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Which "lotus" did the Lotus-eaters eat?
It is the last of these, or another member of genus Ziziphus, that is traditionally taken to be the plant meant in the Odyssey . Herodotus mentions the Lotophagi in his description of North Africa, and identifies the lotus as a plant similar to the date palm [2]. Recent studies have shown that the blue water-lily of the Nile, Nymphaea caerulea, also known as the blue lotus (already known under this name to the Greeks), is a stronger candidate. It can be processed to be used as a soporific and in some formulations has psychedelic properties. It is very common in Egyptian iconography which suggests its use in a religious context.[citation needed] Where is the island of the Lotus-eaters?The island of the Lotophagi may be the modern Djerba. It is a likely candidate because there are very few islands on the North African coast; however, Herodotus says that the Lotophagi live on a peninsula, not an island. Modern references to the lotus eatersIn modern usage, people who frequently daydream or think of impractical ideas can be called "lotus-eaters". In Robert E. Howard's novelette, "Xuthal of the Dusk", Conan finds the lost city of Xuthal, where he encounters the last descendents of a once-great civilisation, who spend most of their time in a drug-induced haze. Only Conan and his companion, Natala, escape. In other Conan stories, Howard refers to lotuses of various colors having various narcotic effects. The popular 8-bit computer game, Sabre Wulf, features lotus plants of various colours, each of which has differing effects upon the character (super speed, reversed controls, immunity to harm, etc). This Side of Paradise is a Star Trek episode in which Captain Kirk has to rescue his crew and a planetary colony from alien spores that cause them to enjoy only lackadaisical hedonistic pursuits. When the USS Enterprise arrived they found essentially an island of the Lotus-eaters, and his crew became infected as well. It was up to Kirk (in the role of Odysseus) to forcefully break them out of their euphoric state and bring them back to reality. The name "[The] Lotus Eater[s]" has often been used for bands, films, works of literature, and so on. See The Lotus Eaters for a list. References
See also
el:Λωτοφάγοι es:Lotófagos fr:Lotophages it:Lotofagi nl:Lotofagen no:Lotofager pt:Lotófagos ru:Лотофаги sv:Lotofagerna uk:Лотофаги
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