So dependent on the Nile river to sustain them, the people of ancient Egypt deified the crocodiles which they so feared as Sobek. Depicted as a crocodile or a man with the head of a crocodile, Sobek was prayed to for safe passage on the river’s waters. Selected animals were treated with the utmost respect, dining on the finest meat in temples dedicated to Sobek. The ferocity and might of crocodiles enabled Sobek to be a symbol of war.