In ancient Egyptian religion, the youthful god of the lotus blossom, who is represented by the blue lotus (nymphaea cerulea) and depicted as a man with a lotus-flower headdress. He also had a warlike aspect and could be depicted as a lion. Nefertem was mentioned in the Pyramid Texts (c 2350 BC), but he became more prominent during the New Kingdom (1539-c 1075 BC) and later.