Night #6 - "If it can be dreamed, it can be done."

"Hence, the twenty-foot jackal staring at you right now--Don't make eye contact." -- Teddy Roosevelt, as part of the little tour he gives to Larry to help explain why everything comes to life at night. The jackal in question is one of a pair which stands guard over the pharaoh Ahkmenrah, his temple, and his tablet. They answer only to Ahkmenrah, as Larry has to ask the mummy (who he does not yet know is benevolent and could even pass as Nicky's older brother) to call them off before serious harm comes to him or his son. Teddy Roosevelt is the only exhibit seen within any meaningful distance of the jackals before Larry changes things around, and even he seems leery of being around them longer than absolutely necessary.

But who are these feared stone creatures? Humans are not naturally jackal-headed, so they must symbolically represent some persons as depictions of the gods are not expected to be taken as what they literally looked like, but represented their nature as accurately as possible. The guards look like Anubis, who is the guardian of the soul on its way into the underworld to be judged worthy of entry into paradise or eaten alive, depending on whether the person had sinned in life and how egregiously. Gods are not like humans, so it is likely that their souls can inhabit more than one representation of the self at the same time. However, there is another possibility: the guards house the spirits of two of Ahkmenrah's most loyal soldiers/bodyguards, binding them to serve him in death as he guarded the tablet. Both explanations account for there being two which are animate rather than just one as suggested by only one Teddy Roosevelt coming to life despite there being multiple on the premises. But the question never seems to be asked, the topic sidestepped in favor of slapstick humor and the plot. The latter is important, but the former could be toned down a little bit for the sake of concept development. But that's just me.

Next time on "For the Love of Night at the Museum": Why in God's name does Ahkmenrah have to remain in that sarcophagus at all? Why is everyone so afraid of him before Larry shows up? Do the old night guards know anything? Tune in to find out.