Editing Mut (section)

===Isheru===
As the "Eye of Re," Mut took on the leonine traits of Sekhmet, Bastet, and Tefnut and was known as the "Lady of the Isheru." The Isheru, a horseshoe-shaped sacred lake linked to lioness goddesses, may have been inspired by an earlier structure, possibly at [[Bubastis]].<ref>Klotz 2008, p.232.</ref> The Ipethemtes festival in Thebes marked the start of the Nile inundation, following a period of heat, drought, and disease. This ended with the five [[Epagomenal days (Egypt)|epagomenal days]], seen as unlucky, during which the angry lioness goddess and her messengers spread destruction.At the festival’s climax, people poured "heavenly dew," a red alcoholic liquid linked to [[Hapi (Nile god)|Hapi]], over the fields, symbolizing the calming of the Solar Eye and the flood's arrival.<ref>van Dijk 2010, p.71.</ref>

The Mut Temple describes the creation of the Isheru lake, with different texts attributing its excavation to Ra-Atum, [[Nu (mythology)|Nun]], or groups of primeval deities. In some versions, Atum-Ra digs out the Isheru for Mut, surrounding it with cooling waters to calm her fiery nature. Another account has Nun forming the Isheru to soothe Mut’s essence and establish her temple after her she returns to Thebes pregnant with Khonsu. Other texts mention the Primeval Gods constructing the lake under Ra's command. When Mut returns from the desert, Thoth appeases her, and Ra orders the gods to dig a canal in Thebes, extracting its waters to please her. Despite Mut's intense heat, they work with hoes and shovels, and the name "Isheru" comes from the gods' exclamations of suffering as they complete the task.<ref>Klotz 2008, pp.233-235.</ref>