The Nile Muse Lotus

This lotus is, alas, not from the Nile, but from Plum Village, a Buddhist monastery in Tenac, France, photographed & ©1996 by Barbara Lierson

The lotus is an ideal symbol for the Nile Muse because of it's intense symbolism for the ancient Egyptians. The so called Book of the Dead pictures the original dawn as a human emerging from a lotus flower. Lotus flowers appear with royalty on wall paintings-frequently they are being sniffed. While this depiction suggests theirfragrance, some believe the blue lotus also had narcotic qualities which were released when dipped in wine. According to Clair Ossian in KMT Spring 1999, the common Egyptian "lotus" is actually correctly called a water lily: the white lotus opens at dusk, the blue water lilly opens in the morning. His illustrated discussion is well worth ordering the journal!

Banquet scenes suggest the pleasure of the aroma of the lotus. Royalty, such as Nefertiti and Akhenaton, ensure their pleasure with lotus flowers by recording tranquil scenes for eternity. There are endless lotus designs on Egyptian artifacts. Check out lotus designs at the Nile Museum

A modern analogy compares the lotus flower with its long stem to the delta and river of lower Egypt. The design strip below consists of the hieroglyph determinative for the lotus and the lotus bud.