In Egyptian mythology, Mut is the vulture-associated mother goddess of Thebes.
Mut’s name means “mother” in ancient Egyptian, and she was worshipped as a primal maternal power. Although her mythology changed across Egypt’s long religious history, Thebes became her most important center. At Karnak, she formed the Theban Triad with Amun, the city’s chief god, and Khonsu, the moon god.
Mut was commonly shown as a woman wearing the Double Crown of Upper and Lower Egypt, sometimes with a royal vulture headdress or wings. Her vulture imagery expressed protection and motherhood rather than an exclusively bird-shaped identity. She could also take the forms of a lioness, cow, cat, cobra, or other goddesses after absorbing their attributes.
Readers sometimes confuse Mut with Nekhbet, the prominent vulture goddess and protector of Upper Egypt, or with Hathor, another major maternal deity. Mut’s distinctive connection is her Theban cult and her role as Amun’s consort and Khonsu’s mother, even though Egyptian divine relationships could shift between traditions.