In ancient Egyptian mythology, Mut was a “mother goddess” of sorts wedded to the creator god Amun-Ra, with the lunar god Khonsu being their son. In fact, her very name translates to “mother” in the Egyptian language. She rose to prominence in the Egyptian pantheon during the Middle Kingdom (2055-1650 BC), with the Pharaoh’s Queen serving as her chief priestess in temple rituals. In my novel Priestess of the Lost Colony, Mut is the patron goddess whose guidance aids my protagonist Itaweret on her quest.
If you’re wondering why I portrayed Mut with very dark skin here, it’s supposed to recall the black diorite rock which Egyptians would use for some of their sculptures. For the Egyptians, the color black symbolized fertility and rebirth, likely based on the fertile dark silt which covered the Nile floodplains during the annual inundation.