Anubi’s Judgement
- Roshni Ali
- Aug 26
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 27
Medium: Acrylic on Paper
Theme: Myth, Transformation, and the Balance of the Soul
When I first painted Anubi’s Judgement, I wanted to capture one of the most powerful and mystical dieties from Egyptian mythology.
In ancient belief, Anubis, the jackal-headed god of death, guided souls through the underworld. At the heart of this passage was the weighing of the soul’s truth — a scale that balanced a human heart against the feather of Ma’at, the goddess of truth and cosmic order.
According to ancient Egyptian belief, the journey of the soul did not end with death. When a person left the world of the living, they entered the Hall of Ma’at — the hall of truth and justice. Here, Anubis, the jackal-headed god of death and embalming, guided the soul to the great scales of judgment.
On one side of the scale rested the heart of the deceased, believed to hold not only emotions but also the record of one’s deeds, intentions, and truth of character. On the other side was placed the feather of Ma’at, the goddess who embodied truth, harmony, and divine order.
The test was simple yet absolute:
If the heart was found to be as light as the feather, the soul was considered pure. The deceased was welcomed into the Field of Reeds — a blissful eternal afterlife, a mirror of earthly life but free from pain and suffering.
If the heart was heavier than the feather, weighed down by lies, greed, or wrongdoing, it was thrown to Ammit, the devourer — a fearsome creature part lion, hippopotamus, and crocodile. To suffer this fate meant the soul was obliterated forever, denied both life and afterlife.
This myth wasn’t just a vision of death, but a philosophy of life. It reminded the Egyptians — and reminds us even now — that truth, balance, and integrity are the only things that transcend mortality.
My style is intentionally bold and vibrant — because death, to me, is not silence but a mystical transformation. I used acrylic glitter shades of gold and bronze to give the painting a glowing, mystical feel. These metallics shift with the light, adding depth and movement. The final details were finished with ink pens, bringing in fine lines and clarity to balance the shimmer of the paint.
For me, Anubi’s Judgement is not just about death; it’s about the choices we carry in our hearts. Every action, every word, every silence tips the balance.
Will our soul rise as light as a feather, or be weighed down by shadows?
This piece is a meditation on that timeless question.
Artwork by Roshni Ali
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