 Egyptian writings describe the gods ' bodies in detail . They are made of precious materials ; their flesh is gold , their bones are silver , and their hair is lapis lazuli . They give off a scent that the Egyptians likened to the incense used in rituals . Some texts give precise descriptions of particular deities , including their height and eye color . Yet these characteristics are not fixed ; in myths , gods change their appearances to suit their own purposes . Egyptian texts often refer to deities ' true , underlying forms as " mysterious " . The Egyptians ' visual representations of their gods are therefore not literal . They symbolize specific aspects of each deity 's character , functioning much like the ideograms in hieroglyphic writing . For this reason , the funerary god Anubis is commonly shown in Egyptian art as a dog or jackal , a creature whose scavenging habits threaten the preservation of buried mummies , in an effort to counter this threat and employ it for protection . His black coloring alludes to the color of mummified flesh and to the fertile black soil that Egyptians saw as a symbol of resurrection . 
 Egyptian writings describe the gods <a href='null_genetive' title='1'><mark>'</mark></a>bodies in detail . They are made of precious materials ; their flesh is gold , their bones are silver , and their hair <a href='drop_aux' title='2'><mark>is</mark></a>lapis lazuli . They give off a scent <a href='null_relcl' title='3'><mark>that</mark></a>the Egyptians likened to the incense used in rituals . Some texts give precise descriptions of particular deities , including their height and eye color . Yet these characteristics are not fixed ; in myths , gods change their appearances to suit their own purposes . Egyptian texts often refer to deities <a href='null_genetive' title='4'><mark>'</mark></a>true , underlying forms as " mysterious " . The Egyptians <a href='null_genetive' title='5'><mark>'</mark></a>visual representations of their gods <a href='negative_concord' title='6'><mark>are</mark></a> therefore <a href='negative_concord' title='7'><mark>not</mark></a>literal . They symbolize specific aspects of each deity <a href='null_genetive' title='8'><mark>'s</mark></a>character , functioning much like the ideograms in hieroglyphic writing . For this reason , the funerary god Anubis is commonly shown in Egyptian art as a dog or jackal , a creature whose scavenging habits threaten the preservation of buried mummies , in an effort to counter this threat and employ it for protection . His black coloring <a href='uninflect' title='9'><mark>alludes</mark></a> to the color of mummified flesh and to the fertile black soil <a href='null_relcl' title='10'><mark>that</mark></a>Egyptians saw as a symbol of resurrection . 
Egyptian writings describe da gods  bodies in detail . They r made of precious materials ; their flesh is gold , their bones are silver , and their hair lapis lazuli . They give offf a scent tdaEgyptians likened to the incense used in rituals . sum txts give precise descriptions of particular deities , including their height and eye color . Yet these characteristics ain't fixed ; in myths , gods change their appearances to suit their own purposes . Egyptian texts often refer to deities  true , underlying forms as " mysterious " . Thdagyptians  visual representations of their gods ain't therefore literal . They symbolize specific aspects of each deity  character , functioning much like the ideograms in hieroglyphic writing . fa this reason , thedanerary god Anubis is commonly shown in Egyptian art as a dog or jackal , a creature whose scavenging habits threaten the daservation of buried mummies , in an effort to counter dis threat and employ it for protection . His black coloring allude to the cdar of mummified flesh and to the fertile black soil Egyptians saw as a symbol of resurrection .