The Egyptian god Anubis was associated with canopic jars as the protector of the dead and guide to the afterlife. Canopic jars were used to store the internal organs of the deceased during the mummification process. The jars were usually made of stone or pottery and had flat lids.
The name "canopic" comes from the Greek hero Kanopos, who was worshipped in the form of a jar at Abu Qir (Canopus). Early travelers to Egypt associated the jars around mummies with Kanopos and began calling them "canopic".
Anubis was the Egyptian deity of the afterlife, associated with embalming, funerary rituals, and mummification. He was often depicted as a man with the head of a jackal, holding a golden balance to weigh the heart of the deceased against the pen of truth.