Editing Mut (section)

===Role in the Theban triad===
Mut did not originate as the wife of Amun. She appears as an independant goddess also outside Thebes and had her own temples and priesthood.<ref>te Velde, Herman (1988). "Mut, the Eye of Re". In Schoske, Sylvie (ed.). Akten des vierten Internationalen Ägyptologen Kongresses: München 1985, Band 3. Helmut Buske.p.398.</ref> Studies on the origins of Amun in [[Karnak]] suggest that elements of [[Min (god)|Min]]’s theology were incorporated into Amun’s divine identity, including a family structure consisting of a male deity (Min), a female counterpart (Mut-Min), and a son (Min-Hor-Nacht). the [[Seventeenth Dynasty of Egypt|Seventeenth Dynasty]] rulers showed interest in [[Coptos]] and its deity Min, restoring his temple and launching expeditions from the region. While Amun’s association with Ra began under [[Senusret I]], the integration of Min’s theological aspects likely occurred between the Seventeenth and early [[Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt|Eighteenth Dynasty]] as part of the broader efforts to solidify religious and political legitimacy. While Min’s iconography was adopted in the Eleventh Dynasty, the integration of Mut-Min as Amun-Ra’s consort likely occurred later, no earlier than the Seventeenth Dynasty.<ref>Luiselli, Maria Michela (201). ''Early Mut(s).On the origins of the goddess Mut and her cult''. In: Revue d'Egyptologie, Vol. 66, 2015, p. 123-124.</ref>

Mut was the consort of [[Amun]], the patron deity of pharaohs during the [[Middle Kingdom of Egypt|Middle Kingdom]] ({{circa}} 2055–1650 BC) and [[New Kingdom of Egypt|New Kingdom]] ({{circa}} 1550–1070 BC). [[Amunet]] and [[Wosret]] may have been Amun's consorts early in Egyptian history, but Mut, who did not appear in texts or art until the late Middle Kingdom, displaced them.<ref>Wilkinson, Richard H. (2003). ''The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt''. Thames & Hudson. pp. 153–155, 169</ref> The first documented depiction of Amun, Mut and Khonsu as a triad dates from the reign of queen [[Hatshepsut]].<ref>te Velde, Herman (2001). Mut, in: D. B. Redford (ed.), The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt Vol. 2 .New York, 2001, p.247.</ref>

Mut and Khonsu each have their own separate sanctuaries, distinct from Amun’s. Although they are often depicted together with Amun in his temple or elsewhere, they are rarely directly associated with his name. Their connection to Amun was secondary and relatively loose, despite appearing as a fixed divine family when the Amun cult spread to Nubia, the oases, and other regions.<ref>Sethe, Kurt Heinrich (1929). Amun und die acht Urgötter von Hermopolis eine Untersuchung über Ursprung und Wesen des aegyptischen Götterkönigs. Berlin: Verlag der Akademie und Wissenschaft. p.31.</ref>

Amun and Khonsu are often depicted as father and son, but were also viewed as two manifestations of the same god, representing a continuous cycle of death and rebirth—Amun as the aged form and Khonsu as the youthful, reborn version. Since Amun is periodically reborn as Khonsu, Mut’s role within the divine triad is fluid; she can be wife, mother, and daughter. This shifting relationship reflects the broader concept that Egyptian triads are subdivisions of the primeval and androgynous creator god, who initially impregnated and gave birth to himself.<ref>van Dijk, J. (2010). Onder Orchideeën. Nieuwe Oogst uit de Tuin der Geesteswetenschappen te Groningen. Barkhuis Publishing. pp. 63–76.</ref> She is called “the daughter and mother who created her own father” and “the mother who became a daughter.” In some texts, she is depicted as the great serpent who encircles her father Ra, and rebirthes him as the god Khonsu. This concept aligns with Amun's portrayal as "the bull of his mother," a title borrowed from Min of Coptos, emphasizing self-creation.<ref>Sethe 1929, pp.29-30.</ref>

The influence of [[Heliopolis (ancient Egypt)|Heliopolitan]] theology let to the combination of Amun and Ra into Amun-Ra, as well as the creation of the Theban local forms of Mut-[[Tefnut]] and Khonsu-[[Shu (Egyptian god)|Shu]].<ref>Klotz, David (2020). The Enigmatic Frieze of Ramesses II at Luxor Temple, In: by David Klotz and Andréas Stauder (ed) . Revealing, transforming, and display in Egyptian hieroglyphs, edited by David Klotz and Andréas Stauder Vol.1, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2020, p.73.</ref>