Lotus-FOR Erasmus+Project
Collaborative dictionary of mythological plants
FUNDED BY EUROPEAN UNION
TARGET NUMBER: 11
Iraide López Olabarrieta/ Oihane Rola Pajares
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Nelumbo Nucifera
VULGAR NAME
Spanish: Loto
Basque: Loto
Italian: Fiore di loto
Greek: Lotos
MORPHOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION
There are two main genera of plants that are considered to be Lotus, these are the Nelumbo and the Nymphaea. The Nymphaea are actually water lilies, though they have been known as the Lotus plant since the early days of ancient Egyptology, where the blue lotus plant Nymphaea caerula is depicted as a flower from which the sun god emerges, and that is associated with rebirth.
USES AND SINGULARITY
Lotus is one of the most medicinal plants in Chinese medicine. The oldest Chinese book on herb, "The Divine Farmer's Herb-Root Classic" described using the lotus root for strengthening one's health. During the Ming Dynasty, Li Shih-Jen praised lotus in his "Compendium of medical herbs" by saying that lotus is a very clean plant and every part of it can be used to make exceptional medicine without side effects. He discussed in detail the medicinal value of the lotus. The root and seed have high nutritional value. The roots can help get rid of body's toxic wastes and prevent the it from overheating; the seeds can calm one's mind, stops diarrhea; the center of seeds can also calm the mind, and lower blood pressure; the shell can help clear up bruises; the flower can relief stress from summer heat and help blood clotting; finally, the leaves can cure stomach ailments and help clotting.
Singularity:
The flowers are usually found on thick stems rising several centimeters above the leaves. The plant normally grows up to a height of about 150 cm and a horizontal spread of up to 3 meters, but some unverified reports place the height as high as over 5 meters. The leaves may be as large as 60 cm in diameter, while the showy flowers can be up to 20 cm in diameter.
SYMBOLISM
Female sexual power and fertility- Asian mithology
Rebirth- Egypt mithology
As a symbol of re-birth, the lotus was closely related to the imagery of the funerary and Osirian cult. The Four Sons of Horus were frequently shown standing on a lotus in front of Osiris. The Book of the Dead contains spells for "transforming oneself into a lotus" and thus fulfilling the promise of resurrection.
The lotus was commonly used in art as a symbol of Upper Egypt. It was often shown with its long stems intertwined with papyrus reeds (a symbol of Lower Egypt) as a representation of the unification of the two lands.
GREEK MYTHOLOGY
Myth 1: Metamorphosis Lotis
Myth 2: Lotus-Eaters
About 3000 years ago, the poet Homer told a story about a man called Odysseus and his voyage home to Greece following the Trojan Wars. Odysseus and his men met up with many exciting adventures along the way, but the most relevant to us is the story of his landing on the Island of the Lotus Eaters. The island was so beautiful that Odysseus wanted to stay there awhile and rest up. So he sent out some scouts to determine if the natives were friendly. Odysseus waited and waited, but the scouts never returned.
What had happened was this: the scouts had indeed met up with the locals, the Lotus Eaters, who turned out to be very friendly. The Lotus Eaters even shared their food with the scouts. But the food "the Lotus" was a kind of dope, and the scouts got wasted from it and forgot all about Odysseus, their mission, getting back to Greece... everything. All they wanted to do was hang out, eat Lotus, and get high. Lucky for them, Odysseus came and dragged them kicking and screaming back to the ship. He tied them to their seats and ordered the crew to row like hell, in case anyone else might eat the Lotus and forget the way home.
The story of Odysseus is about more than just a Greek guy in a boat. It's about the journey people take through life and the obstacles they meet along the way. The story of the Lotus Eaters speaks particularly to us dopeheads. As addicts, we were stuck in Lotus land, we forgot our mission, we forgot the other adventures that awaited us, we forgot about going home. Luckily, we each had within us our own Odysseus, our own Higher Power, which grabbed us by the collar and threw us back into the boat. So now we're rowing like hell. We may not know whats going to come next, but we're back on our way through life again.
Lotus-Eater Island
The lotus plant is a dope
The natives taking the crew of Odysseus
Questions
2. Which part of the plant stops diharrea?
3. What happened to the scouts when they tasted the Lotus Flower?