Duamutef was portrayed as a jackal who was guarded by Neith. He was one of the four sons of Horus whose names are Imsety (imsti), Hapy (hpy, not to be confused with the Nile river god, Hapi), Duamutef and Kebehsenuef. The four sons of Horus are actually a part of the seven divine beings, where the three are hardly spoken about. Ancient Egypt Duamutef was a funerary god.

Ancient Egypt Duamutef

The Ancient Egyptians firmly believed that the deceased required his or her organs in order to be reborn in the Afterlife. For use in the afterlife, they would be bandaged and vital organs placed individually in Canopic Jars. Canopic Jars were widely used for the preservation of the Internal Organs. The design went through various phases, starting with four human headed jars.

The Ancient Egyptian canopic heads, therefore, were depicted with the man-headed Imsety, the baboon-headed Hapi, the jackal-headed Duamutef and the falcon-headed Qebehsenuef.

Role of Ancient Egypt Duamutef

Duamutef’s role was to protect the stomach and upper intestines of the deceased and was the guardian of the East. The stomach was kept in a canopic jar after mummification. He collaborated with Anubis in the mummification of Anubis’s body and became patrons of the canopy vases.

Imsety, Hapy, Duamutef and Kebehsenuef were linked with the liver, lungs, stomach and intestines respectively, though sometimes the associations of Hapy and Duamutef are found switched about. They were also associated with other body parts. For example, Hapy and Duamutef were linked to the hands, while Imsety and Kebehsenuef were linked with the feet.