Ancient Greek Lotus Eaters in the Odyssey

Ancient Greek Lotus Eaters in the Odyssey

One of the greatest works of Western literature It explores human values such as courage wisdom endurance and love Odysseus joins a war and spends 10 years fighting. During his journey Odysseus faces obstacles that are the foundation for modern Western literature A long and challenging journey back to Ithaca The Greek myth of the lotophages or lotus eaters the ancient Greeks were a race that lived on an island with lotuses off the coast of Tunisia the island of Djerba which is a plant with unclear botanical identity The lotophages in the Odyssey are said to eat the fruit of the lotus sweet like honey 

Odysseus removing his men from the company of the lotus-eaters

The fruit and flowers of the lotus are the main food causing the inhabitants to sleep in indifference peacefully After they eat the lotus they forget their home and loved ones and only want to be with their fellow lotus eaters. In the Odyssey and his crew arrived at the island of the lotus eaters Some of the crew ate the lotus and were so enchanted with the comfort that they did not want to go home The group of people who ate a plant called a lotus especially in Homer's epic Odyssey the lotus eaters were a group of people who lived on an island called the Island of the Lotus Eaters Those who ate the lotus would become intoxicated and forgetful In Greek mythology the lotus eaters were a group of people who lived on an island called the Island of the Lotus Eaters who lived on a food source of a type of flower So we went ashore to drink clean water

Odysseus and Eurycleia by Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein

And our crew had lunch on the shore near the ship In Homer's Odyssey Book IX Odysseus recounts how a strong north wind blew his men off course as they avoided the peninsula of Malea the southernmost tip of the Peloponnese heading west to Ithaca. The journey was driven by strong winds for nine days at sea but on the tenth day in the land of the lotus eaters living on a flower we went ashore to drink fresh water and the crew had lunch on the shore When they had eaten and drunk 

Odysseus Overcome by Demodocus' Song, by Francesco Hayez, 1813–15

I sent two men to see what the people were doing and a third was in command They set off immediately and went to the lotus eaters who did them no harm but gave them a lotus to eat which was so delicious that the lotus eaters did not care about their homes and did not even tell them what had happened but asked to rest and eat the lotus I forced them back to the ship made them sit still and immediately boarded the ship fearing that they would not taste the lotus and not want to go home