Thoth by Alessa Thorn

Prologue

Unlike the other gods, Anubis’s birth was not a dazzling act of creation by Nut, nor did he follow Thoth’s example of singing himself into being. Anubis’s beginnings were anything but divine, as his birth and death were ordained within the same moment.

Created in an act of infidelity between Osiris and Nephthys, they immediately abandoned him in a thick copse of reeds to die as soon as slid free from his mother.

His mewling ensured a pack of jackals quickly found him, and instead of giving him the death that his mother intended, the animals raised Anubis as another cub.

After hearing of a jackal headed boy living by the Nile, Isis, the Goddess of Magic, found and raised Anubis, keeping him hidden from the eyes of the other gods. In Isis’s opinion, her nephew had suffered enough to deal with them too.

This upbringing instilled three fundamental lessons in the Lord of the Sacred Land, Ruler of the Nine Bows and The Dog who Swallows Millions.

The first lesson was that the dead were often thought less of than the living, so he became the god who cared for them.

The second was that the humble dog was better than any human or god alike, so he kept their likeness to honor the creatures who had saved him.

The third was to always have a healthy respect and humble heart when dealing with a powerful woman who didn’t give a damn what others thought about her.

It was also these three things that made Anubis the most revered, powerful and most importantly loved god in all of Egypt.

Anubis didn’t mind this turn of events one bit, because as any god of death would tell you, your beginnings will never be as important as your end.