Duamutef: Canopic God, Son of Horus
Although Anubis is the best known of the jackal gods, Duamutef may be the one that we most often see. His jackal head features on one of the most quintessentially Egyptian artifacts, the canopic jar. One of the four sons of the god Horus, Duamutef with his brothers guarded the four canopic jars containing the internal organs of the deceased. The process of mummification involved removing internal organs to slow decay, and these would be placed into jars, often with stoppers bearing the heads of their respective gods. Duamutef guarded the stomach. In later periods, mummies often include amulets of the four sons of Horus worn as necklaces or sewn to wrappings, to provide extra protection or even to take the place of the removed organs they protect.
