Jackal Gods in Magic
Although Anubis was occasionally invoked in Egyptian magic of the earlier periods in a protective capacity, he took a more active role in magic in the Graeco-Roman era. Demotic and Greek magical papyri show Anubis acting as an intermediary in acts of divination: Anubis sets the stage and brings the gods to answer questions. Other papyri show Anubis taking on even more central roles, as in the illustration to a Demotic magical papyrus in which Anubis shoots a nude man with an arrow, in an act of hostile magic or romantic compulsion.
In addition to the standard amuletic representations of the god seen in earlier times, in the Graeco-Roman period, depictions of Anubis appear on a variety of amulet types, including so-called magical gems. These amulets, made of semiprecious stones and carved with images, wishes, and magical words, often serve specific functions as protectors of health. But they may also have simply promoted good luck, as in the case of the amulet here.