Anubis Tattoo Meaning Complete Guide with Manually Curated Tattoo Designs for You!

Today I want to introduce you to the Anubis symbol, one of the most important gods for ancient Egypt people.

This is what you are going to read on this guide:

• First, who was Anubis, the Egyptian god.
• All the meanings for Anubis, and all his elements.
• A lot of Anubis tattoos for you!

So, let’s start!

Who Was Anubis, the Egyptian God?

This is the first question we may answer, isn’t it?

Anubis was one of the important gods for Egyptian people, because he was related with the afterlife, and this concept was a huge thing in Ancient Egypt.

In fact, Anubis was too the god for mummification and for the judgement of souls.

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Anubis Hyper Realistic Tattoo

Here is the first example I want to show you for an amazing Anubis tattoo.

As you can see, done in hyper realistic tattoo style, with a lot of details, with two figures:

One of them is the face of Anubis and, the other, his standing figure near something like a doorgate inside a pyramid.

This wonderful tattoo is done by EJ Song. He works at Ganga Tattoo in Los Angeles, California, and he is focused on this fantastic hyper realism tattoo style I do love.

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What Did Anubis Look Like?

Usually, Anubis is represented like a humanoid figure, with a human body (mainly a man body) and the head of a jackal.

Moreover, his skin is black colored, and it was on that way because two things:

• The Nile Delta was very important for Egypt, because it is very fertile, and its sand it’s black.
• When the body is embalmed, the skin loses a lot of color, and it gets like black colored.

Some Anubis Key Facts

For Ancient Egyptian people, Anubis was responsible to embalm and to protect the dead.

Moreover, he was the one to guide the souls to the afterlife.

And, this is the very important part, Egyptian people thought there was a “Weighing of the Heart Ceremony”, so Anubis weighed the dead person’s heart (his life, you know) to determine if he or she can enter the afterlife.

In this ceremony, Anubis weighs the heart against the Feather of Justice (called Ma’at), a beautiful idea.

In the beginning, Anubis was the main Egyptian god of the dead, but then Osiris took his places and Anubis was like his assistant.

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Anubis Realistic Tattoo with Geometry

Here you can find another realistic tattoo, this time in fineline, of Anubis head, with some key elements for Ancient Egypt, like the eye of Ra, one ankh with wings, and some fantastic geometric elements.

In fact, geometric elements are a huge trend inside Anubis tattoos like another symbol.

This tattoo is done by Patrick Gavan, a marvelous tattoo artist based in Bristol, in the UK, focused on microrealism and fineline, and he have a wonderful portfolio at his Instagram account.

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Top 3 Anubis Tattoo Meanings

Now, let me introduce to you the top 3 meaning for Anubis tattoos:

The First Anubis Tattoo Meaning: He Is a Guardian!

For Ancient Egypt, Anubis was the guardian of the dead and the afterlife, and this is a huge challenge.

Because of this, the first meaning for an Anubis tattoo is as a guardian to protect the dead from evil spirits, and as a protector to guide you to the afterlife.

So, generally speaking, Anubis is a guardian.

Anubis Is for Justice too

But, as I told you a few lines ago, Anubis’ most beautiful ceremony is about weighing the hearts and, in this ceremony, he is the judge.

Because of this, another Anubis meaning is about being fair and moral, to be the real and perfect judge, you know what I mean.

Finally, Anubis Tattoo Is for Respecting the Dead

Anubis main task was to mummify the dead people, so an Anubis tattoo can represent respect for all the people who passed away, and, moreover, for ancestors.

So, if you want to make a tribute to someone who passed away, maybe an Anubis tattoo is the perfect one.

Some Meanings for Anubis Elements

But Anubis is usually represented with some elements, let me talk about them.

First, the Jackal Head Is Important

Jackals were related with cemeteries in Ancient Egypt and, because of this, Anubis has a jackal head.

Moreover, the pointed ears symbolize that Anubis can hear prayers of the deceased, and he is aware of this.

Finally, Anubis is represented with a large snout, because he can smell the evil.

Anubis Is Black Colored

This is not artistic, it has a meaning.

This black color for Anubis represents rebirth, connecting the god to the cycle of life.

In lots of cultures, black color is related to the underworld, because it is night’s color but, moreover, it represents the soil of the Nile Delta, a very special and important place for Egyptians.

Moreover, this black color is related to the mummification and embalming techniques.

Some More Key Elements:

When you see an Anubis tattoo with a feather and some scales, it represents the weighing of the heart ceremony.

When it is a gate, or maybe a doorway, it represents Anubis as the gatekeeper for the afterlife.

Holding an ankh, it symbolizes his power over life and dead, as well as when Anubis hold a staff is to represent power.

Some More Anubis Tattoo To Get Inspired

And now, here you can find some more Anubis tattoos:

Screaming Anubis Realistic Tattoo

Here you can find another realistic style (yes, the trend in Anubis tattoos are realistic or hyper realistic ones) in the back.

I do like the Anubis angry pose and the pyramids with some camels in the background, as well as these wonderful geometric elements.

This tattoo is done by Ogi, a terrific tattoo artist working at Non From Seoul, in Los Angeles, California, with some guest spots.

Ogi is a very prominent tattoo artist focused on realistic tattoo style.

Colorful Anubis Tattoo

And now, look at this wonderful piece of work, because Anubis tattoos can be awesome and colorful too!

As you can see, this time this Anubis tattoo design is about weighing the heart ceremony, and I do love the vibrant color palette of this composition.

This tattoo is done by Rember Orellana, a wonderful tattoo artist working at Dark Age Tattoo Studio, in Fort Worth and in Denton, Texas.

Rember is another very prominent figure in the tattoo world, and he is focused on this spectacular colorful realistic tattoo. Impressive!

Anubis Tattoo Complete Arm Sleeve

Here you can find a complete Anubis tattoo arm sleeve, and a very eye-catching one!

As you can see, in the upper part you have an Anubis figure, with a lot of blackout because, as you know now, Anubis skin was black, with the ankh and some hieroglyphs in the background.

In the lower part, a hyper realistic eye with a candle with no flame, symbolizing the end of life.

This wonderful piece of work is done by Ivan Rukavina, a marvelous tattoo artist based in Belgrade, Serbia. He is focused on hyper realistic style, and I can tell you he is very good at this!

Anubis & Pharaoh Tattoo

Another wonderful piece of work, isn’t it?

This time, Anubis is in the upper part, made with a perfect hyper realistic style, with a lot of black ink and with the ankh.

In the lower part, a pharaoh figure with the mummy inside, all with some touches of color, a very bold and strong composition.

The tattoo is done by Armash, working at Noor Tattoo Collective in Dubai, UAE, and he is focused on this hyper realistic tattoo style, usually with some more color.

Terrifying Anubis Tattoo

One more time, an Anubis tattoo in a realistic style in the arm, and, one more time, something different.

This time, Anubis is represented as a terrifying creature, look at these big teeth! With his ankh, the pyramids in the background, and these pointed ears.

This wonderful tattoo is done by Sumok Kim, a wonderful tattoo artist based in New York City, 100% focused on a wonderful hyper realistic tattoo style.

Anubis Illustration Tattoo with Dotwork

This time we leave the hyper realistic style and embrace illustration, and, as you can see, the final result can be perfect too.

I want you to see the perfect outline for this tattoo, and the dotwork for the shadowing, moreover, this wonderful ankh and the beetle, another sacred animal for Ancient Egypt people.

This tattoo is done by Jonathan CYPRZ Martínez, working at The Artistry Real, in Indianapolis (IN, of course), he is focused on Neo Traditional tattoos with this illustration like base, and you need to follow him.

Blue Color Anubis Tattoo

Usually Anubis is represented with black skin, but sometimes it can be represented in other near-black colors, like blue (like this one, you know), and I added this tattoo to this guide because of this.

Moreover, this wonderful tattoo has a very bold design, is a large piece, and I do like the illustration-like tattoo style, with tons of details, a spectacular movement feeling, and some beetles.

This wonderful piece of work is done by Eric Brunning, a marvelous tattoo artist working at Super Cat Tattoo, in Vancouver, Canada, and you may follow him.

Anubis & Snake Hyper Realistic Tattoo

This tattoo is so perfect…

You can see an Anubis face in realistic style, black and gray ink and with tons of details but, moreover, look at this geometric composition, with a perfect linework, and the snake going through all the tattoo design.

This piece of work is done by Ted P. Faulmann, a terrific tattoo artist based in Dresden, Germany, with this very personal way to tattoo.

Are You Ready for Your Anubis Tattoo?

As you can see, there are tons of possibilities with an Anubis tattoo, and now you know more about their meaning and designs.

I hope this guide has inspired you!

Some Anubis Tattoo Meaning FAQs