Apedemak

Apedemak or Apademak (originally, due to the absence of the /p/ phoneme in Meroitic, it was probably pronounced 'abademak' (Father king, Aba meaning father and mak meaning king) ) was a major deity in the ancient Nubian and Kushite pantheon. Often depicted as a figure with a male human torso and a lion head, and at the temple of Naqa with a snakes body and a lion's head. Apedemak also appears as a three-headed leonine god with four arms., Apedemak was a war god worshiped by the Meroitic peoples inhabiting Kush. There are no counterparts of him in Ancient Egyptian religion, As a war god, Apedemak came to symbolize martial power, military conquest, and empire. Apedemak is also closely associated with Amun, the state-sponsored Egyptian deity during the preceding Napatan period, and is assumed to hold an equal level of importance, In Meroe he became the Head of the Kushite pantheon.

== Origins == Because inlays of lions were originally used for highly-esteemed individuals in burials, it is possible that these early Kerman lion figures evolved to become Apedemak. However, it is unknown whether the Kermans venerated them as gods with dedicated temples, such as those in later Napatan and Meroitic periods, or if they were symbols of legend, oral tradition or folklore.