Statues of Anubis, the god of embalming, often appeared in tombs.
The ancient Egyptians took death very seriously. They were a pantheistic society, believing in many gods, and death rituals, particularly for a pharaoh, were long and complicated. The ancient Egyptian idea of the afterlife mixed spiritual and physical elements. The ba, similar to the modern concept of a soul, ascended to their idea of heaven, but the body needed to be preserved to allow for continued existence after death. Therefore, the process of mummification and burial was religious as well as practical.
Anubis
One of the primary gods associated with funerals was Anubis, usually depicted with the body of a man and the head of a jackal. Egyptian lore states that Anubis created the first mummy and so became the god of embalming. A priest dressed as Anubis represented the god during the wrapping of the body in burial preparations and the opening of the mouth ceremony that allowed the dead to speak in the afterlife. Anubis also helped decide which souls received eternal life by supervising the weighing of the heart ceremony.
Osiris
The god Osiris also figured into ancient Egyptian funerals since he is the god of the underworld, dead, resurrection and eternal life. An ancient myth explains that Osiris, the first pharaoh of Egypt, was killed by his brother and chopped up into pieces. His wife found all the pieces, and with the help of Anubis put him back together as the first mummy. He ruled the land of the dead and also served as judge and protector of the deceased.
Others
Other ancient Egyptian deities are associated with funerals. For instance, embalmers removed internal organs and saved them in jars placed in the tomb with the mummy, and each jar had a protector. For instance, Hapi guarded the lungs, Qebhsenuef the intestines, Duamutef the stomach and Amset the liver. Sometimes gods used different names depending upon their purpose, as well. For example, when Osiris judged the dead, his name was sometimes given as Un-nefer. Maat, goddess of truth and justice, is connected with funerals since her feather balances with the deceased's heart on the scales of justice.
Tombs
Ancient Egyptians included pictures, writings and statues of the gods in the tombs because they believed anything depicted in the tomb would occur in the afterlife. Success at the weighing of the heart ceremony often appeared as a painting on tomb walls, so Anubis and Osiris turned up often. Osiris statues and paintings protected the deceased and the tomb. The canopic jars containing the deceased's organs sat near the mummy and sometimes contained depictions of the appropriate gods or were shaped like them, so they also appeared.
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