Inherkhau & the Three Jackals
New Kingdom, 20th Dynasty, c. 1150 B.C.
Painted plaster wall scene from the Tomb of Inherkhau (TT359), Deir el-Medina
This striking painting shows three black jackal figures, often interpreted as manifestations of Anubis or related necropolis deities, facing the foreman Inherkhau. Each jackal wears a red ribboned collar and stands poised, ears alert and snouts extended in a supernatural confrontation.
The tripartite representation may symbolise divine guardianship over all regions of the necropolis; east, west, and beyond. In related scenes from Deir el-Medina and Ramesside tombs, similar jackals have been labelled as Anubis the Foremost of the Divine Booth (Inpw tp(y) ḏsr), Anubis of the Western Necropolis (Inpw ḫnty ỉmntt) and Wepwawet, Opener of the Ways (Wp-w3wt). Their function is not just aesthetic, they were invoked to guard the mummy, repel evil, and guide the soul safely through the underworld.
Inherkhau, robed in his finest white pleated linens, raises his arms in reverent adoration, facing the divine beasts without fear. Above the figures, columns of hieroglyphs invoke Anubis in various epithets: “Foremost of the Divine Booth,” “Lord of the Sacred Land,” and “He Who Is Upon His Mountain.” These titles, steeped in mortuary lore, affirm Inherkhau’s justified state and plea for safe passage through the afterlife.
Inherkhau was the ‘Foreman of the Lord of the Two Lands in the Place of Truth’ during the reigns of Ramesses III and Ramesses IV, c. 1186–1149 B.C.
In this scene, depicted upon one of the walls of his tomb (TT359), we behold Inherkhau seated alongside his wife and four children, receiving offerings in tribute. Among these are a small hand-held statue of Osiris and a naos (shrine) dedicated to the deity, accompanied by sacred vessels containing oils and libations.
The black jackal lent its features to different gods: Anubis, Wepwawet, Khenti-Amentiu and others, but there was a particular category of jackals in the divine sphere that were known as sTAw: they were the canids that pulled the solar boat during the night.
