Lotus symbol from the god Atum
The lotus a symbol of the new birth is a beautiful flower a symbol of the gods In ancient Greek Its specialty is to make the eater forget and be infatuated with pleasure reflecting the symbolic meaning of indulgence and its effects The lotus floating on water closing at night and blooming again in the morning the lotus is a symbol of rebirth and is linked to the cycle of the sun similar in meaning to the scarab beetle The lotus the light and the heavenly fragrance of the decoration of tombs and sarcophagi the symbolic meaning of rebirth is found throughout Egypt in tombs and temples symbolizing the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt
The lotus flower was also widespread in ancient Egypt The lotus was highly prized for its fragrance and beautiful appearance and the root of the lotus was used as food and also had symbolic meaning often used as a motif on glassware plates, and utensils for ritual offerings The motif of the lotus and its prominent leaves floating on water were often associated with Harpocrates as the child of other divine powers The scarab-like face of the ancient Egyptian god represented the sunrise or the morning sun The god Khepri appears in the Pyramid Texts a hieroglyphic representation of the Egyptian god in the same sense When Khepri was completely absorbed into Ra the lotus was said to have revealed Ra or the boy This boy was sometimes identified as HorusKing Sethi I holding an Ankh and pouring water on an altar (with lotus flowers and two nameset jars).
"Great Temple" of King Sethi I, Abydos / Inner Temple of Horus, Northern Wall.
Nemset vessel with lotus flowers at Abydos
Lotus Symbolism of Atum, the White Lotus and the Blue Lotus. The Blue Lotus is also associated with the goddess Nefertiti the flower of Ancient Egypt. The lotus of the 'Spirit of Ra' opens in the morning like a lotus blossom and is therefore accepted and associated with Ra and as Atum, with the belief that Atum was born from a blue lotus bud. The most popular cup-shaped flower is found only in the forests of the Mekong Delta and the Blue Lotus is also associated with the goddess Nefertiti, the goddess of the life-giving power of the lotus In Ancient Egypt there were two types of lotus the White Lotus and the Blue Lotus In Egyptian art the Blue Lotus the aquatic plant Nelumbo nucifera with white flowers the only plant that bears fruit and flowers simultaneously or a pale pink color
Chapel of Ra-Horakhty, Southern Wall / Seti adjusts the crown of Atum.
When Atum was combined with Ra as Atum-Ra the belief that Atum was born from a blue lotus bud was accepted and associated with Ra in the Ennead cosmology It is said that the lotus rose from the water after an explosive reaction as a bud floating on the surface and the petals gradually opened to reveal the scarab beetle of the god Khepri inside an aspect of Ra representing the rising sun transformed into Nefertum The tears of the weeping boy fused the life of the earth with the Egyptian lotus into the white lotus The god Khepri was completely combined with Ra in the myth of Horus and with Ra merging into one god, Ra-Herakti, in the symbolism of the lotus The powerful lotus in ancient Egypt represented the sun and the cycle of life and death and was part of the architecture of the temples and was also associated with the pharaohs The way the lotus blooms in response to the light of the sun has historical and cultural significance and is associated with religious rituals and was widely used in Egyptian art.
Alabaster chalice The lotus chalice in the exhibition Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh. /
Material Alabaster Size 18.3 cm high, 28.3 cm wide, cup depth is 16.8 cm
The white lotus with its many pointed petals and pure white erect petals is a symbol of purity and spiritual peace in many cultures The white lotus is also a symbol of rebirth It is believed to be the original sacred lotus of ancient Egypt. Nature is a sanctuary of peace even in the face of challenges The white lotus blooms at dusk while the blue lotus blooms in the morning The pure white lotus is the only plant that bears both fruit and flowers at the same time The symbol was found scattered on Tutankhamun's body when the pharaoh's tomb was opened in 1922 The cup is decorated with circles and calyx in bas-relief in the shape of a lotus The handle is in the shape of a lotus supporting the symbol of eternal life and the cup bears the name and title of King Tutankhamun
And the artwork of the details on the bas-relief of the emblem of Ma'atmaatma offered to Osiris The Nameset Vessel with Lotus at Abydos The bas-relief in the Inner Osiris Hall in the Temple of Seti I at Abydos shows the Nameset Vessel with a lotus on top This spouted vase was used for sprinkling water in purification rituals Located on the northern wall of the Inner Hall of Osiris between the entrances to the Shrine of Horus and the Shrine of Seti in the Temple of Seti at Abydos Many temples in Egypt have lotus flower carvings on the tops of the pillars that can be seen almost everywhere such as the eastern side of the pillar of the Temple of Dendur which is decorated throughout the temple with lotus flowers as the bases In other parts of the temple the pillars are decorated with bas-relief carvings with rounded torii at the corners and the tops of the walls
And the Temple of Kom Ombo in Egyptian architecture has an uneven number of 15 pillars arranged in three rows. Of these 13 remain upright. Because there are two main entrances there is no propylon in front The symbol of the construction of the lotus on the base of the temple is decorated with a lotus that appears to grow in water And the pillars in the Temple of Esna dedicated to the god Khnum are divided into areas on the tops of the mixed Egyptian capitals that are still colorful On the pillars in the form of traditional lotus lanterns the beautiful colors of the pillars in the Temple of Esna are a unique heritage in the social structure of Egypt and include many crafts of the time that are near extinction And there are other monuments and buildings in the symbol of the lotus
