In ancient Egyptian mythology, Meskhenet, (also spelt Mesenet, Meskhent, and Meshkent) was the goddess of childbirth, and the creator of each child's Ka, a part of their soul, which she breathed into them at the moment of birth.

Consequently, in art, she was sometimes depicted as a brick with a woman's head, wearing a cow's uterus upon it.

At other times she was depicted as a woman with a symbolic cow's uterus on her headdress.

Thus later she was sometimes said to be paired with Shai, who became a god of destiny after the deity evolved out of an abstract concept.

Just after each child is born, Meskhenet appears and prophesies that he will become king of Egypt.