Wepwawet and Anubis

Wepwawet (Upuaut, Wep-wawet, Wep-waut, Wepuat, or Ophois in Greek) is a canid Deity like Anubis. He is sometimes considered a jackal, but others believe Him to represent a wolf. He is depicted very similarly to Anubis, but is gray-colored instead of black, or sometimes with a white head. Greek sources say that Wepwawet’s animal is a wolf, but there is no exact comment on this in pre-Greek Kemetic sources.
Like Anubis He is the Opener of Ways, indeed that is what His name means. But Wepwawet is more of a War God, thought of as a scout Who clears the way for the army. He usually is dressed as a soldier and carrying weapons such as a mace and a bow, unlike Anubis. Anubis has never, to my knowledge, been shown carrying weapons (He doesn’t need them). Wepwawet is also shown carrying the standard that led the army, the shedshed. Because of this He is sometimes thought to have led religious processions as well. His city was called was Asyut (Siut) or Atef-Khent, in Upper Egypt, but the Greeks named it Lycopolis, ‘Wolf City’ or “City of Wolves”.
There is very little information about the family of Wepwawet, or if He had any parents at all. He is sometimes the son of Set, or of Anubis Himself. He is sometimes said to be a son of Isis, which may further relate Him to Anubis. Or He could be another foster-son adopted by Isis.

He is a God of the hunt as well, and was in particular thought accompany the Pharaoh on his royal hunts to protect and aid him. In this aspect Wepwawet was called
“the One with the sharp arrow Who is more powerful than the gods.” In certain pyramid texts in later times, Wepwawet is given the title “Ra who has gone up from the horizon,” perhaps meant to be seen as the “opener” of the sky.
Wepwawet was popular in the Old Kingdom, but as Osiris’ myths rose in prominence, He was eclipsed by Anubis as the most popular canid Deity of Egypt. He is also referred to as the “one who has separated the sky from the earth”, an interesting title that He shares with primal Shu, God of Air.
Over time, Wepwawet’s connection to war, and hence to death, led to His roles being expanded to caring for the souls of the dead and opening the way for them to enter the afterlife. This may have come about from Wepwawet’s continuing association with Anubis
Modern Kemetics may see Wepwawet as His own Deity, or an aspect of Anubis. Over time Their names did come to be used interchangeably, or together as Anubis-Wepwawet. I tend to think of Him as either the son of Anubis or as one of Anubis’ aspects.

Go here for an interesting persecptive from a modern Kemetic on their journey with Wepwawet.

Offerings for Anubis

Anubis’ sacred plant is the cypress, a tree that Greeks as well as the Egyptians associated with death and mourning. Cypress oil is a great offering, and burning it during ritual is very effective. He prefers strong incense, especially myrrh, cedarwood, and the traditional frankincense. Beer and bread is the standard offering to pretty much any Egyptian God, and He will accept it, but I’ve discovered that He likes strong liqueur, especially rum, much better. Cool water, the traditional Egyptian drink of the dead, is also a good libation. More than one modern Kemetic says He seems to likes spicy food and dark, bitter chocolate.

As a way-walker along the lines of Hekate and Hermes, He likes locks and keys. I’m told by a Kemetic that hematite, obsidian, and tiger’s eye are the stones He likes. His colors are black and gold, and in fact He is sometimes called The Black and Gold God. Since Sirius is His star, images of stars or other celestial phenomenon would be very appropriate. The number nine is possibly sacred to Him, as He was known for defeating the Nine Bows of Egypt.

But don’t forget to honor Him with Your actions. Honor the dead and your ancestors. Leave flowers on a stranger’s grave. Practice some kind of divination or magic, even if it is only privately. Support causes that help orphans and the homeless. Act as a guide to others in some way.

Calls for Submissions

Bibliotheca Alexandrina is currently seeking submissions for three new anthologies. I’ll be submitting to all of these myself, but I am particularly excited about the one for Anubis and other Dog-headed Deities.

Queen of the Sacred Way: A Devotional Anthology in Honor of Persephone is now open for submissions!

We are interested in a wide variety of pieces, including (but not limited to) scholarly articles, short fiction, poetry, original translations of ancient texts, hymns, rituals and artwork.

Submitters are strongly encouraged to explore the many facets of this complex Goddess in their work, such as Persephone as daughter, Spring Maiden, Queen of Underworld, wife of Hades, lover of Adonis, rival of Aphrodite, Initiator of the Mysteries, Mother of Dionysus, Aion and the Eyrines, etc. Pieces that focus on lesser-known myths and aspects of Persephone are of particular interest.

All works must be original, not public domain. No plagiarism. Previously published submissions are acceptable, provided the author retains all rights to the work. Authors retain all rights to the submission. Upon acceptance, the author will be sent a permission to publish form along with a request for a short biography to include in the anthology.

The editor reserves the right to make any minor changes in the case of grammar, spelling and formatting concerns. The editor also reserves the right to request modification of submissions and to reject submissions as necessary.

No monetary compensation will be provided. Proceeds from all sales will be divided between charitable donations in the name of the Goddess, and production costs for future publications from Bibliotheca Alexandrina. All contributors will receive a coupon code which will allow them to purchase three copies of the anthology at cost.

Acceptable length is anywhere from 100-10,000 words (with the exception of poetry), and the submissions period will run from February 7 2011- August 31st 2011, with the projected release date in September of the same year. Please send your submission either in the body of the email or as a .doc/.docx attachment with “Persephone Devotional” in the subject line to melitta.benu@gmail.com.

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The Scribing Ibis: An Anthology of Pagan Fiction in Honor of Thoth

now accepting submissions. We are interested in short stories which feature the Gods, Goddesses, heroes, holy days, traditions, and practitioners of every Pagan path. Any genre — from science fiction to mystery to fantasy to romance — is welcome. Stories ranging from an ancient murder mystery featuring Hermes, to a devotee of Eir working at a modern hospital, to Pagan colonists adapting to life on an alien world, to a retelling of a myth are all appropriate.

Simultaneous submissions are acceptable. Previously-published material is also acceptable, provided the author retains all rights.

We are also interested in a limited number of nonfiction essays concerning Pagan literature. Please query the editor before submitting an essay to make sure that it will work for this anthology.

Length: 100 to 10,000 words.

Submissions Period: 1 January 2011 through 30 June 2011.

Submissions format: please include The Scribing Ibis in the subject line of your email. Send all submissions either in the body of the email, or as .rtf or .doc attachments. Do not send .docx attachments.

Projected release date of August 2011, in both print and digital formats.

Contributors will receive a coupon code which will allow them to purchase three copies at-cost.

A portion of the proceeds from the sales of The Scribing Ibis will go to a worthy charity in the name of Thoth.

Please send all submissions, questions and comments to baeditor@gmail.com.

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Cynocephali devotional

We are pleased to announce that the Cynocephali devotional is now open for submissions. This anthology will focus on the cynocephalic deities of the Greco-Roman and Egyptian pantheons, such as Anubis (Yinepu), Wepwawet, and Hermanubis. Please spread the call for submissions far and wide.

Examples of acceptable submissions include: essays and scholarly work. Translations and interpretations of ancient texts. Prose and poetry. Anubis and Wepwawet — the same deity, or divine twins? The associations of extant canid species (e.g. wolves, jackals, coyotes, foxes, and dogs) with these deities. Comparisons and contrasts to cynocephalic and way-opening canid-deities in other traditions and mythologies, such as Celtic or Norse, or even Meso-American (e.g. Xolotl). The cynocephalic deities in their various forms and roles, such as: funerary, war, shamanic/way-opening; light-bringing, kingship, canids (wolves, jackals, dogs, foxes, even coyotes!).

Readers are strongly encouraged to explore many aspects of these deities, as well as some of the more obscure and lesser-known or less-popularized myths and symbolism associated with these deities.

Any submitted artwork must be original, greyscaled and 300dpi at full print size. Color submissions for the front cover are encouraged. In the event of multiple cover submissions, the editors reserve the right to make the final selection.

Editors also reserve the right to make any minor changes in the case of
spelling, punctuation, grammar, formatting and related. The editors reserve the right to reject any submission that they feel does not meet the above criteria. Editors may request that submissions be tweaked or modified as necessary.

As with all devotional anthologies at Bibliotheca Alexandrina, no monetary compensation will be provided, since proceeds will be directed to charitable organizations and to help promote the Bibliotheca Alexandrina line. However, all contributors will receive a coupon code which will allow them to purchase three copies of the anthology at cost.

Please send submissions to cynocephalidevotional@gmail.com. Submissions will be accepted starting July 25th, 2010, in consideration of that date being the reckoned rising of Sirius and the major feast-day of many cynocephalic deities, including the Graeco-Egyptian syncretic Hermanubis and his early Christian counterpart, St. Christopher. The deadline for submissions will be on May 22, 2011, the date Ovid’s Fasti gives for the rising of Sirius, interpreted as the celestial form of the Hound of Erigone in a myth of Dionysos. The editors will acknowledge all submissions, but this does not guarantee your submission will make it into the final edit of the anthology. All submissions will remain the property of the individual author, and all rights pertaining thereunto will remain with the author. A permission to publish form will be sent out to authors upon acceptance of their final drafts for publication. It is expected that no plagiarism of any sort will be involved in any piece accepted for permission, and that all customs of academic responsibility and honesty will be observed in citing sources (whether formally in footnotes/references or informally within the text of a piece), where applicable/necessary.

The editors of this devotional are Shin “Solo” Cynikos and P. Sufenas Virius Lupus. Solo is a Greco-Egyptian polytheist, cynanthrope, female-to-male transguy, magician and sacred scavenger. When not at his government job or traveling out of country, Solo enjoys blogging about polytheism, animism, transgender rights and scavenging. You can find his writings here and his crafty bits here.

P. Sufenas Virius Lupus is an academic by day, and a founding member of the Ekklesía Antínoou and contributing member of Neos Alexandria. Lupus’ poetry and essays have been published in various Bibliotheca Alexandrina devotional anthologies, with a whole book of poetry called The Phillupic Hymns (2008) among these. He has also released The Syncretisms of Antinous (The Red Lotus Library), and has poems in the Scarlet Imprint anthology Datura: An Anthology of Esoteric Poesis (2010).

How Anubis came into my life

Anubis, at a basic level, is a guide. He guides us to the afterlife, and when we have lost our way. He cares for all lost souls. Anubis is a Messenger, carrying messages from the living to their deceased loved ones on the other side, and back again. In the last two years, Anubis has become very prominent in my life. Anubis has practically taken over all my spirit-work in the last six months to a year. I’ve decided to start doing a monthly personal ritual for Anubis to support my bond with Him. (I have a weekly one for Athena I’m beginning as well). He was frequently invoked in magic and divination in the ancient world. This connection has certainly held true in the modern world, at least for me.

When I first called Him, it was in a ritual for the UU Pagan group that I spent months working on. I wrote the hymns myself and worked hard to memorize them. I wanted to project a proper Egyptian air, so I dressed in Middle-Eastern style clothes as it was the closest I had. I even shaved my head, because the wab priests and priestesses would shave all the hair off their bodies as a symbol of purity

It was for the Festival of Anubis as He Travels to the Necropolises, which takes place in late summer when Anubis’ star rises, not long before the Indundation of the Nile. During this festival Anubis is believed to travel across the world and visit every Necropolis, every cemetery, every lonely grave. He can carry messages to our beloved dead at this time. I gave a time in the ritual for the participants to come forward and speak to their loved ones on the Other Side. The energy was incredible and everyone was impressed and enjoyed the ritual.

It was wonderful, but I did not intend to have a lasting relationship with Him. But what can I say? He followed me home. For weeks after the ritual I felt His Presence. I felt Him watching me as I finished my second shift job and walked to my car at midnight. At one point, after work I spontaneously stopped at McDonalds to get one of the fancy coffees I love. But instead of drinking it myself, I decided to sneak into one of the cemeteries near my home and offer it to Anubis. It was a half hour after midnight, and. it was one of the most powerful experiences of my life. I was terrified of being caught, but I could fill my skin humming with energy, fill all the spirits around me. Anubis came on stronger then any God I have ever felt except for Dionysos. Ever since, whenever I read tarot or do divination of any kind, Anubis is there, even when I didn’t call Him.

Beautiful Painting of Athena from artist Lykeia

I’m very happy. Yesterday I received this beautiful painting of Athena. The artist’s name is Lykeia, and she still has a few painting available for sale. Her gorgeous renditions of Ares, Demeter and Poseidon are available here, where you can also take a look at some of her other artwork. Check her out!

The other two paintings I did myself. The top one is of a mountain/river God coming out of the rock. The bottom one is of of Anubis, obvisously.