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Discover the fascinating role of the eagle in ancient Egyptian mythology, particularly its association with the goddess Mut. Learn how the eagle symbolized strength, protection, and motherhood, and how it became a revered deity in ancient Egyptian culture.
The ancient Egyptians worshipped the goddess Mut as a mother goddess. The literal translation of her name is Mother, according to the ancient Egyptian language. Like other goddesses, the attributes associated with Mot evolved and varied over the thousands of years of ancient Egyptian culture. This is an important aspect of Egypt Day Tours as visitors explore the rich mythology of Egypt.
People considered Mot a primordial deity and associated her with the primordial waters of the goddess Nu who gave birth to everything in the world. Mot is one of the essential goddesses from the pages of Egyptian history because she is credited with creating life itself. This fascinating story is part of many Egypt Travel Packages designed to dive deeper into Egyptian mythology.
The Origin of the Goddess Mot
People believe that Mot originated as a local goddess in the Nile River Delta. Initially, ancient texts identified Mot as the mother of the universe, which gave her the characteristics of a creator god. Later, she took on the qualities of many other goddesses and replaced some as well. Egypt Shore Excursions offer travelers the opportunity to visit the Nile Delta and explore sites related to such gods and goddesses.
Furthermore, Mot became a national goddess when the god Amun, the supreme leader of the gods and god of the wind, took the place of the patron god in Thebes. This happened during the 21st century BC, resulting in a strong increase in Mot's popularity.
Images of Mot
Images discovered by archaeologists depict Mot in the form of a woman adorned with eagle wings. Some images show her only in the form of an eagle wearing the crown of kings. Often, images of Mot depicted her wearing the double crown of Egypt or the eagle headdress of New Kingdom queens. Egypt Day Tours to Luxor can give visitors the chance to see such imagery in the temples.
Moreover, images depict Mut as a woman with the head of a lioness, cow, cobra, etc. The ancient Egyptians considered the eagle closer to a god. This may be due to the strength and ability of the eagle to fly high in the sky or its wide wingspan. It is possible that the ancient Egyptians were inspired by the eagle and distilled these maternal qualities into Mut.
The Goddess's Story with Amun and Ra
Mut also took over the position of Amun's original wife, Amunet, who was the invisible goddess. Since Amun was the god of the pharaohs, people viewed Mot as their mother, reinforcing her association with Egyptian queens. Mot was made famous by Pharaoh Hatshepsut and by Befartari Merythemut, the main wife of King Ramses II. Egypt Travel Packages often highlight the temples of Amun and Mut in Thebes as a must-visit.
Amun's authority diminished as time progressed, and history merged him with the sun god Ra as the god Amun-Ra. It also led to Mut's fusion with Hathor, mother of Horus and wife of Ra. Hence, Mot inherited the title “Eye of Ra” which linked the mythology with Sekhmet, Hathor, Tefnut, Bast and Wadjet.
People considered “Eye of Ra” to be the daughter of the sun god Ra who took the form of a lion. The body of the great animal had the ferocity and heat of the sun itself. But since people worshipped Mot as “the mother of the sun in the rising,” she became the mother and daughter of Ra.
The Family Ties of the Goddess Mot
According to ancient texts, Mot had no parents because the legends say she was the Great Mother. However, despite being a mother goddess, she did not give birth to her own children. Instead, she adopted the war and moon gods, Minto and Khonsu, respectively. The ancient Egyptians in Luxor built the Temple of Amun where they worshipped the Trinity of Thebes. This triad consisted of Amun, his consort Mut, and their son Khonsu during the 18th and 25th Dynasties.
Associations of goddesses
Ancient texts closely associate Mut with several other prominent deities. They include Isis and Nut, making her part of various composite pantheons. Together with Isis and Nekhbet, the goddess Mut formed the deity called “Mut Isis Nekhbet, the Great Mother and Lady.” Egypt Shore Excursions often feature the temples where these associations were celebrated.
Historians have discovered images that depict the goddess as a winged goddess with a leonine foot, an erect phallus, and three heads. The three heads were: A lioness bust with a double-braided headdress by Min, an eagle with the red crown of Lower Egypt, and a woman adorned with the double crown of Egypt.
Other images include Mut in a trio with Bast and Sekhmet as the god of Sekhmet-Bast-Ra. This cult statue also had three heads: A lion with a braided headdress, a woman with a double crown and an eagle with a double feathered hat. Egypt Day Tours often bring visitors to these significant sites of worship.
The goddess Mut is represented by the vulture which in Egyptian has the phonetic value mwt which means "mother". Her iconography also presents her with a multi-colored appearance with a vulture-shaped headdress surmounted by the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. A place near Thebes was dedicated to her, called the Temple of Asher.
Mut is sometimes depicted as a cobra, a cat, a cow, or as a lioness as well as a vulture. Before the end of the New Kingdom, almost all the images of female figures wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt were depictions of the goddess Mut, labeled here as "Lady of Heaven, Mistress of all Gods". The last image on this page shows the features of the goddess's face which mark this as a work done sometime between the 18th dynasty and relatively in the reign of Ramses II.
Queen Hatshepsut had the ancient Mut temple in Karnak rebuilt during her reign in the 18th dynasty. Previous excavators had thought that Amenhotep III had the temple built because of the hundreds of statues found for Sekhmet which had his name. However, Hatshepsut, who completed a huge number of temples and public buildings, had completed the work 75 years earlier. He began the custom of painting Mut with the crown of both Upper and Lower Egypt. Amenhotep III is believed to have removed most of the signs of Hatshepsut while taking credit for the projects he had built.
The Family Connections of the Goddess Mut
According to ancient texts, Mut had no fathers, as mythology holds that she was the Great Mother. However, despite being a mother goddess, she did not bear children. Instead, she adopted the war and moon goddesses, Mentu and Khonsu, respectively.
To worship the Theban Triad, the ancient Egyptians constructed the Temple of Amun at Luxor...During the 18th and 25th Dynasties, this triad was made up of Amun, his spouse Mut, and their son Khonsu.
Mut Cult
Temples of Mut can still be found in modern-day Egypt and Sudan. This reflects the popularity and devotion Mut enjoyed in ancient times. In Egypt, it became the Temple of Karnak, and in Sudan.
According to history, this temple housed the statue considered to be the actual embodiment of the Ka. The daily Mut cult involved rituals performed by the king and her priestesses. The interior reliefs of the temple depict scenes of priestesses worshipping Mut. Uniquely, these reliefs are the only surviving depictions of women practicing the cult from the ancient Egyptian period...During the 18th century, Pharaoh Hatshepsut ordered the reconstruction of the temple dedicated to Mut at Karnak. Hatshepsut began the tradition of depicting Mut in the crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt. Some historians believe that Amenhotep III removed most of Hatshepsut's markings and took credit for the project.
Mythology
Mut was the consort of Amun, the patron deity of the pharaohs during the Middle Kingdom (c. 2055–1650 BC) and the New Kingdom (c. 1550–1070 BC). Ammunite and Useret may have been consorts of Amun early in Egyptian history, but they were replaced by Mut, who did not appear in texts or art until the late Middle Kingdom. In the New Kingdom, Amun and Mut were the patron deities of Thebes, a major city in Upper Egypt, and formed a cult triad with their son Khonsu. In her other major role as a lioness goddess, she represented, in Upper Egypt, the counterpart to the fearsome Sekhmet, goddess of the underworld.
