Christopher Obi oN Mr. Jacquel on American Gods

LONDON, UK, June 24, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Born on September 24, 1970, in London, England, Christopher Obi Ogugua found international success as an actor under the name Chris Obi. He made his professional theater debut as a messenger in a production of Macbeth by the renown theater director Edward Hall. He trained at Drama Centre London and completed a season at both the Royal Shakespeare Company and the world-famous Globe Theater.

Although he has done a considerable amount of serious stage work, Chris Obi is perhaps best known for his television work in the fantasy and science fiction genres. His most prominent roles include Klingon captain T’Kuvma on the CBS program Star Trek: Discovery and Mr. Jacquel on the Starz program American Gods.

Mr. Jacquel’s Relation to Anubis

American Gods positions the character of Mr. Jacquel as a stylized version of the ancient Egyptian god Anubis. Also known as Anpu, Anubis holds domain over the land of the dead and is associated with the ancient Egyptian funerary cult. His nicknames include “Lord of the Necropolis” and “He Who Is in the Place of Embalming.”

In descriptions as well as in paintings, drawings, and sculpture, Anubis takes the form of a jackal or, more often, a man with the head of a jackal. Although he was a predominate god during Egypt’s Early Dynastic and Old Kingdom periods, in later years, Anubis became overshadowed by Osiris, an Egyptian god who not only presided over the dead and the afterlife, but resurrection, life, and vegetation.

When Osiris is murdered and mutilated by his brother Seth, Anubis was the one to put his corpse back together for a subsequent resurrection by Isis and Nephtys. The common Egyptian practice of mummification, which was widely regarded as a path to immortality, arose as an imitation of Anubis' work on Osiris' corpse. In fact, the funerary priests of ancient Egypt wore a ceremonial costume of Anubis while completing their mummification work.

Chris Obi as Mr. Jacquel

In the role of Mr. Jacquel, Chris Obi plays a psychopomp god that serves as a stand-in for Anubis. As such, his main function is to escort newly deceased people to the ancient Egyptian afterlife (or “Duat”).

The logic of the American Gods universe seems to indicate that Mr. Jacquel only guides characters who had some sort of relationship to Egyptian religion or culture while alive (for example, Mrs. Fadil, who was of Egyptian descent, and Laura, who worked in an Ancient Egypt-themed casino).

As a death god, Mr. Jacquel is able to sense the moment that people die. In an obvious reference to Anubis, Mr. Jacquel can transform into a black jackal at will.

Chris Obi played Mr. Jacquel in the first season of American Gods. A reoccurring character, he appeared in three different episodes: “Head Full of Snow,” “Git Gone,” and “A Prayer for Mad Sweeney.”

Caroline Hunter
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