The "Christianisation" of Hermanubis?
The image of Hermanubis, a dog-headed psychopomp, did not disappear with the rise of Christianity. Instead, it was transformed into various figures, most notably the figure of St. Christopher.
This article is a follow-up to my most recent YouTube film on Anubis, the Guardian of the Necropolis.
In ancient Egyptian belief, Anubis was the god of embalming and a psychopomp who guided the dead to the afterlife. He was typically depicted as a man with the head of a jackal-like canine. Above all, he was the god who preserved the deceased's body, soul and identity. His priests performed the mummification of the physical body, uttered the correct protective spells and performed the correct rituals to protect their fagile Ka and Ba keeping them safe until their new host was ready, and they preserved the identiy of the deceased so they were recognisable to the gods and their family members in the afterlife. Anubis was also the god who officiated at the "opening of the mouth" ceremony and weighed the hearts against the feather of Ma'at to determine their fate. He was a god of transitions and the journey from death to life.
Hellenistic and Roman Hermanubis
During the Hellenistic and Roman periods, Anubis maintained his function as a guardian and guide of souls. He became closely associated with Horus and later with Sarapis, the Greco-Egyptian god. As part of Isis's divine circle and a chthonic figure, Anubis became linked with the Greek god Hermes, resulting in the hybrid deity Hermanubis, a fusion of Hermes and Anubis. Greek and Roman writers, including Lucian and Porphyry, commented on Hermanubis. Lucian mocked the idea of a cynocephalus (dog-headed) god, while Porphyry described Hermanubis as a semi-Greek, semi-barbarian deity.
There are relatively few depictions of Hermanubis compared to Serapis, and for this reason, it seems that he did not gain similar widespread patronage or recognition. This is likely because the Hellenised population were accustomed to seeing their gods in human forms, whereas the Egyptians already had the jackal-headed Anubis.
Hermanubis and Magical Dogs
In art, Hermanubis often appeared with Hermes' symbols: the caduceus, palm leaf, and winged sandals. Over time, especially in Roman Alexandria, he evolved into a fully anthropomorphic god flanked by a dog, and was depicted on coins and sculptures from the 2nd to 3rd centuries CE. Similarly, the Greek physician Asclepius was always assisted by dogs. As a baby, he was rescued by a dog when his mother was killed for adultery, and a dog also guarded him while he was educated in medicine by the centaur Chiron. In Greece, dogs were connected with healing and allowed in the temple where people seeking to cure their diseases slept. There, dogs were encouraged to lick the wounds of the sick to aid their recovery.
Dogs were also associated with guarding; the entrance to Hades was guarded by Cerberus, the mythical three-headed dog with snakes for a tail, who ensured the dead could never escape from the underworld and the living could never enter it. Cerberus, like Anubis, represented the threshold between life and death, acting as a metaphysical border.
Hermanubis also played a significant role in late antique esoteric practices. He appears in Hermetic texts, where he bridges divine knowledge and human initiation, and was often invoked in magical papyri from Greco-Roman Egypt (2nd century BCE to 4th century CE). Alchemically, Hermanubis symbolised the union of opposites: life and death, Greek logos and Egyptian mysticism, Rational order (Hermes) and chaotic transition (Anubis). This duality particularly appealed to Neoplatonic and Gnostic thinkers, who saw him as a metaphor for cosmic mediation and initiatory transformation.
Hermanubis and Snakes
Hermanubis, like Hermes and Asclepius, was associated with snakes in late antiquity. Snakes were seen as the souls of the dead and were worshipped in Roman lararia; shrines or chapels dedicated to the household gods and spirits, including the Lares, the protector of the household boundaries and genius, the individual occurrence of divine nature present in every person, place, or thing. Much like a guardian angel, the genius would shadow each man from the hour of his birth until the day he died. For women, her 'genius' was the spirit of Juno, goddess of marriage. Snakes often represented both spirits because snakes were associated with the earth and all the good things that flowed from it.
The image below shows a relief of unknown provenance, dated to the Greco-Roman period, showing Hermanubis with a dual snake tail holding Hermes's caduceus, poppy seedheads, and a palm frond representing the sleep of death and victory over it in one hand and the key to Hades in the other. To each side, there are offering tables and behind him is a scallop shell symbolising the earth's nurturing spirit, fertility and birth.
In another example, the snake-legged Anubis appears in the Jumilhac papyrus from the late Ptolemaic–early Roman period. In a myth about the caskets of Horus (part of the Contendings of Horus and Seth Series) that takes place in the 17th Nome of Upper Egypt, where Anubis was worshipped from the time of the Old Kingdom, Anubis transforms into a great serpent, Benen, to fight Seth and protect Horus.
A bronze figurine depicting a snake-legged Anubis is in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, whose serpentine coils rise vertically instead of lying flat on the ground, provides us with another example of this remarkable god. [1]
Of course, the serpent symbolism was also connected to Hermes through his caduceus with its two intertwined snakes, one male and one female. Hermes's staff divides the fighting or coupling snakes, illustrating his power over nature, particularly cattle. His winged staff represented Hermes's speed. Making the caduceus a trusted companion for a shepherd-god, somewhat like a shepherd dog that protects the flock. We can also find a connection between dogs and snakes in Asclepius. In this case, the snake and dog are connected with preserving human life through medicine. Asclepius' cult had its own snake god, and dogs guarded its temple at Epidaurus. Those seeking divine intervention from Asclepius would sleep in the temple along with passing snakes who were believed to be his messengers. The snakes were said to whisper to the sick while they slept, telling them what ailed them and the remedy for it. The Greek Geographer Pausanias (c. 110 – c. 180)recorded a massive statue made of ivory and gold, half the size of that of Zeus in Athens, showed Asclepius with a snake on one side and a dog lying on the other. Again, the snake and the dog fulfil similar and complementary roles in curing and protecting the sick. The temple where the statue stood was destroyed in an earthquake in the fifth century AD. [2]
So, we can see from these examples that snakes, dogs and dog-headed gods were regarded positively in late antiquity. They were connected with guardianship, protection, healing, medicine and new life. This imagery would gradually make its way into the symbolism behind the Orthodox icon of St. Christopher, particularly his unique portrayal as a cynocephalus (dog-headed man), a representation that was once common but disappeared when the Moscow Patriarch banned it in the 18th century.
Cynocephali in Ancient Literature
The 5th century BC Historian Herodotus wrote in Book 4 of Histories "West of the Triton river and next to the Aseans begins the country of Libyans who cultivate the soil and possess houses; they are called Maxyes; they wear their hair long on the right side of their heads and shave the left, and they paint their bodies with vermilion. These claim descent from the men who came from Troy. Their country, and the rest of the western part of Libya, is much fuller of wild beasts and more wooded than the country of the nomads. For the eastern region of Libya, which the nomads inhabit, is low-lying and sandy as far as the Triton river, but the land west of this, where the farmers live, is exceedingly mountainous and wooded and full of wild beasts. In that country are the huge snakes and the lions, and the elephants and bears and asps, the horned asses, the dog-headed and the headless men that have their eyes in their chests, as the Libyans say, and the wild men and women, besides many other creatures not fabulous." [3]
As many have said before me, Herodotus writes about the dog-headed people as if everyone knows them. Some authors point out that the description of the Cynocephales as dog-headed, cannibals, and worse corresponded much more to how the Roman Empire, which composed the legend, perceived the North African region of Marmarica, where the Marmaritae tribe lived, to which Christopher is said to have belonged. It corresponded to what is now the Libya-Egypt frontier, including the towns of Bomba (ancient Phthia), Timimi (ancient Paliurus), Tobruk (ancient Antipyrgus), Acroma (ancient Gonia), Bardiya, As-Salum, and Sidi Barrani (ancient Zygra). The territory stretched to the far south, encompassing the Siwa Oasis, which was known for its sanctuary to the deity Amun at the time. Military records mention a Roman unit, the Cohors Tertia Valeria Marmaritarum, recruited from Marmarica (in modern Libya). Christopher may have belonged to this group, linking him with a region traditionally associated with dog-headed peoples in classical geography.[4] As Christopher has the reputation of being a tamed, brutish wild man who converted to Christianity, perhaps that was the origin of his dog-headed image.
The idea of dog-headed imagery symbolising the transformation from a perceived monstrous or foreign nature to one of sanctity has been taken up most recently by YouTuber Jonathan Pageau. He is convinced that Christopher, the dog-headed man's transformation, reflects the Christian theme of redemption and that even outsiders can become bearers of Christ.
Cynocephali in Medieval Literature
The cynocephali presented such a compelling image of the magical brutality deemed characteristic of bizarre people of distant places that they were irresistible to medieval scholars who repeatedly turned to their image in literature. St. Augustine of Hippo cited the cynocephali in The City of God, Book XVI, Chapter 8 and discussed whether such beasts could be considered human, that is homo, id est animal or rationale and mortale.[5]
Paul the Deacon (720-c799) references cynocephali in his Historia gentis Langobardorum: "They pretend that they have in their camps Cynocephali, that is, men with dogs' heads. They spread the rumour among the enemy that these men wage war obstinately, drink human blood and quaff their own gore if they cannot reach the foe."[6]
At the court of the Frankish Emperor Charlemagne (748-814), the chronicler Notker the Stammerer recorded that the Norsemen were given this attribution, implying they were un-Christian and exhibited less-than-human qualities and the ninth-century theologian, Ratramnus, like the Venerable Augustus of Hippo, mused on whether such beings were human, concluding that if they were, they should be acquainted with the Gospels.
The thirteenth-century encyclopedist Vincent of Beauvais acquainted his patron Saint Louis IX of France with "an animal with the head of a dog but with all other members of human appearance… Though he behaves like a man… and, when peaceful, he is tender like a man, when furious, he becomes cruel and retaliates on humankind". Such notions were not unusual; the faithful of Fréjus, an ancient market town in the south of France, could wander into the cloister of the Cathédrale Saint-Léonce and study monsters on the more than 1,200 painted wooden ceiling panels. Some depicted monstrous hybrids, dog-headed people, blemmyes and other terrifying unfortunates, and in medieval Pentecost scenes, dog-headed men symbolised the most distant nations receiving the Gospel. [7]
Cynocephali illustrated in the Kiev Psalter of 1397
Hagiography
St Mercurious
Coptic Icon of St Mercurius by Yuhanna al-Armani in The Hanging Church, Cairo.
The legendary St. Mercurios converted cynocephali to Christianity, making them fierce warriors for Christ in the 3rd century. The Coptic saint Mercurius, also known as Abu-Sayfain or two swords, began life as a Roman soldier from Scythia, a region north of modern Turkey. He is said to have converted two dog-headed people who later became saints, Ahrakas and Augani. According to the Coptic legend, preserved in an Arabic translation, the two "cynophali devoured the grandfather of St. Mercurius, and were preparing to eat his Father when an angel appeared and surrounded them with a ring of fire. They repented and became companions of the Father, and later accompanied Mercurius into battle. They are described as being "bodyguards" of Mercurius. Their image on the icon is in the Coptic Museum.[8]
Saints Ahrakas and Augani (icon XVIII c.)
St Christopher
According to a 5th-century Coptic legend, St. Bartholomew converted a cynocephalus named Christianus, then renamed him Christopher. Like many others of this age, the story is probably apocryphal. It describes the wanderings of the disciples Andrew and Bartholemew along the edges of the known world. On this journey, they encounter a dog-headed cannibal who calls himself "Abominable." The author describes this individual's nose (like a dog's snout), teeth (like a boar's or a lion's), eyes (like flames), and hair (spilling over his shoulders in a mane); his "whole appearance was awful and terrifying." But, the story says, Abominable senses within himself the spirit of Christ. He asks the disciples to baptise him, and then he takes the name Christopher, because, he says, he carries Christ inside him, even though he has had no words until now to express his awareness. Christopher then becomes the disciples' guide as they continue on their adventures.
Cynocephalus Saint Christopher
In Greek and Latin hagiographies, Christopher is said to have been captured in war and conscripted into the Roman army. He was later martyred for his faith. In Latin legend, he was born Reprobus (or Offerus) and vowed to serve only the strongest master. After dismissing a king and even Satan, he was converted and baptised by a Christian hermit. He then served Christ by ferrying travellers across a dangerous river.
In Eastern Orthodox iconography, St. Christopher is often depicted as a dog-headed warrior from Lycea, a giant Canaanite who carried Christ across a river, a story derived from the legend of the "Christ-bearer" (Christophoros).
The connection between the ancient dog symbolism of Anubis and St Christopher may have its origins in the Bible story about Caleb, whose name meant 'dog. In the book of Joshua, we learn that Caleb crossed the River Jordan into the 'Promised Land' with Joshua and ten others to spy out the land for Moses, who would never see the land promised by God himself. Caleb and Joshua were instrumental in encouraging the Israelites to cross into the land of milk and honey and take it for themselves.
"Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh... tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, 'The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them." (Numbers 14:6-9)." [9]
God rewarded Caleb and Joshua, the only two people of the original group that left Egypt to make it to the Promised Land, because they were faithful and willing to wait until God was ready for his promise to be fulfilled, unlike Moses, who lost his faith and died in the wilderness. 'The dog' thus represents faithful and steadfast service to the Father. In English, we often describe someone like Caleb as 'dogged', meaning they are determined, resolute, tenacious and purposeful; people who don't stop until they have achieved their goal are dogged.
Various legends dating back to the 5th century developed around Christopher, which split into an eastern and a western branch. The eastern legendary tradition is preserved in a manuscript from the 8th century. It contains the following elements: The dog-headed (cyncephalic) cannibal called Reprobus. This monstrous man cum dog is said to have received human speech and the name Christopher when he was baptised. As a Christian, Christopher evangelised in Lycia, performing, among other things, the miracle of the greening staff, a version of the miracle of Aaron's rod, perhaps linking him back to Caleb and the Israelites in the wilderness. Bishop Walther von Speyer 967–1027 AD reinterpreted genus canineorum ("of the dog race") as Cananeus, which means " of Canaanite origin". So, the depiction of St. Christopher with a dog head (cynocephalus) in some Orthodox icons and hagiographies may refer to a misinterpretation of the name "Canaanite" being confused with "caninus" (Latin for "dog"). In the Eastern Tradition, Christopher was martyred by the Roman Emperor Decius, who ruled from 249 to 251 AD.
The tradition of St. Christopher reached the West via Italy and Spain in the 6th century, and the dog-headed monster became a giant. The West Christopher begins life as Reprobus or Offerus, a man who wants to serve the most powerful lord. Offerus found no ruler whose power was not limited in some way. After a long, fruitless search, a pious hermit advised him to serve God alone, because only God's power is unlimited. The hermit said that to serve God, Offerus should recognise his towering strength and carry travellers across a river as a ferryman. From then on, Offerus performed this service at a deep ford. One day, he took a child on his shoulders to carry it across the river. At first, the child was very light, but the deeper Offerus journeyed into the ford, the heavier it seemed to become. In the middle of the river, Offerus feared he would drown. The giant said, "You were so heavy on my shoulders," when they finally reached the other bank. "I felt that if I had had all the world on me, it would not have been heavier." The child replied: "You should not be surprised, Christopher; you have not only carried the whole world on your shoulders, but also the one who created the world. I am Christ, your King, whom you serve with this work." The child's identity was confirmed when Christopher planted his staff and miraculously grew into a palm tree.
According to Pageau, St. Christopher's dog-headed depiction also serves as a metaphor for encountering the "other" or the unknown. His image challenges viewers to confront their perceptions of the unfamiliar and recognise the potential for holiness in all beings. His video parallels St. Christopher and biblical themes, emphasising the importance of welcoming strangers. [10] Scriptures such as Hebrews 13:2 ("Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares") highlight the virtue of embracing the unfamiliar, a concept embodied by the legend of St. Christopher.[11]
Ultimately, the dog-headed St. Christopher embodies the mystery of the Incarnation and the Church as the Christ-bearer. His icon challenges viewers to see beyond literalism and embrace the symbolic language of Tradition, where the monstrous becomes sacred and the marginal becomes central.
Conclusions
The image of Hermanubis, a dog-headed psychopomp, did not disappear with the rise of Christianity. Instead, it was transformed into various figures, most notably the figure of St. Christopher, particularly in Eastern Christian contexts. This reinterpretation echoes a wider strategy within early Christianity, that of adapting local sacred traditions into its agenda. In Egypt and the Near East, where Anubis had long been a central figure in funerary belief, his existence subtly persisted in new names and meanings. The persistence of cynocephalic imagery well into the Byzantine period suggests a long cultural memory that spanned the pagan and Christian worlds through evolving pictorial and story forms.
Christopher's cult spread quickly. His image was widely presented as a form of protection, especially on city gates, bridges, and churches. Although dog-headed imagery was later discouraged in the West, it remained in Orthodox Tradition for centuries, where he was often depicted as a warrior-saint with a dog's head.
R.K. Ritner identified images from Roman Egypt in which Anubis elevates Osiris (represented by the moon) into the sky, symbolising resurrection. David Millard observed a striking parallel between this and St. Christopher carrying the Christ child—both figures lifting a divine being to the heavens. Millard suggests this represents a shared symbolism of resurrection and psychopompic guidance. While some scholars argue against a direct connection between Anubis and Christopher, citing differences in iconography and historical gaps, others highlight clear overlaps.
[1] http://www.etudesettravaux.iksiopan.pl/images/etudtrav/EtudTrav_otwarte/EtudTrav_25/16-majewska.pdf
[2]Mura. S. The Reuse of Archaeological Data: Grand Challenges and New Approaches to Southern Levantine Mortuary Archaeology, New Frontiers in Archaeology: Proceedings of the Cambridge Annual Student Archaeology Conference 2019
[3] Atlantis: index locorum: Herodotus. https://www.arcus-atlantis.org.uk/atlantis/indices/index-locorum-herodotus.html
[4] Ethnicity and Inclusiveness in the Development of Religious Cults: Saint Christopher the Dog-Headed and Saint George, 2019, IDENTITY AND THE OTHER IN BYZANTIUM PAPERS FROM THE FOURTH INTERNATIONAL SEVGİ GÖNÜL BYZANTINE STUDIES SYMPOSIUM
[5] Cynocephaly - Monstropedia. https://www.monstropedia.org/index.php?title=Cynocephaly
[6] Cynocephaly - Monstropedia. https://www.monstropedia.org/index.php?title=Cynocephaly
[7] Columbus believed he would find ‘blemmyes’ and ‘sciapods’ – not people – in the New World — History News Network. https://www.historynewsnetwork.org/article/columbus-believed-he-would-find-blemmyes-and-sciap
[8] Cynocephaly - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynocephaly
[9] "What is the story of Joshua and Caleb in the Bible?" - Printer Friendly. https://printer.gotquestions.net/GeneratePF?articleId=6247
[11] Hebrews 13:2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. | English Standard Version Revision 2016 (ESV) | Download The Bible App Now. https://www.bible.com/bible/59/HEB.13.2