The Symbolism of the Lotus Flower in Ancient Egypt

The lotus was the only flowering plant in Egypt that bloomed continuously throughout the year. Because of this, the blue lotus became a natural solar symbol and was corresponded to the process of creation and the continuance of life. The gods and goddesses of Egypt were said to naturally exude divine scent from their bodies. So it followed in daily life that by being fragrant an individual emulated their deities. The lotus is symbolized in all Egytian temples tombs and artwork.

In many temples and tombs you will see ancient Egyptian kings offering the scent of the lotus to the gods.The Ancient Egyptians believed that a giant lotus blossom was the first expression of living form to emerge from the primordial waters of Nun. Then from this flower the sun-god  came forth. The Lotus was also considered as an aphrodisiac, a substance that increases sexual desire and sexual pleasure 

This is my photograph of the Goddess Sekhet bringing the Harvest of the fields to Dendera Temple, and it shows that her divine breath is that of flowers, she has a garland of Lotus flowers wrapped around her arm that she brings to the Temple

Among the treasures found in the tomb of Tutankhamun was a beautiful wooden carving of the head of the young king as a boy of about nine or ten years of age. 

This beautiful sculpture depicts Tutankhamun as the Reborn Child, or Sun God rising from the petals of the sacred blue lotus, and represents 'He who emerged from the lotus upon the High Mound, who illumines with his eyes, the Two Lands.'. When Tutenkhamun's sarcophagi was opened his mummy was covered in Lotus Blossoms.

In Egyptian banquets flower heads of the lotus were soaked in wine to prepare a special intoxicating and fragrant drink for banquets and festivals. In ancient Egypt the root of the lotus could be eaten raw or cooked to the consistency of egg yolk. Its seeds were ground into flour for bread. Their herbalists used a concoction of the lotus to increase libido. Lotus seeds and pods were used as antidotes to love spells, and any part of the lotus carried upon the person ensured divine blessing and good fortune. The scenes on tomb and temple walls where the recipient is offered a  blue lotus inhalation has been proven by research that the scent has an impact on the human brain which leads to a state of mental relaxation that enables a human being to reach what is known as 'enlightenment ' a moment expressed between sleep and vigilance.This is my photograph of Ramses 11 offering the Goddess Hathor the Blue Lotus at the Rammessium, his Mortuary Temple.