What was lotus eaters

With some of his sailors who were not under the influence of the lotus food, he dragged the drugged men back to the ships. Their addiction was such that Odysseus had to chain them in the lower decks of the ship until they had sailed away from the island. In Ancient Greek, the word Lotos stands for several types of plants. Due to this, the plant the Lotus-Eaters used to create their food is unknown.

The plant traditionally believed to be the one described in the myth is the Ziziphus lotus. In some accounts, the plant might have been the poppy since its seeds can be used to produce drugs. Some other candidates include the persimmon fruit, the blue waterlily of the Nile and the nettle tree. There is no consensus as to what exactly the plant is as described by Homer in the Odyssey.

The Lotus Eaters represent one of the challenges that Odysseus had to face on his way home — slothfulness. These were a group of people who had forgotten their purpose in life and who gave in to the peaceful apathy that came with eating the lotus.

The story can also be seen as a warning of giving into addictive behavior. Had Odysseus also eaten of the lotus plant, he would probably not have the will power to leave the island and continue his journey with his men. The Lotus Eaters also remind us of the dangers of forgetting who we are and what we have set out to do. The Lotus Eaters themselves have no direction, making one wonder who they really were and what sort of lives they led before they fell under the influence of the lotus.

While it seems unlikely that a man would forget his home because of a pleasant-tasting fruit, an addictive substance would be much more likely to inspire a complete abandonment of responsibility. Those who support this theory believe that Homer may have used the lotus tree to represent another plant that was well-known in the ancient world: the opium poppy.

The effects of the lotus fruit on the three crewmen and the Lotus Eaters seem similar to the effects of opium use. Opium, for example, causes lethargy and a lack of ambition. The three men who ate the plant were immediately so consumed by it that they did not even want to take the time to report back to the ship and tell Odysseus what they had found on the island. Opium is, of course, also highly addictive. After just a few hours on the island, the three crewmen were already so addicted to the fruit that they had to be physically dragged away from it and restrained until the effects had worn off.

The effects of opium on sailors would not have been unknown in the Greek world. The poppies that produce it are native to Turkey, where Troy was located, and other parts of the Near East that would have been major sites of trade with the city-states of mainland Greece.

While the episode of the Lotus Eaters in the Odyssey is often taken as a warning against overindulgence and preoccupation with leisure or pleasure, it is likely a more targeted warning. When sailing around the Mediterranean, the allure of opium posed a real threat that could keep sailors from returning to their lives at home.

The Lotus Eaters who lived on the island welcomed the three men who were sent to scout it. They offered them the only food they ate, the fruit of the lotus plant. Hours later, Odysseus found his men completely under the thrall of this delicious fruit.

After a single bite, they forgot all about their homes and their duty to their commander. The men were so obsessed with this fruit that they had to be dragged back to the ships and restrained as they sailed away. The episode of the Lotus Eaters in the Odyssey is generally taken as a warning against overindulgence and excess pleasure.

Many, however, see it as a more specific warning against intoxication. The lotus plant is likely based on the opium poppy, which is native to the Near East. The reactions of the men are similar to opium addiction, which could be powerful enough to make a man abandon his home and family. Rather than being a general warning against excess, the Lotus Eaters in the Odyssey likely served as a specific warning against the intoxicating drugs Greek sailors could encounter in foreign lands.

My name is Mike and for as long as I can remember too long! I have been in love with all things related to Mythology. I am the owner and chief researcher at this site. My work has also been published on Buzzfeed and most recently in Time magazine.

Please like and share this article if you found it useful. The lore of the gods told us where it grew. And we came and it the lotus was good and sweet and we ate of it and rested there in blissful sleep. These men went to their island in bliss; they shall never come back to earth.

He is approached by lotus-eaters seeking hospitality from his ship. They feed him a drink made from honey and barley, and he becomes so drunk that he forgets about returning home.

The Lotus-eaters in Popular Culture. It is also one of the earliest tales to use themes common in later medieval literature, such as sin and temptation. The story of the lotus-eaters have also been analyzed by authors across cultures. Some authors, such as Jungian psychoanalyst Carl Gustav Jung, have developed theories on what the lotus-eaters represent. These include a rejection of civilization and the need to return to a more primitive state.

Others have incorporated the lotus-eaters into theories about human development, such as the life stage of adolescence. The story has also been adapted into operas and plays, although these have been criticized for being too modern in comparison to the original text by Homer. In film, there have been a number of adaptations of the tale of Odysseus and the lotus-eaters.

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