SMITE: Demigods, Deities and Gods Explained – Anubis

SMITE: Demigods, Deities and Gods Explained is a new column dedicated to introducing prospective players of SMITE to its massive back story of lore. From the Greek to Hindi, each week we’ll look at two characters from a major pantheon and provide a quick recap of their history and in what capacity their digital incarnation will represent on the field of Hi-Rez Studios upcoming MOBA.

Lore: Anubis – Anapa in Egyptian – is the jackal-headed son of Nephthys and is most closely related with the Egyptian process of mummification and thus, the afterlife. The association is strengthened further in hieroglyphics, which sees a jackal, Anubis’ animal form, sitting atop a tomb. In addition to protecting those during their travel to Datu, the underworld, Anubis was the “Guardian of Scales”, weighing the fate of the soul of the deceased.

His parentage is complicated, changing depending on the timeframe and legend of the texts. In the earliest texts, Anubis was of Ra’s seed. Later texts claim the father as Osiris. A near-equal amount attribute his patronage to that of Osiris’ brother, Set. Murkier still, one legend claims that Nephthys used alcohol to seduce Osiris, another that his mother impersonated Isis for the same purpose.

Hit the jump for the rest of Anubis’ lore and how it’s used in-game.

Anubis, actually a Greek name, was associated with Greek and Roman mythology in various capacities, despite the cultures considering the half-animal gods of Egypt as primitive.

In-Game: Anubis is a ranged spellcaster that makes full use of his embalming and underworld knowledge. Donning his full jackal appearance, Anubis also possesses personal movement bonuses and attacks, such as Death from Below.

Further reading:

• Anubis on Wikipedia
• Egyptian Mythology on Wikipedia
• Myth of Osiris, Isis and Set
• Book of the Dead

Head over to SMITE: Demigods, Deities and Gods Explained for access to details for all of the playable characters.