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Anubis vs Hermes

These two are identified with one another in the record, which is not the same as being the same figure. Fused outright in Roman Egypt as Hermanubis.

Deity · Egyptian · c. 3000 BCE

Anubis

also called Inpu, Anpu, 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓃣, 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓁢

Embalmer and psychopomp, who leads the dead to the scales — the office Western tradition eventually gives to Michael and to Azrael.

Alignment
Disputed
Rank
Guide of the Dead
First attested
The Pyramid Texts · c. 2350–2100 BCE
Named there as
Anubis
Texts naming it
3
Powers attributed
3
85attestedEgyptian

Deity · Greek · c. 700 BCE

Hermes

also called Mercury (Roman)

Herald, psychopomp, patron of boundaries and of thieves — the exact functional counterpart of Gabriel, plus everything Gabriel is not allowed to be.

Alignment
Disputed
Rank
Messenger of the Gods
First attested
The Iliad · c. 750 BCE
Named there as
Hermes
Texts naming it
3
Powers attributed
5
90attestedGreekRoman

Where do they actually overlap?

Texts naming both

None. The two never appear in the same text in this corpus, which is worth knowing before accepting any confident claim that they are one figure.

Powers credited to both

Conducts Souls

Common questions

Are Anubis and Hermes the same figure?

These two are identified with one another in the record, which is not the same as being the same figure. Fused outright in Roman Egypt as Hermanubis. ColossiansOne records the link rather than asserting the identity: where texts disagree about whether two names denote one figure, the disagreement is what gets shown.

Which is older, Anubis or Hermes?

Anubis is the older name: first attested around c. 3000 BCE, against c. 700 BCE for Hermes. Where the two dates are far apart, that gap is the whole reason the pair is worth comparing.

Do any texts name both Anubis and Hermes?

No text in this corpus names both. That is not proof they were considered the same figure, but it is why the identification has to be traced through the scholarship rather than read off a page.
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