Knowing the difference between Anubis vs hades has a few vantage points. Certainly, it is because you can see the distinction between the Greek and Egyptian cultures regarding death. Moreover, you can see how they do their roles and management of death.
But other than that, the two gods share a realm that is surrounded by dead people.
If that’s the case, how do they differ from one another? Isn’t it just one equivalent of the other? No, they are not.
The real question is, are there a lot of things to learn from Anubis vs hades? Yes, there are. And in this article, we will debunk all of the things you need to know to set Anubis from Hades as easy as one, two, three.
Who Is Anubis?
The Egyptian ways of dying result in preserving their body through mummification. It is believed that without the dead’s body, the soul would cease to exist and death is just the start of their journey to the afterlife.
Ancient Egyptians believe in this concept, and as they go through this process, they are more than likely to encounter a jackal-headed Egyptian psychopomp Anubis.
Anubis in Egyptian mythology was once the god presiding over the underworld, but he gave his role to Osiris as a sign of his respect towards the deceased god.
Anubis now takes care of the embalming process, and he is the protector of the souls until you meet the god of the dead, Osiris.
What Is Anubis’ role?
Unlike Hades, Anubis had to look after the souls from their casket. Anubis protects the graves and the cemeteries, and it has something to do with his appearance. The jackals are known to be roaming around the graveyards and looking for food.
Anubis is the one who decides if you’re supposed to get an afterlife or not. The psychopomp then guides the dead by holding their hands until they meet Osiris. After meeting with Osiris, they will be subjected to weighing their heart to see if they shall be given a chance to live another life or their souls will be eaten by the eater of the dead or Ammit, who is a crocodile-headed monster.
Who Is Hades?
Hades is the Greek god of the underworld. He is the eldest child of the titan gods Cronus and Rhea and the husband of Persephone.
He is often depicted as a god who rarely leaves his kingdom, and unlike his brothers, he devotes his time and effort to please his wife, Persephone.
His brothers were Zeus and Poseidon. He became the god of the underworld because he had drawn the shortest end of the draw lots. Zeus reigned over the skies while Poseidon seized the seas.
If we compare him to Egyptian mythology, he would be more likely to be Osiris rather than Anubis. It is because Hades is the king of the underworld, whereas Osiris is the same. The two gods are associated with death and bring their reasonable judgment for anyone who enters.
What Is Hades’ Job?
Aside from keeping the underworld safe from any chaos, Hades is also looking after his wealth.
He does not work alone in judging the life of the dead. Hades has the help of the three judges, namely Rhadamanthus, Minos, and Aeacus. Rhadamanthus was said to judge the people coming from Asia and Aeacus from Europe, and when the people are in no particular order, Minos is the one who judges them.
Anubis vs. Hades: Family Differences
Anubis’ Family
Another distinction between Anubis vs hades is that Anubis is the son of Osiris and Nephthys. Sometimes, he is deemed the son of the Sun god Ra or Osiris’s brother, Set.
He is the illegitimate child of Osiris and Isis, but he is still adopted by Osiris’s consort. Because of that, Anubis pledged his loyalty to Isis and continued to serve her in whatever she pleases.
Anubis had several stepbrothers. Wepwawet or Upuaut, Bata, Horus, Babi, and Sopdet are his known stepbrothers in Egyptian mythology.
His spouse is named Anput, who is his female counterpart. She is a minor goddess that represents her home in Upper Egypt. Together, the two gods bore their daughter Kebechet who is a serpent goddess.
Hades’ Family
Knowing that Hades is rooted with the influential gods of Greek mythology, the god has notable minimal children compared to Zeus.
His children with Persephone were Zagreus, Melinoe, and Plutus.
Melinoe is their daughter who brings lunacy and nightmare. She is also associated with the moon, which represents both personalities of light and the underworld. She was the keeper of the ghosts who have restless souls, the ones who have no proper burials that never can find peace.
Meanwhile, Zagreus is the son of Hades and Persephone. He was also regarded as the first-born Dionysus, but he has the personality of Hades.
And lastly, Plutus is the last born of Persephone, who is seen as the Greek god of wealth.
Anubis vs. Hades: The Battles in Their Respective Mythologies
In reading mythology, you can never miss out on their epic battles. Anubis shared the number of epic battles – ultimately making Set suffer.
Set is known to be Osiris’s jealous brother who would do anything to ruin him. But Set’s plan doesn’t succeed as Anubis sequentially puts him out of his tracks and kills him in the end, along with his army, in just a single draw of his sword.
On the other hand, Hades wins the battle against their father Cronus, the titan god who swallowed them at their birth. Hades fought alongside his brothers – Zeus and Poseidon, and together, they defeated the cruel Titan of a father.
Anubis vs. Hades: Weapons
In using a weapon, who has it more incredible? Maybe Anubis vs hades has different kinds of weapons since Egyptians and Greeks vary from one another.
Anubis has a golden scale and ankh, which depicts the symbol of life. He also has a staff and sometimes uses a sword to defeat Set.
Meanwhile, Hades has a helm of darkness which is given by the cyclops. The helm of darkness can make anyone who wears it become invisible, and it certainly gave an advantage to the god of the underworld. Anybody who is near the helmet can inexplicably feel tremendous fear.
Aside from that, Hades also keeps a bident in his grip. Like Zeus and Poseidon, the underworld god has a staff in his hand, ready to make his enemies feel smaller.
Hades also keeps Cerberus at bay. This dog is a three-headed dog known to be feral. Their gnashing teeth and slobbering tongue can immediately hurt any mortal who comes near them, chew their poor body, and spit it out like a used toy. If one bite can give you poison, how do you think you can survive the whole chewing thing in the end?
Final Thoughts
Knowing the difference between Anubis vs hades is a lot of things to consider. First, you can see that the two gods come from two different cultures – Egyptian and Greek- and perform two different jobs despite being located in the underworld.
Their physical appearance varies as Anubis has a jackal for a head while Hades keeps a fair physical description with his rich black hair.