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CULTURAL AND WILD PLANTS
Lotus. Legends, myths, symbolism, description, cultivation, methods of application
Directory / Cultivated and wild plants Content
Lotus, Nelumbo. Photos of the plant, basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism
Basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism Sort by: Lotus (Nelumbo) Family: Lotus (Nelumbonaceae) Origin: Southeast Asia and North America Area: Found in China, Japan, India, America and Africa Chemical composition: The leaves and flowers contain flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, lotus glycoside, fatty oils, etc. The seeds are a rich source of protein and carbohydrates. Economic value: The plant is used in cooking and medicine. The flowers, stems and seeds are edible and are also used to make herbal teas and decoctions. In medicine, a decoction of lotus leaves is prescribed as a sedative and diuretic, as well as for the treatment of diabetes. Lotus is a symbol of purity and spiritual harmony in the culture and religion of many nations. In landscape design, lotus ponds and fountains are used to decorate parks and gardens. Legends, myths, symbolism: In ancient Indian mythology, the lotus is associated with the god Brahma, who is the creator of the universe. It is said that Brahma appeared from the lotus flower, which in turn symbolizes eternity and infinity. The lotus is also associated with the concept of purity and spiritual enlightenment, and is often used in religious rituals and ceremonies. In Chinese culture, the lotus is also associated with the concept of purity and spirituality. It symbolizes the growth and development of the soul, and is often used in the philosophy of Taoism. The lotus is also associated with the concept of nobility and purity, and is often used in Chinese art and architecture. In the culture of Sri Lanka, the lotus is associated with the goddess of fertility and motherhood. It is said that the lotus symbolizes fertility, prosperity and well-being. The lotus is also used as a talisman to protect against negative energy and evil spirits. More generally, the lotus is associated with the concept of rebirth and a new beginning. This is due to the fact that the lotus grows in dirt and darkness, but when it opens, it reveals its beauty and brightness, symbolizing the idea that even from the darkest and basest places, beauty and goodness can arise. The lotus is also used as a symbol of rebirth and resurrection, as it can be reborn after its leaves have died and fallen.
Lotus, Nelumbo. Description, illustrations of the plant Lotus. Legends, myths, history
Since time immemorial in ancient Egypt, India and China, the lotus has been a particularly revered and sacred plant. Among the ancient Egyptians, the lotus flower symbolized the resurrection from the dead, and one of the hieroglyphs was depicted in the form of a lotus and meant joy. The lotus was also of economic importance in Egypt: its rhizomes were considered edible, they were eaten boiled, like potatoes. In addition, mealy grains of the lotus were also used as food, they were ground into flour and baked bread from it. A medicine was also prepared from the root and seeds. The image of the lotus is also found in Egyptian architecture. The ancient Egyptians, noticing that this flower bloomed at sunset, suggested that this phenomenon has a mysterious connection with the movement of heavenly bodies. The lotus in Egypt was dedicated to the sun god Osiris. Osiris was depicted with a lotus flower on his head. And the Egyptian pharaohs, as a sign of their divine origin, put these flowers on their heads, and the very emblem of their power - the royal scepter - was depicted in the form of a lotus flower with a stem. The lotus was depicted, now in a bud, now blossoming and on the state coin! The white lotus blossoms only at night; he became a symbol of sleep. The Egyptians believed that the fruits of the white lotus give oblivion and bliss. The Egyptian blue lotus blooms during the day, it has become a symbol of dawn, awakening from sleep; it was placed in the tombs so that the dead would wake up in the next world. The columns of Egyptian temples were an imitation of a lotus flower on a stem. Images of a closed and open flower bud formed the basis of the types of capitals of Egyptian columns. And in ancient Rome there was a legend that said that during the persecution of Priapus, the nymph Lotis turned into a lotus flower. Ovid's "Metamorphoses" tells how Dryope, having plucked a lotus, turned into a lotus tree. In ancient Greek mythology, the lotus was the emblem of the goddess of beauty, Aphrodite. In ancient Greece, stories were circulated about people eating a lotus - "lotophages", or "lotus eaters". According to legend, one who tastes lotus flowers will never want to part with the homeland of this plant. For many peoples, the lotus symbolized fertility, health, prosperity, longevity, purity, spirituality, hardness and the sun. In the East, this plant is still considered a symbol of perfect beauty. In the Assyrian and Phoenician cultures, the lotus personified death, but at the same time rebirth and future life. For the Chinese, the lotus personified the past, present and future, since each plant simultaneously has buds, flowers and seeds. According to Buddhist belief, the creation of the world is the successive creation of countless lotuses, one within the other to infinity. The Buddha is depicted seated, with his left hand resting on his head, holding a lotus and a gem.
In the mountains of Tibet there are giant inscriptions carved on the rocks: From Mani Padme Oni (May He (Buddha) be blessed with a lotus and a precious stone) - a prayer greeting addressed to the Buddha. The lotus flower serves as a symbol of the purity of the spirit that has risen above the world, as it retains its spotless pure flower, emerging from the muddy water. Lyubka two-leafed or night violet Russian name - night violet - because of the fragrant flowers. According to legend, during the time of the Zaporizhzhya Sich, the Cossacks wore dried tubers of Lyubka bifolia around their necks, and they saved Cossack lives more than once, returning strength. The Tatars usually stopped pursuing the Cossacks when they left the persecution in the desert steppes, believing that they would die there. However, the Cossacks were saved by the dried tubers of Lyubka, which they chewed. The tubers quenched hunger, thirst, restored strength. The Tatars interrogated rare captives, tried to find out what saves them in the hungry steppe. The Cossacks died, but they did not give out secrets. After some time, the Tatars nevertheless learned about the mysterious properties of Lyubkin's tubers and began to wear amulets themselves. In the old days, healers gave two tubers of two-leaved love to those who were thirsty to master the miracle power. They said: "Draw white across the sore spot - you will forget that it hurt. Black - for the enemy. If you touch it with a root - everything you wish for it will come true." The girls were given tubers to be loved by the guys. From here came the Russian name - Lyubka. Author: Martyanova L.M.
Lotus. Myths, traditions, symbolism
Logos: From the flower rises the newly born to a new life in the western underworld. Egyptian "Book of the Dead" (Papyrus of Ani) A flower that is as famous in the southeast of the Mediterranean and in Asia as the rose and lily are in Europe. Under this name, various types of plants are combined; in Egypt it is a white lotus (Nymphaea lotus) and a blue lotus (Nymphaea cerulea), in India an aquatic plant that blooms in white and reddish color (Nelumbium nelumbo and Nelumbium nucifcra), in some books the white water lilies of Central America, Nymphaea ampla (Maya) are also called lotus : naab or nikte ha). In ancient Egypt, the lotus flower was mentioned in the myth of the creation of the world, it arose from the primary silt, and the divine creator of the world appeared "in the form of a beautiful young man" from the flower bowl. Flowers that open at sunrise and close in the evening were associated with the sun god and the emergence of light from the silt of mythical prehistoric times. Many paintings on the walls of Theban tombstones depict lotus pools, where the buried one drives around in a reed boat, "columns of bunches of lotus" belong to the great Egyptian architecture; wreaths of lotus flowers were placed in the grave of the dead. Papyrus and lotus in their combination symbolized the unification of the parts of the state. More than white, the sweet-smelling blue lotus flower was valued. He was an attribute of Nefertum, the young god of Memphis, "the god of fragrances", and was called "beauty" (nen-nufer). The Indian flower of the logos is the most important symbol of this region for designating the spiritual principle and art. With her, the goddess Padma of pre-Aryan origin denoted water and fertility; in Aryan times, she was associated with Vishnu's wife Lakshmi and Brahma: in Hindu mythology, the creator of the world, Brahma, was born from a lotus flower that grew from the navel of Vishnu sleeping in water. Within Buddhism, the lotus is given even more attention. Buddha Gauma has "lotus eyes, lotus feet and lotus thighs". The teacher (guru) who spread Buddhism to Tibet (8th century) bears the name Padmasambhava ("who emerged from the lotus").
Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara in one form is called Padmapani ("holding a lotus"), and the flower is a symbol of compassion. In another guise, he is called Padmanarteshwara ("god of the dance with the logos") and carries a red lotus flower. He is also a great symbol of knowledge, which leads from the cycle of rebirth to nirvana. The Tibetan formula of the prayer "Om mani padme hum" is translated "Om, treasure of the lotus, amen", and the interpretation of Tantrism is "psychoanalytic" and hints at the spiritually contemplated sexual fusion of the female flower with male energy. In yoga systems, the higher spiritual knowledge of the energy flows rising in the body is compared with the blooming of a lotus flower on the crown, just like in Taoism with the "golden flower" as the highest lotus. And in China, the symbolism of the lotus is associated with Buddhism. The lotus, which has its origin in silt, but comes out of it clean, devoid of veins, fragrant, blooms a flower and looks up, is an image of pure aspiration, as well as a symbol of one of the "treasures" or "jewels" in both Buddhism and Taoism, as well as an attribute of the "immortal" He S yan-gu. The syllable "he" (logos) in male names used to express a connection with Buddhist teachings. The blue flower-cloth (ching) is associated with the concept of "purity" of the same name. Another name for the lotus, lien, sounds the same as "oblige" or "modesty", which again will give rise to rebus ciphering wishes for happiness. So, for example, a boy with a lotus flower represents the wish "May you enjoy abundance again and again." The legs of noble Chinese women, mutilated with fetters, were called "bent lotus" and were supposed to provide a graceful gait and airiness in the dance. This cruel custom was officially banned only at the end of the 19th century. Tradition has established the 8th day of the fourth month as the birthday of Pho (Buddha) ("on which the Lotus blooms"). Among the Yucatan Maya, the lotus-like white water lily was the "water flower" and was often depicted on earthenware vessels and in relief. Perhaps it was added to a narcotic drink, a kind of honey drink "balche", mixed with the bark of the lonchocarpus, to bring the priests of the jaguar into ecstasy. Author: Biedermann G.
Lotus, Nelumbo. Botanical description, plant history, legends and folk traditions, cultivation and use
The famous Egyptian lotus (Nymphaea lotus) is also closely related to the water lily. Its flowers are also white, only somewhat larger; and its main difference is the leaves, which do not have rounded edges, but serrated ones. The ancient Egyptians, noticing that this flower floated on the water and blossomed at sunset, and closed and plunged into it at sunrise, suggested that this phenomenon had some mysterious connection with the movement of heavenly bodies. And indeed, if we look at the lotus even in a greenhouse, then during the day it is mostly immersed in sleep, and in all its glory it unfolds only towards night. Heine says of him: "Dropping his sleepy head // Under the fire of the day's rays, // Waiting for the twinkling nights, // And as soon as he floats // The red moon into the sky, // He raises his head, // Waking up from sleep. // On the fragrant sheets // Shines dew of his pure tears, / And he trembles lovingly, / Sadly looking at the heavens ... " However, the opinion that lotus flowers bloom only at night is not entirely true, since they often bloom in the evening and remain open until late in the morning. So, in June, he opens his flowers at 8 pm and closes only at 10 am, and then, as the day length decreases, he opens them even much earlier, and in August, for example, they bloom already starting from 6 pm. This imaginary mysterious connection between the lotus flowers and the luminaries prompted the Egyptians to dedicate it to the sun god Osiris. As a result, Osiris was depicted with a lotus flower on his head. Lotus also decorated the heads and priests of these gods. In the same way, the kings of Egypt, as a sign of their divine origin, put these flowers on their heads, as well as the very emblem of their power - the royal scepter - was depicted in the form of a lotus flower with a stem. Finally, he was depicted, now in a bud, now blossoming, and on the state coin. In addition, the lotus was also dedicated to the Egyptian goddess of fertility - Isis; and since their fertility depended mainly on the flooding of the Nile River, the silt of which is the main cause of fertility, this lily was considered the bride of the Nile. The waters rose - lotuses appeared; they descended - the underground parts of the lotus remained lying in the sand. And the longer the Nile flooded the country with its waters, the more their flowers appeared on the water surface. Therefore, the Egyptians greeted the appearance of lotuses on the water with enthusiasm. Egyptian girls and young men, having picked lotus flowers, decorated their homes and themselves with wreaths and ran through the streets of villages and cities in wreaths, greeting everyone with a joyful cry: "Many lotuses on the water, fertility will be great." As a sign of gratitude and admiration, they decorated the statue of Osiris with these flowers and cleaned his altar with them. If, on the contrary, the flooding of the Nile did not occur for a long time, then the best way to speed it up was to decorate the goddess Isis with a wreath of lotuses. Numerous applications met the lotus in Egypt and in public life. Without him, apparently, not a single social, not a single family celebration could do. Wreaths were woven from it, with which they decorated the outside and inside the temples, they decorated the heads of honored guests, they removed dancers and singers. At feasts, along with sweets, the servants always carried lotus flowers to the guests, and not a single guest could remain without a flower for a minute, and as soon as his flower began to fade, he was immediately replaced with a fresh one. The image of the lotus is also found in Egyptian architecture. The first columns of Egyptian temples were an exceptional imitation of a lotus flower on a stem, and French scientists who participated in Napoleon's expedition to Egypt found many similarities with this flower in other details of Egyptian buildings. So, in the circle at the base of the columns, the Egyptian architects now and then placed the image of the leaves of the nymphs, and that part of the column, which was close to the top, they supplied with a bunch of lotus stems. In addition, buds and lotus flowers came across in the decorations of the capitals. But the lotus was also of economic importance in Egypt: its rhizomes were considered edible and were the livelihood of thousands of Egyptian families. These rhizomes were usually collected when the waters subsided, dried in the sun and put in special cellars for storage. They were mostly eaten boiled, like potatoes. In their taste they also somewhat resembled potatoes, but caused intense thirst. In general, they were in such a way and enjoyed such love of the people that they were sold everywhere by peddlers on the streets. In addition, according to Diodorus, floury grains of the lotus were also eaten, which were ground into flour and baked bread from it. Then another medicine "nenu-far" was prepared from the root and seeds, from which the French name of the water lily - "nenu-phar" probably came from. Its flat, saucer-shaped leaves also came into play. Drinking vessels were prepared from them, and the ancient Greek writer Strabo says that in his time all the shops of Alexandria were littered with these leaves. (Diodorus Siculus (c. 90 - 21 BC) - ancient Greek historian, author of the Historical Library.) In addition to the white lotus in Egypt, there was also a wonderful blue, or, as it was called, a heavenly water lily. (Nymphea blue, which was also called the blue (or Nile) lotus.) Its image is found on monuments dating back to the era before the 3466th and 3333th Egyptian dynasties, which ruled over three and a half thousand years BC. e. We also find a beautiful image of him in the famous painting "The Harvest of Papyrus", taken from the tomb of King Tatohen, who, according to the definition of Egyptologists, lived from XNUMX to XNUMX BC. e. The same worship that the lotus once enjoyed among the ancient Egyptians is now enjoyed by its third type - the red lotus - among Buddhists in Tibet and Mongolia. (In popular literature, confusion often arose between a real lotus and white, blue, sometimes red water lilies, which were also often called lotus by the people - Nile, blue or red. They, like the real lotus, played an important role in religious cults, were depicted on coins, tombstones, on the walls of tombs.But nevertheless, these types of nymphs are the original natives of Africa, while the real lotus, or non-lumbo, is alien from India.This happened in a very ancient time, in the earliest periods of development Egypt, apparently through Arabia.) A traveler who recently visited a Lama temple in the mountains of Sikkim describes it this way. "The idol of the Buddha is placed behind the altar under a canopy or behind a silk curtain. On both sides around it are colorfully dressed and painted images of holy elders and women. The Buddha is depicted sitting with his legs tucked in, with the heel of his left foot turned up, and his left hand resting on his head, holding a lotus and a jewel. The Buddha usually has curly hair, the lamas have a miter on their heads, and the women have various head ornaments. Most of them wear wreaths of roses and earrings on their heads. All stand on rough pedestals and are so presented that they look as if everything comes out of red, purple lotus petals." In the mountains of Tibet, there are also gigantic inscriptions carved on rocks or on huge stone tablets attached to rocks: "Om Mani Padme Oni" ("May He (Buddha) be blessed with a lotus and a precious stone") - a prayer greeting that is addressed to the Buddha. Sometimes, however, he is also addressed with the words: “Om Mani Padme” (“pearl of creation in a lotus”), since, according to Buddhist belief, the creation of the world is, as it were, the sequential creation of countless lotuses, enclosed one in the other to infinity. Buddha is also welcomed by Indian Buddhists, who, intertwining poetic tales about various plants and animals with the life of their gods, speak in their sacred legends about the lotus. According to them, the creator of the world was persecuted and defeated by his implacable enemy - the all-destroying water. Nowhere did he find peace or protection until he took refuge in rose-like lotus flowers. Here he waited in safety until a convenient moment, and then he emerged from his wonderful prison in even greater grandeur and began to sow wealth and food everywhere. That is why the Hindus place lotus flowers and fruits on the altar of their gods and decorate their temples and their gods with the image of it. The very birth of the Buddha is also associated with the lotus. “When the time came for his birth,” says one Indian legend, “then all the flowers of the royal garden, the white, red and blue lotuses of the ponds opened and, as it were, froze in anticipation of this great miracle; in the same way, the leaves of the trees froze in their dissolution and all vegetation growing from the earth. Then Maya, the mother of the Buddha, got down from the palanquin on which she rested, and went out into the garden. At her approach, the trees bowed to the ground in a sign of reverence, and the moment she was relieved of the burden, the earth shook and a heavy rain of nymphs and lotuses fell from the sky. The servants rushed to the newborn Buddha to support him, but, escaping from their hands, he went on his own. And wherever his foot set foot on the ground, a huge lotus grew." The same rain of flowers falls from the sky on the Buddha when he, a child, is taken to the temple to be given a name; when he is taken for the first time to school to see a teacher; when he retires from the world to fast and pray in solitude, and when he triumphs over the evil spirit Mara that tempted him. Finally, lotuses of all colors fall from the sky onto the Buddha's body when, on the seventh day after his death, he is placed on a pyre to be burned... But not only Buddhist Hindus adore the lotus, it is adored - and especially the non-lumbium species related to it - are also Hindus, worshipers of Brahma. Gifted with a rich imagination and a love of contemplation, Brahmanists see this flower as a symbol of the ever-changing and fruitful forces of nature. According to them, water richly covered with lotuses and non-lumbiums, when it glitters under the bright rays of the sun or shimmers under the silver rays of the month and emits a delicate fragrance, allows you to see and feel how the creation of the body from the liquid element is taking place, and in the lotus itself you can observe the embodied exchange between fire and water, between solid and liquid matter. Therefore, Brahma, the father of this being, like Buddha, is always depicted with a lotus in his hand or resting on a lotus. In one of the hymns of the Vedas about Brahma it is sung: "He rests, immersed in the heavenly // Reflections on the lotus, // Which flower arose when he // Touched him // And poured his golden rays into him ..." In the same way, it is said of Vishnu, the ruler and master of the entire universe, that his breath is the fragrance of a lotus and that he walks and rests not on the earth, but on nine golden lotuses brought by the gods themselves. However, this marvelous lotus was always rivaled by the rose, Vishnu's favorite, but for a long time Brahma did not want to recognize her superiority, until he finally had to agree with this. It happened like this. Once Vishnu, as the Hindu legend says, bathing with enthusiasm in the clear waters of a sacred lake, suddenly saw a lotus open and Brahma came out, asking him to admire his wondrous, most beautiful of all flowers. - No, - said Vishnu, - the most beautiful of flowers - in my paradise. It is pink as the morning dawn, and its smell is more intoxicating than all smells. Brama smiled. - If you're telling the truth, then I'm ready to give you the championship among the gods. “If you don’t believe me, let’s go and see,” Vishnu said. Brahma agreed and they went. They walked slowly, importantly, as the gods should, and by evening they came to Vishnu's paradise. There, the ruler of the universe led his most august visitor under a mother-of-pearl vault that protected from rain and showed him a marvelous flower, the divine smell of which was so strong that it seemed to fill the entire surrounding air. - Here, - he said, - the most beautiful of the flowers of all the Gardens of Eden. At the same moment, the rose leaned towards him, and its petals beautifully parted to make way for that marvelous beauty Lakshmi, of whom we spoke already in the chapter on the rose. Lakshmi knelt down and whispered: - Sent from the heart of the rose to be your wife, I come to reward you for your loyalty and straightforwardness. Vishnu picked up his bride and presented her to Brahma, who, amazed by her beauty, immediately kept his word. “From now on,” he said, “Vishnu will be the first of the gods, since it is absolutely true that in his kingdom there is such a beautiful and charming flower that there is no other like it in the world ... The blue bird that heard all this, says this legend further, hurried to inform the lotus, and the flower of Brahma immediately took on a greenish hue of envy, with which since then its petals, shining with marvelous whiteness, have been cast since then, while the rose that became the wife of Vishnu continues to be the same charmingly beautiful and emitting the same wonderful smell as before ...
This flower is also mentioned in many proverbs and sayings of the Hindus: "Lotus flowers support Vishnu as well as his worshipers"; "Lotus flowers are a ship on which a drowning person in the ocean of life can find salvation"; "The lotus is the friend of the sun. When the moon with its cold rays disappears, the lotus opens." In a word, there is no praise, there is no word of affection that the Hindu would not use both in poetry and in prose when describing the lotus, which is dear even to women, although its flower, according to the Hindus, contrary to the views of the Egyptians, does not contribute to excitement, but humility of passions. And when in former times human sacrifices were made to the gods in India, they collected the blood of the victim on a lotus petal, and it was prescribed to fill the petal with blood not completely, but only a quarter; so that the human sacrifices of the Hindus amounted, therefore, to a little bloodletting. This Indian lotus, otherwise - non-lumbium, whose leaves and flowers do not float on water, but rise high above it on long petioles, had and has no less economic importance than the Egyptian lotus. (The nut-bearing lotus, formerly called sacred l. Now this genus has been separated from the family of water lilies into an independent lotus family.) Its main consumers are the Japanese and Chinese, in whom it is bred even as a vegetable. The rhizomes, grains and leaves are eaten. The rhizome is eaten raw and boiled. In the summer it is eaten with ice as a refreshment, and in the winter it is pickled. Containing a lot of starch, it is extremely nutritious and digestible. In the markets in Japan, China and Indo-China, these rhizomes lie in heaps and are called "hazun". It tastes somewhat like celery or swede when cooked. It is also eaten roasted on coals or roasted like sweet roots, and besides, it is also used to make flour, which is poured into soup, like semolina or sago. The grains are eaten candied as a treat or made into a cake. As for the leaves, in the fall, when flowering stops, the young, shoot-like leaves are cut, tied into bundles and sold in the markets. They are eaten boiled like asparagus. They are especially sold in markets in Srinagar and India. In addition, the Chinese eat its stamens, stem, rhizome, believing that this food returns beauty and youth to the elderly. Chinese women, like the ancient Egyptians and Phoenicians once, adorn themselves with its flowers. Lotus flowers are especially in great demand on the day of the Chinese New Year, when, together with the daffodil, which, as you know, is a necessary accessory for every home on this day, according to their belief, it brings happiness. In former times, this lovely plant was found in abundance in the backwaters of the Volga near Astrakhan and was called the chulpan rose, from the Chulpansky Bay, where it was most common. In the autumn, when its large, grain-containing fruits ripened, all the village youth went to these backwaters in boats with songs, with harmonies, and picked up whole heaps of these fruits. Their main attraction was the tasty grains that cracked like sunflower and melon seeds or like pine nuts. These stocks were enough for a long time, and they were treated to thrifty housewives at Christmas. But those happy days are over. The greed of people who were not content with picking fruits alone, but uprooting the plant itself, led to its almost complete disappearance near Astrakhan, so that now, despite the most thorough searches of scientists, it is found only occasionally. (In the Astrakhan Reserve, founded in 1919 in the coastal part of the Volga delta (area over 60 hectares), scientific work is being carried out on hydrobiology, in particular, the biology of the lotus is being studied. The lotus is also found in the Far East, was planted and breeds in the delta of the Kuban River, cultivated in many other water bodies as an ornamental plant) Author: Zolotnitsky N.
Lotus. Botanical description, plant history, legends and folk traditions, cultivation and use
The real, or Egyptian, lotus is distantly related to our water lily: its flowers, white, yellow and pink, are much larger than those of a water lily. In ancient Egypt, it was dedicated to the fertility goddess Isis and the sun god Osiris. Osiris was depicted sitting on a lotus leaf, and Horus, the god of light, on a flower. This expressed the connection of the flower with the sun, which, like the water lily flower, opens in the morning and sinks into the water in the evening. Since ancient times, five lotus flowers have flaunted in the state emblem of Egypt, and the scepter - a sign of the power of the Egyptian pharaohs - was made in the form of a lotus flower on a long stem. The lotus flower and buds were engraved on Egyptian coins, the columns of Egyptian palaces and temples were decorated with its image, at the base of which were lotus leaves, and in the upper part - a bunch of stem with flowers and buds. More than five and a half thousand years ago, the Egyptians depicted lotuses on tombs, and on the altars of sacrifices, he symbolized the resurrection from the dead, although in the hieroglyphs of the Egyptians it meant joy and pleasure. Women, going to visit, decorated their hairstyles with lotus flowers, held their bouquets in their hands. While admiring the flower and inhaling its aroma, the Egyptians noticed that the lotus is very light-loving, it can open both at sunrise and at moonrise. Associating the lotus with fertility, they also came up with a peculiar proverb: "There are many lotuses on the water, fertility will be great." They were the first to eat the seeds and rhizomes of this plant. The botanist Theophrastus wrote: "The Egyptians put the lotus heads in heaps, where they rot until their outer shells collapse, after which the seeds are washed in the river, dried and crushed, and bread is baked from the resulting flour." In addition to the white lotus, in Egypt there is also a blue Nile lotus, which they call the "sky lily", and even bright red ones grow in Tibet, India and Mongolia. They love the lotus in India and revere it, still singing it in ritual dances. If the dancer folds her hands at face level with her fingers up, this means a sleeping lotus, if she moves her fingers and pushes them apart - a blooming plant. The Mahabharata describes a lotus that had a thousand petals, shone like the sun, and scattered a delicious fragrance around. This lotus, according to legend, lengthened life, returned youth and beauty. Lotus in India is a symbol of purity. Growing out of the mud, he is never dirty, and therefore he is compared with a chaste person, to whom no filth sticks. Indian mythology endowed with such chastity the goddess Sri, or Lakshmi, the wife of Vishnu, who was considered the patroness of fertility and prosperity. She was called "born of a lotus", "standing on a lotus", "colored with a lotus". In the medallion of the stupa in Sangi, the goddess Sri is depicted standing on a lotus, surrounded by leaves and flowers, she swims across the ocean. Nicholas Roerich wrote in one of his essays: “Indian women come to the black lakes at night. They ring thin bells. Sacred turtles are summoned from the water. They are fed. Candles are inserted into the nut shell. Launched on the lake. Looking for fate. They wonder Beauty lives in India. These women went to the lakes to bow to the lotus. In India, the lotus is considered a sacred plant. The ancient Hindus represented the earth in the form of a lotus flower, and the cult of the lotus goddess of fertility was widespread in the agricultural cultures of the country. And, probably, because from the most ancient times to the present, many spaces of the prayer walls of Buddhist temples and monasteries are decorated with the saying: "Om - mani - padme - hum" "Be blessed, precious lotus!" In the visual arts, compositions with the goddess of the lotus hugging the feet of Vishnu are known, and the ruler of the universe gives birth to a giant lotus from the body. As the thousand-petalled golden lotus grows, the universe grows; petals give rise to mountains, forests, rivers and valleys. And the red lotus is still the emblem of modern India. There is even a saying: "Lotus flowers are a ship on which a drowning person in the middle of the ocean of life can find his salvation." And in China, the lotus was revered as a sacred plant. In Taoist folklore, the virtuous maiden He Xiangu was depicted holding a "flower of open cordiality" in her hands - a lotus or a wand with elements of this flower. There, the lotus also personifies purity, chastity, fertility, productive power; it is the symbol of summer and is one of the eight emblems of good divination. The image of a lotus plays an important role in Chinese, Buddhist art, in particular, in painting: ancient Chinese artists always painted a lotus lake in the western part of the sky. The lotus growing on this lake, according to their ideas, communicated with the soul of a deceased person. Depending on the degree of virtue of a person in earthly life, lotus flowers blossomed or wilted. From Egypt, India and China, the symbolism of the lotus penetrated to other countries. In a golden boat in the shape of a lotus, the ancient Greek hero Hercules makes one of his journeys. Along with the lotus flower, the lotus tree also has considerable significance in symbolism. In the same Greek mythology, the nymph Lotis (Lotis), escaping from Priapus pursuing her, turned into a lotus tree.
According to legend, the one who tastes the lotus flowers will never want to part with the homeland of this flower. The magical property of taking away memory is attributed to the lotus by the consonance of its name with the Greek root "lat", denoting oblivion. "For nine days an irritated storm carried us through the dark // Fishy waters; on the tenth day to the land of lathophages, // Saturating themselves with flower food, the wind rushed us, // He went out to solid ground and stocked up on fresh water, // We had a quick light lunch with the fast courts were established. Satisfying my hunger with food and drink, I chose // Two of our most efficient comrades (there was a third // Herald with them) and sent them to know whom we reached // People who eat bread on the earth, abundant in gifts. They found peaceful lathophages there; and sent to our // Latofagi did not do evil; them with friendly caress // Having met them, they gave them a lotus to taste; but as soon as // Each one tasted the Sweet-honey lotus, instantly // Forgot everything, and, having lost the desire to return back, // Suddenly he wanted to stay aside from the Latophages, so that he would gather a tasty // Lotus, forever abandoning his homeland. By force of them, weeping, I dragged them to our ships, I commanded // Tie them firmly to the ship's benches there, while the rest // I gave orders to my faithful comrades, without any delay, // All of them should sit on the nimble ships, so that none of them // Lotus seduced by the sweet, he did not renounce the return home. These events, described by Homer, took place more than thirty centuries ago on the island of Djerba, which lies in the Mediterranean Sea near the coast of South Tunisia. It is difficult to agree today that the lotus has the miraculous power attributed to it by Homer. But Homeric lathophages, eating lotus, have chosen one of the most charming corners of the globe for their dwelling - the island of Djerba. The maritime climate on Djerba is devoid of normal dampness, because the African coast and the Sahara Desert with its dry winds are located nearby. The bright sun rises over the island almost all year round, but thanks to the sea surrounding the land, there is no scorching heat here. The landscape is complemented by dense panicles of palm trees, evergreen plums and magnificent beaches of fine golden sand, stretching along the entire hundred-kilometer coastline. Lotus food is also not fictional. In Japan and China, various dishes are prepared from the roots and leaves of this plant. In the same Japan and China, holidays dedicated to the lotus have long been celebrated, which are held very solemnly. In 1881, during the excavation of the tomb of Pharaoh Ramses II and Princess Nei Khonsu, several dried blue lotus buds were found, which had lain in the ground for three thousand years and retained their color. Among the dazzling riches of the tomb, these flowers made the greatest impression. A simple bouquet overshadowed the brilliance, luxury and elegance of ancient Egyptian products. Such is the magical power and charm of flowers. In 1933, a report flashed in the magazines that in the Kew Botanical Gardens near London, Indian lotus plants were blooming, the age of the seeds of which was equal to four centuries. When the scientists doubted such a statement and decided to test it in experience, they managed to germinate lotus seeds, the age of which was estimated at 1040 years! The lotus family today is represented by only one genus and two species: the walnut lotus and the yellow lotus: the blue Nile lotus has become a relic. The walnut lotus has pink flowers. This species grows in Northeastern Australia, on the islands of the Malay Archipelago, the Philippine Islands, in South Australia, on the island of Sri Lanka, on the Hindustan and Indochina peninsulas, in China, in the Far East in the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories, as well as along the shores of the Caspian seas at the mouth of the Kura River and in the Volga Delta. The second species - yellow lotus - is common in the southern regions of North America, in Central America, it is also found in the Hawaiian, Greater and Lesser Antilles and on the island of Jamaica. As a rule, it grows in flowing reservoirs and in wetlands of lakes and rivers with a slow current. In the Volga delta, it settles in ilmens and in bays on the seashore, as well as along the banks of numerous channels. Every year, in connection with the rise of the delta and its advancement into the depths of the Caspian Sea, the lotus moves lower and lower to places with more favorable soil and running water, leaving its former habitats. For example, the village of Tabala is located much higher than the modern places where the lotus grows along the Volga. This word means the Kalmyk name of the lotus that once grew in this place. In years of low water level, the lotus often finds itself on land, continuing to develop normally. Until now, it is not known exactly who and when brought the Indian lotus to the lower reaches of the Volga. Here, near Astrakhan, he found a second home. At the mouth of the Volga, many estuaries and lakes arose, where the water warms up, as in the tropics, which contributes to its beneficial settlement. In the Volga delta, in the lower reaches of the Kura and Araks, the walnut-bearing Caspian lotus grows, and in the basin of the Ussuri and Amur rivers and in Lebyazhye Lake, the Far Eastern lotus of Komarov grows. They are of scientific value as a relic tropical species and as highly decorative, food and fodder plants. The rural population of China, India and Japan still use the seeds and rhizomes of the lotus to make flour and produce starch, sugar and oil. The rhizomes are often boiled into soup or cooked as a side dish. They say that among the confectionery products in China, candied lotus rhizomes, cut into small slices, are famous for their taste, reminiscent of marmalade. Lotus flowers are exceptionally beautiful, large, up to thirty centimeters in diameter, raised high above the water. There is a cultivated form with white flowers, which is bred in many greenhouses and botanical gardens. The flowers have a very pleasant cinnamon scent. Author: Krasikov S.
Lotus, Nelumbium. Classification, synonyms, botanical description, nutritional value, cultivation
An aquatic plant with erect thyroid leaves, a large flower, pink in color, the fruit is a nut. At the mouth of the Volga, the so-called Caspian lotus (N. nuciferum Gaerth) is found; The Egyptian lotus grows in the Nile Delta. In East Asia, lotus rhizomes and seeds are eaten. In the Antilles and the southern United States, N. luteum Willd is used. (Apparently, N. nuciferum and N. caspicum are synonyms.) In Cochin China, Annam and Tonkin, pear-shaped, egg-sized rhizomes of Nymphaea stellata Willd are eaten. - pitchers. In the Volga delta grows N. caspicum Fisch., which can be used in the same way as N. nuciferum and other lotus species. Before use, they are dried, and in the form of a powder they go into the broth - "consomme". Author: Ipatiev A.N.
Lotus, Nelumbo. Recipes for use in traditional medicine and cosmetology
Ethnoscience:
Cosmetology:
Attention! Before use, consult with a specialist!
Lotus, Nelumbo. Tips for growing, harvesting and storing
Lotus is an aquatic plant with beautiful large flowers that can be white, pink or yellow. Lotus is known for its medicinal properties and beauty, and can be grown at home. Cultivation:
Workpiece:
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