“I see their souls, and I hold them in my hands, and because I love them, they weigh nothing.”

Started this picture back in 2009 based on the above quote by Pearl Bailey. Sketched it several times, but I was never happy with it. Trashed them all. Started this version of the picture sometime late in 2013, got about 3/4ths of the way through, and put it away until June 2014. When I get close to a goal, it scares me, because if I press on, there is just as much chance that I fail as there is that I will succeed. Sometimes all it takes is a little encouragement to be able to press forward and be able to say: I think I friggin’ nailed it.

Anubis is sometimes portrayed in popular culture as a pretty evil guy. Really, Anpu (as the Egyptians knew him) was a fairly ancient god, and was the guardian and protector of the dead. As time wore on, he was charged with the sacred task of guiding the dead to Osiris, and overseeing the process of Judgement. He weighed the dead’s heart against Ma’at’s feather of Truth. If the heart was lighter than the feather, the person’s soul was judged as pure and allowed to continue to a wondrous afterlife. If the heart was heavier…then the horrible creature Ammit the Devourer made quick work of it.

Personally, I think Anubis had a pretty crappy job. He was beholden to the scales of Ma’at, and his powers of protection of the dead only went so far. Whether Anubis was indifferent to the task, or felt the heavy burden of being the master of the scales, who can say? But when I read Pearl Bailey’s quote, I was left to wonder – what would happen if Anubis was faced with weighing the heart of someone he loved? Could you ever judge someone absolutely? What sin could be so great that your love for them could not lighten their heart? Forgiveness is Devine.