The lotus tree (, ''lōtós'') is a plant that is referred to in stories from Greek and

Roman mythology Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans, and is a form of Roman folklore. "Roman mythology" may also refer to the modern study of these representations, and to th ...

. The lotus tree is mentioned in

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

's '' Odyssey'' as bearing a fruit that caused a pleasant drowsiness, and which was said to be the only food of an island people called the Lotophagi or

lotus-eaters In Greek mythology, lotophages or the lotus-eaters () were a race of people living on an island dominated by the lotus tree off coastal Tunisia (Island of Djerba), a plant whose botanical identity is uncertain. The Lotophagi race in the ''Odyss ...

. When they ate of the lotus tree, they would forget their friends and homes and would lose their desire to return to their native land in favor of living in idleness. Botanical candidates for the lotus tree include the persimmon ('' Diospyros lotus''), which is a sub-evergreen tree native to Southwest Asia and

Southeast Europe Southeast Europe or Southeastern Europe is a geographical sub-region of Europe, consisting primarily of the region of the Balkans, as well as adjacent regions and Archipelago, archipelagos. There are overlapping and conflicting definitions of t ...

that grows to about bearing yellowish green flowers, as well as ''

Ziziphus lotus ''Ziziphus lotus'' is a small deciduous tree in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae, native to the Mediterranean region, including the Sahara in Morocco and also Somalia. It is one of several species called "jujube", and is closely related to '' ...

'', a plant with an edible fruit closely related to the jujube, native to the Mediterranean region of Europe, Asia and

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

. In Ovid's '' Metamorphoses'', the

nymph A nymph (; ; sometimes spelled nymphe) is a minor female nature deity in ancient Greek folklore. Distinct from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature; they are typically tied to a specific place, land ...

Lotis was the beautiful daughter of

Neptune Neptune is the eighth and farthest known planet from the Sun. It is the List of Solar System objects by size, fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 t ...

, the god of water and the sea. In order to flee the violent attention of Priapus, she invoked the assistance of the gods, who answered her prayers by turning her into a lotus tree. The

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

has a legendary plant, the Lote tree, that marks the end of the seventh heaven. In the Bible, the Book of Job also has two lines (), with the Hebrew word צֶאֱלִים (''tse'elim''), which appears nowhere else in the Bible. A recent translation into English has been "lotus trees" since the publication of the Revised Version of the King James Bible of 1881. However, it is otherwise rendered simply as "shady trees"., o
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References

Metamorphoses Mythological plants Objects in Greek mythology Odyssey Plants in the Bible Trees in mythology {{AncientGreek-reli-stub

See also

References