely interacts with them. In Greek mythology, he is mostly known for abducting Persephone to be his queen, a story that explains the seasons. He is also the owner of Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guards the entrance to his realm.
Roles and Duties: Guide vs. Ruler
The core difference is their function. Anubis is an active participant in the journey of the dead. He performs the “Opening of the Mouth” ceremony on mummies, which was believed to restore the senses for the afterlife. He also weighs the heart of the deceased against the feather of Ma’at, the goddess of truth and justice, in the Hall of Two Truths. If the heart is lighter than the feather, the soul is worthy; if heavier, it is devoured by the monster Ammit.
Hades, by contrast, is a passive ruler. He rarely judges souls; that task is given to three judges—Minos, Rhadamanthys, and Aeacus—in later Greek tradition. Hades simply maintains the order of his realm. He is not evil, but he is strict and unyielding. His name itself came to mean “the underworld” in everyday Greek, so people would say “going to Hades” meaning “going to the place of the dead.”
Appearance and Symbols
Anubis is almost always depicted as a black jackal or a man with a jackal head. The color black was not a symbol of death but of fertility and rebirth, because black Nile mud was the source of life. He holds a was scepter (a staff with an animal head) and an ankh, the symbol of life.
Hades, on the other hand, is usually shown as a bearded man with dark hair, holding a two-pronged staff or a scepter, and often seated on a throne. He is sometimes shown with Cerberus at his side. He wears a kore or a helmet that makes him invisible, a gift from the Cyclopes during the Titanomachy. His symbols include the cornucopia, the key of the underworld, and the cypress tree.
Myths and Stories
Anubis appears in several key Egyptian myths. In the Osiris myth, Anubis helps Isis and Nephthys embalm Osiris after he is killed by Set. This act is said to have established the first mummification, and Anubis became the patron of embalmers. In another story, Anubis is the son of Osiris and Nephthys, though the details vary: some say Nephthys disguised herself as Isis to seduce Osiris, and Anubis was born from that union.
Hades is central to the myth of Persephone. He abducts her while she is picking flowers, and her mother Demeter, goddess of the harvest, causes a famine until Persephone is returned. Because Persephone had eaten pomegranate seeds in the underworld, she must return for part of each year, creating winter. Hades also appears in the story of Orpheus, who tries to bring his wife Eurydice back from the dead. Hades is moved by Orpheus’s music and allows Eurydice to leave, but on the condition that Orpheus not look back until they reach the surface—which he fails to do.
Worship and Cults
Anubis was widely worshipped in Egypt, with his cult center at Cynopolis (the city of the dog) in Upper Egypt. He was also invoked in prayers for the dead and in funeral rites. During the Greco-Roman period, Anubis was merged with the Greek god Hermes to form Hermanubis, who was depicted as a jackal-headed man with a caduceus.
Hades was rarely worshipped in Greece. He had a few temples, such as the one at Elis, but most Greeks avoided saying his name out of fear. Instead, they used euphemisms like “Plouton” to refer to him. His only major cult was at the Nekromanteion in Epirus, a ritual site where people went to communicate with the dead. Unlike Anubis, Hades had no festivals in his honor, and no priests dedicated to him.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is more powerful, Anubis or Hades?
There is no objective answer because they come from different mythologies. In their own traditions, Hades is one of the three supreme gods, ruling an entire realm, while Anubis is a specialized deity who serves the supreme god Osiris. In a direct comparison, Hades has more authority over the dead, but Anubis has a more active role in the judgment process.
Are Anubis and Hades the same god?
No. They are from different cultures and have different origins, appearances, and functions. Anubis is Egyptian, Hades is Greek. They were only linked in later Greco-Roman syncretism, where Anubis was sometimes identified with Hermes, not Hades.
Who judges the dead in Greek mythology?
In Greek mythology, the dead are judged by three heroes: Minos, Rhadamanthys, and Aeacus. They decide whether souls go to the Elysian Fields, the Asphodel Meadows, or Tartarus. Hades does not judge; he only rules.
What does Anubis weigh the heart against?
Anubis weighs the heart of the deceased against the feather of Ma’at, which represents truth and justice. If the heart is lighter than the feather, the soul is worthy and can enter the afterlife. If it is heavier, it is devoured by Ammit, a creature that is part lion, hippopotamus, and crocodile.
Is Hades evil?
No. Hades is not evil in Greek mythology. He is stern and unyielding, but he is also just and fair. He does not torment souls; he simply maintains order. He is often confused with the devil in later interpretations, but that is a Christian idea, not a Greek one.
Who is Anubis’s father?
In the most common myth, Anubis is the son of Osiris and Nephthys, though some versions say he is the son of Osiris and Isis. His mother is often given as Nephthys, but the story varies. In some texts, he is simply the son of Ra, the sun god.
Conclusion
Anubis and Hades are both death gods, but they are fundamentally different. Anubis is a protector and guide, involved in the rituals of burial and the judgment of souls. Hades is a ruler, a king of the dead who maintains order in his realm. Understanding these differences helps clarify the distinct ways ancient Egyptians and Greeks viewed death and the afterlife.
Related
- Tantalus in Mythology: Crime and Eternal Punishment
- Prometheus in Mythology: Origins & Myth
- Twin Gods in Mythology: Divine Pairs Across Cultures
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