The name Ayyappan (sometimes spelled as Ayyappa or Aiyappan) may be related to as "Lord Father".The name may literally comes from "Ayyan" and "Appan" both meaning "Father". The root names "Ayyan" and "Appan" denotes Mohini (Mohini here called father because she is a form of Lord Perumal who is a male) and Lord Shiva respectively. However, the word Ayyappan is not found in South Indian versions of the medieval era Puranas, leading scholars to the hypothesis that Ayyappan may have roots elsewhere. The alternate theory links it to the Malayali word "acchan" and Tamil word "appa" which means "father", with Ayyappan connoting "Lord-father". The alternate proposal is supported by the alternate name for Ayyappan being "Sastava" ("Sasta", "Sashta", "Sastra"), a Vedic term that also means "Teacher, Guide, Lord, Ruler". The words "Sastha" and "Dharmasastha" in the sense of a Hindu god are found in the Puranas.