The lotus flower spans cultures, symbolizing
purity and renewal since earliest history. To the left is
an oriental lotus from a woodcut.
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Ancient Egyptian
cosmology incorporated the lotus'
closing at night and reopening each morning into the primordial symbolism of resurrection.
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The blue lotus was native to the Nile and used to be abundant. Its narrow, pointed petals and round, spotted leaves appear as the more common lotus in every conceivable opportunity for Egyptian artistic imagery. Often the leaf spots are not shown, or even the leaf.
The white lotus' rounded petals appear with round, scalloped edge leaves.
The red lotus was introduced to Egypt from Persia in later dynasties.
* Disclaimer Apparently I have succombed to all the myths. According to Clair Ossian in KMT Spring 1999, the common Egyptian "lotus" is actually a water lily. The white lotus opens at dusk, the blue water lilly opens in the morning.
More lotus lore:
drawings from Egyptian art next page
at the Nile Muse
Return to the Nile Museum
Share your lotus notes.
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