lotus-eaters

What is the legend of the lotus-eaters?

Lotus flowers have a long, rich history spanning thousands of years. Naturally occurring in many countries in Southeast Asia and Australia, they're also found in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, as well as folklore in ancient Greece.

The ancient Greeks told of a strange people that dwelt on the northern coast of Africa. They were called lotus-eaters because they loved to eat the sweet fruit of the lotus tree. This fruit made them lazy; they dreamed away their days. Strangers who ate the lotus fruit also became lazy, and forgot their homes and kindred; they longed to remain in this pleasant land.

In Homer's Greek epic poem the ODYSSEY, it is said that Odysseus and his men came to this wondrous land. Some of the crew ate freely of the lotus fruit and it had upon them the usual effect. They were so unwilling to depart that Odysseus had to have them dragged away to their ships by force.

Among the poems there is a lovely version of this legend, THE LOTOS-EATERS, by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Nowadays we call a person who gives himself up to daydreams and idles and sleeps  the days away a lotus-eater.

It is generally thought that the lotus tree, which was so famous in Greek fable, was a shrub that grows rather freely in the western Mediterranean area. It is called Zizyphus lotus; it has a pulpy fruit.

The lotus flower and bud were favorite designs in Egyptian and Hindu art and architecture. We sometimes spell lotus in the Greek way -lotos.

Lotus also grow in the lakes. Nelumbo nucifera, also known as Indian lotus, sacred lotus, or simply lotus, is one of two surviving species of aquatic plant in the family Nelumbonaceae. It is sometimes colloquially called a water lily, though this more often refers to members of the family Nymphaeaceae. 

For centuries, the lotus flower has been depicted in different religions and countries around the world. Miraculously growing in the murkiest of conditions, the lotus is a lucky symbol that's revered for its strength, spirit and of course, its beauty.

The lotus flower appears on some of the earliest Buddhist and Jain imagery we have in South Asia, going as far back as the time of Emperor Ashoka around 250 BCE. lotuses were also used in Buddhist stupas (spherical shrines) as early as 180 BCE, "as a source and support for a goddess who is eventually known as Lakshmi." Because the lotus was also popular among the Indo-Greeks (an ancient nomadic people of Eurasia), it's "unclear geographically where the image first arose," but by the first few centuries of the Common Era, "it is well established to see the Buddha, Jinas, and Hindu gods and goddesses emerging from lotus flowers." Today, the lotus is the national flower of both India and Vietnam.