Gold, four-winged Mut armlet from the tomb of Amanishakheto (First Century CE) (Munich Antiquarium)
In Nubian temples, several goddesses can, like their Egyptian counterparts, also be seen bearing avian features. As the consort of Amun-Re, one of the main gods of the Nubian pantheon, the goddess Mut is represented wearing a vulture headdress. It was Isis, the mother of Horus, however, who became the most prominent Kushite goddess, overshadowing Mut by the Meroitic period.
Like the Kushite goddess Amesemi (see below), both goddesses are frequently shown with one or two pairs of wings attached to their back and arms, thus emphasizing their protective role (fig. 1.8).
Protection was also provided by a vulture with outstretched wings, akin to the Egyptian goddess Nekhbet, or by a falcon, both birds being represented as hovering over the king and queen, ready to smite their enemies.
Gods, kings, queens, officials, and priests were further wrapped in feathered dresses, or in garments meticulously decorated with a falcon or vulture that shielded their flanks, shoulders, chest, or head, thus emphasizing the connection between the divine and the human (fig. 1.9).
Some rulers even wear a crown surmounted by a birds. By donning this regalia, they evoked the goddess Amesemi, the lion god Apedemak's consort, who is distinguished by a modius headdress topped with one or sometimes two falcons, whose function and origin remain unclear.
During the Meroitic period, the vulture could also be represented in temples as a scavenger or on small objects, such as signet rings, pendants, and bells, as plucking the eyes of fallen enemies (fig. 1.10). These motifs highlighted the prowess of kings and queens on the battlefield and made the vulture another powerful royal symbol alongside the lion.
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Source: https://isac.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/shared/docs/Publications/ISACMP/isacmp4.pdf
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