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Who Were the Lotus Eaters in the Odyssey?

One of the first dangers encountered by Odysseus and his crew was the addictive food of the Lotus Eaters. Keep reading to find out what real-life hazard this delicious fruit might have represented!

Throughout history, sailors have faced a variety of hazards at sea. There was a constant worry that a man who boarded a ship might never return home.

This was often because of the dangers of the open water. Greek mythology’s sea monsters embodied the dangers that could sink a ship, from sudden storms to unexpectedly striking rocks.

Other dangers, however, were on shore. Like other seafaring cultures, Greek sailors were at risk of losing themselves in the allure of the ports they visited.

Many of these dangers are, like the monsters of the sea, represented in the Odyssey . Odysseus and his men battle not only monsters, but also temptation in their ten-year long journey home.

One of the first temptations they face is on the island of the Lotus Eaters. Historians believe that this threat to their return was based on a problem that is familiar to many in the modern world.

The Island of the Lotus Eaters

When Odysseus set out from Troy after ten years of war, he had twelve ships. Another ten years later, he would finally reach Ithaca alone.

The voyage began to go poorly from the very beginning. Not long after sailing from Troy, the Ithacan fleet was battered by a sudden storm and driven for nine days by rogue winds.

Having lost their way and sustained slight damage, Odysseus ordered the ships to land on the next island they came across. There, they could take on fresh water and make repairs before continuing toward home.

The ships landed on an unknown island and, according to the Odyssey , rested and ate their lunch on the shore. After they had eaten, Odysseus ordered three of his company to investigate the island further.

Odysseus knew there were people living on the island, although none had come to the beach to greet the twelve ships. He told three men to go inland and report back on what type of people lived there.

After many hours, the three men had not returned. Odysseus himself led another party onto the island to find out what had happened to them.

They soon discovered the three men in a stupor. They had not been injured, but had been warmly greeted by the island’s natives.

Homer called these people the lotophagoi , or Lotus Eaters. They were happy and peaceful people who lived off the fruits of the lotus tree.

This fruit was so delicious that it made any person who ate it completely forget about anything else. The Lotus Eaters never thought about leaving their island or even making improvements to it because they were completely consumed by their obsession with the lotus fruit.

The fruit was so intoxicating that a single bite of it could completely overpower a man. When the three scouts sent by Odysseus had taken fresh fruit, a luxury for sailors, from the Lotus Eaters they had immediately forgotten all about their homes and their duty to their captain.

Odysseus realized that the men were in the thrall of the Lotus Eaters’ food. He immediately ordered the rest of his men not to eat anything from the island or bring any food on board the ships with them.

He had to drag the three men back to the ships, crying as they were pulled away from the lotus fruits. They were so enthralled by the island’s food that they had to be tied below the ships’ benches to prevent them from jumping overboard and attempting to swim back to the Lotus Eaters’ island.

Luckily for them, the effects of the lotus fruit seemed to wear off after time. It was later said that the men who had eaten the lotus fruit eventually returned to sanity and were embarrassed by their behavior on the island.

My Modern Interpretation

Many scenes in the Odyssey have been interpreted by modern scholars as allegories for the things that could keep a man from seeing to his duties at home.

Some of these threats were the dangers that could lead to death on the sea. The Sirens and Scylla , for example, are both thought to represent rocky cliffs and outcroppings that could sink a ship and keep the sailors from ever reaching home.

Other threats were more mental, however. On the island of Circe , for example, Odyssey’s affair with the beautiful sorceress nearly leads him to forget about his goal of returning to his wife and child in Ithaca.

The intoxicating food of the Lotus Eaters is interpreted as a real distraction that could keep men from returning to their duties.

The encounter with the Lotus Eaters is sometimes framed as a warning against becoming too distracted by pleasure in a general sense. This has been advice given to sailors in many cultures, who consistently had a reputation for seeking out vice when they came to shore.

As a general symbol for excess, many fruits have been proposed as the possible real-world counterparts of the mythical lotus tree. Certain berries and even specific varieties of dates have been identified as fruits that were so delicious and luxurious that they might inspire men to never want to leave the place they grew.

A more specific interpretation, however, is that the lotus fruit specifically represented the danger of losing oneself to the pleasures of alcohol and other drugs. While it seems unlikely that a man would forget his home because of a pleasant-tasting fruit, an addictive substance would be much more likely to inspire a complete abandonment of responsibility.

Those who support this theory believe that Homer may have used the lotus tree to represent another plant that was well-known in the ancient world: the opium poppy.

The effects of the lotus fruit on the three crewmen and the Lotus Eaters seem similar to the effects of opium use.

Opium, for example, causes lethargy and a lack of ambition. The three men who ate the plant were immediately so consumed by it that they did not even want to take the time to report back to the ship and tell Odysseus what they had found on the island.

Opium is, of course, also highly addictive. After just a few hours on the island, the three crewmen were already so addicted to the fruit that they had to be physically dragged away from it and restrained until the effects had worn off.

The effects of opium on sailors would not have been unknown in the Greek world. The poppies that produce it are native to Turkey, where Troy was located, and other parts of the Near East that would have been major sites of trade with the city-states of mainland Greece.

Some translations of the Odyssey further support the idea that Homer’s lotus was based on the opium poppy. While the Lotus Eaters are usually said to eat the lotus tree’s fruits, some translations specify that the fruit came from a flower.

While the episode of the Lotus Eaters in the Odyssey is often taken as a warning against overindulgence and preoccupation with leisure or pleasure, it is likely a more targeted warning. When sailing around the Mediterranean, the allure of opium posed a real threat that could keep sailors from returning to their lives at home.

One of the first stops made by Odysseus’s ships after leaving Troy was on the island of the Lotus Eaters. Putting ashore to take on fresh water and make repairs to their ships, they nearly lost three men to the island’s unusual produce.

The Lotus Eaters who lived on the island welcomed the three men who were sent to scout it. They offered them the only food they ate, the fruit of the lotus plant.

Hours later, Odysseus found his men completely under the thrall of this delicious fruit. After a single bite, they forgot all about their homes and their duty to their commander.

The men were so obsessed with this fruit that they had to be dragged back to the ships and restrained as they sailed away. Odysseus warned the others not to touch anything that came from the island or bring it on board for fear of losing more men to the fruit’s spell.

The episode of the Lotus Eaters in the Odyssey is generally taken as a warning against overindulgence and excess pleasure. Many, however, see it as a more specific warning against intoxication.

The lotus plant is likely based on the opium poppy, which is native to the Near East. The reactions of the men are similar to opium addiction, which could be powerful enough to make a man abandon his home and family.

Rather than being a general warning against excess, the Lotus Eaters in the Odyssey likely served as a specific warning against the intoxicating drugs Greek sailors could encounter in foreign lands.

My name is Mike and for as long as I can remember (too long!) I have been in love with all things related to Mythology. I am the owner and chief researcher at this site. My work has also been published on Buzzfeed and most recently in Time magazine. Please like and share this article if you found it useful.

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New Restaurant and Bar Openings in the Hudson Valley and Catskills

From a new spot from the Wildair team to an Afghan food truck opening a restaurant

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We’re officially wiping our memories of the weeks-long spouts of rain New York experienced over the past month. This sunshine is here and boy, did we need it. It also means we're daydreaming about little jaunts out of the city. Hudson Valley and the Catskills, just a short travel away, are brimming with new openings to keep an eye on, whether you’re coming up from the five boroughs or a local trying to branch out. This guide includes restaurants, bars, and bakeries that are on the way this season, as well as ones that opened not too long ago. Now's your chance to start pestering that one friend with a car for plans.

Opening: Memorial Day weekend

Address: 39 goshen road, hensonville, new york.

Matilda — the restaurant from the Wildair team inside the new Henson hotel — has opened its reservations starting Memorial Day weekend. Jonas Offenbach leads the kitchen. He has worked with Fabian Von Hauske Valtierra and Jeremiah Stone for some time, most recently building out the menu at Day June , a luncheonette with stellar breakfast burritos and cheddar chipotle pancakes in Windham, New York. It’s part of a trio of projects in the area for Stone and Von Hauske Valtierra, including Paracasa , a neighboring pantry shop. This is their full-service upstate dinner spot that’s sure to attract potential “best new restaurant” scouts.

Opening: Summer 2024

Address: 2 eliza street, beacon, new york.

Nansense began serving food out of a converted mail truck in Chelsea, eventually winning a Vendy Award, a review in the New York Times , and becoming a fixture at the Queens Night Market in the process. Now, Mohibullah Rahmati, who goes by Mo, is opening up an Afghan restaurant in Beacon, New York — a town known for its easy access to the Metro North, and the Dia Beacon Museum.

Bar Piscina

Address: 800 co road 23b, leeds, new york.

Casa Susanna , a modern Mexican Hudson Valley restaurant stationed inside of Camptown, a hotel in Leeds, New York, was named a Best New Restaurant for 2023 by Esquire , in a kitchen led by chef Efrén Hernández, an alum of the former Babs in the West Village. On May 31, the team will open Bar Piscina for the season, located in a gazebo at the Camptown property, serving fluke ceviche, aguachile, and several tlayudas, alongside frozen margaritas and paletas in flavors like blueberry-cardamom, per a spokesperson.

Pinkerton’s

Opening: late summer 2024, address: 8 fair street, kingston, new york.

James Beard Award-winning Pastry Chef Angela Pinkerton, an alum of Eleven Madison Park, closed her Bay Area bakery, Pie Society , last year. Now, she will open something new in Kingston: Pinkerton’s debuts this summer, building on the following she amassed for her pies (she will keep the Pie Society name and expand wholesale operations), adding danishes, cakes, cookies, and other “nostalgic American desserts,” to her menu according to a press release. There will be gluten-free and vegan options available, as well as lunch and breakfast. In Pinkerton’s announcement that she had purchased the Kingston Art Deco building, she included that it has lived many lives, as a gas station, bagel shop, and a previous bakery called the Cake Box, where the owner recently retired.

Opening: May 2024

Address: 502 union street, hudson, new york.

Circles began as a pop-up by chef Tepper B-T inside Hudson restaurant Lil’ Deb’s Oasis. Now, Circles will open as a standalone shop this season, with an expanded menu of sourdough bagels.

Opened: Spring 2024

Address: 2605 south road, at route 9 mobil, poughkeepsie, new york.

Moonburger is a vegetarian burger spot that calls Alison Roman and Amiel Stanek, a Bon Appetit contributing editor, collaborators. Founded by owner Jeremy Robinson-Leon, it began as a drive-thru in Kingston, before expanding to New Paltz. As of this April, it added a location in Poughkeepsie attached to a Route 9 Mobil gas station, where cars lined up down the road during the opening. Moonburger has a slender menu — regular or cheeseburger (gluten-free buns are available), under $8, fries, and a couple of Oatly-based shakes. This month, a seasonal special includes strawberries blended with Belgian Lotus Biscoff cookies. In its branding, meatless is secondary — the owner says he just want to make a good, affordable fast-food burger. A Williamsburg outpost is on the way .

Vitsky Bakery

Opened: last year; an expanded version will debut this summer 2024, address: 3 main street, wassaic, new york.

Ariel Yotive, an alum of Grand Central’s now-closed Agern and the former head baker at James Beard-nominated restaurant Troutbeck upstate, opened a bakery last summer called Vitsky , inside Ten Mile Table , a market in Wassaic, New York. This summer, Yotive will take over the whole storefront, while the Ten Mile Table owner moves to open a wine shop. In the past, Vitsky Bakery’s pastries have included tahini chocolate muffins, everything-seasoned croissant knots, and danishes.

C. Cassis Tasting Room

Opened: fall 2023, address: 108 salisbury turnpike, rhinebeck, new york.

Rachael Petach founded C. Cassis , a black currant liqueur brand, produced in the same Rhinebeck, New York space, where, last fall, she unveiled a very charming tasting room. Here, she enlisted Katy Moore, an alum of Marlow & Sons and Gertie. A snacks menu, meant to pair with cassis, features salads, dips, and sandwiches (using bread by Mel the Bakery , another new area opening). There’s a retail area selling products like C. Cassis salted currant compote. It’s currently open Saturdays and Sundays from 12 to 7 p.m.

Eliza Bistro

Address: 582 broadway, kingston, new york.

From the team that owns Ollie’s Slice Shop , a NY-style slice spot, and provisions store Fletcher & Lu , all on the same strip of Broadway in Kingston, comes Eliza Bistro . Chris Bradley, an alum of Gramercy Tavern, and a partner in Phoenicia Diner, leads a European-leaning menu that includes lamb tagliatelle, grilled octopus with fennel, and steelhead trout with white asparagus. The team just debuted their backyard patio for the first time.

The Meat Hook and Mel the Bakery

Opened: april 2024 and december 2023, address: 322 warren street and 324 warren street, hudson, new york.

In a shared property on Hudson’s main strip of Warren Street, find a building that holds two major names: Nora Allen’s relocated Mel the Bakery , attached to the first upstate location of the Meat Hook , Brooklyn’s acclaimed butcher shop.

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Savvino-storozhevsky monastery and museum.

Zvenigorod's most famous sight is the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, which was founded in 1398 by the monk Savva from the Troitse-Sergieva Lavra, at the invitation and with the support of Prince Yury Dmitrievich of Zvenigorod. Savva was later canonised as St Sabbas (Savva) of Storozhev. The monastery late flourished under the reign of Tsar Alexis, who chose the monastery as his family church and often went on pilgrimage there and made lots of donations to it. Most of the monastery’s buildings date from this time. The monastery is heavily fortified with thick walls and six towers, the most impressive of which is the Krasny Tower which also serves as the eastern entrance. The monastery was closed in 1918 and only reopened in 1995. In 1998 Patriarch Alexius II took part in a service to return the relics of St Sabbas to the monastery. Today the monastery has the status of a stauropegic monastery, which is second in status to a lavra. In addition to being a working monastery, it also holds the Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural and Art Museum.

Belfry and Neighbouring Churches

Located near the main entrance is the monastery's belfry which is perhaps the calling card of the monastery due to its uniqueness. It was built in the 1650s and the St Sergius of Radonezh’s Church was opened on the middle tier in the mid-17th century, although it was originally dedicated to the Trinity. The belfry's 35-tonne Great Bladgovestny Bell fell in 1941 and was only restored and returned in 2003. Attached to the belfry is a large refectory and the Transfiguration Church, both of which were built on the orders of Tsar Alexis in the 1650s.  

To the left of the belfry is another, smaller, refectory which is attached to the Trinity Gate-Church, which was also constructed in the 1650s on the orders of Tsar Alexis who made it his own family church. The church is elaborately decorated with colourful trims and underneath the archway is a beautiful 19th century fresco.

Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral

The Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral is the oldest building in the monastery and among the oldest buildings in the Moscow Region. It was built between 1404 and 1405 during the lifetime of St Sabbas and using the funds of Prince Yury of Zvenigorod. The white-stone cathedral is a standard four-pillar design with a single golden dome. After the death of St Sabbas he was interred in the cathedral and a new altar dedicated to him was added.

Under the reign of Tsar Alexis the cathedral was decorated with frescoes by Stepan Ryazanets, some of which remain today. Tsar Alexis also presented the cathedral with a five-tier iconostasis, the top row of icons have been preserved.

Tsaritsa's Chambers

The Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral is located between the Tsaritsa's Chambers of the left and the Palace of Tsar Alexis on the right. The Tsaritsa's Chambers were built in the mid-17th century for the wife of Tsar Alexey - Tsaritsa Maria Ilinichna Miloskavskaya. The design of the building is influenced by the ancient Russian architectural style. Is prettier than the Tsar's chambers opposite, being red in colour with elaborately decorated window frames and entrance.

At present the Tsaritsa's Chambers houses the Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural and Art Museum. Among its displays is an accurate recreation of the interior of a noble lady's chambers including furniture, decorations and a decorated tiled oven, and an exhibition on the history of Zvenigorod and the monastery.

Palace of Tsar Alexis

The Palace of Tsar Alexis was built in the 1650s and is now one of the best surviving examples of non-religious architecture of that era. It was built especially for Tsar Alexis who often visited the monastery on religious pilgrimages. Its most striking feature is its pretty row of nine chimney spouts which resemble towers.

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How One Chef Turns Escargot and Sweet Potato Fries Into Date-Night Dinner

NYC chef Ayesha Nurdjaja transforms a random box of ingredients into an ambitious dinner dream

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Eater Video’s new series On The Fly challenges expert chefs to turn secret ingredients into show-stopping meals. In this pilot episode, executive chef-partner of Shuka and Shukette in NYC, Ayesha Nurdjaja is presented with frozen sweet potato fries, ​​escargot, whole black garlic, lotus root, and baby quail. Her theme? Date night dinner.

“Of all of these ingredients there are two of them that are really stumping me,” says Nurdjaja of the lotus root — which she’s never cooked before — and the sweet potato fries. “Obviously [you can] fry them, but you’re expecting more from me, aren’t you?”

Despite her initial reservations, Nurdjaja is quick to jump into work. Her plan is to make stuffed quail with escargot and sweet potatoes paired with a black garlic and onion puree and a side of pickled lotus root salad. Nurdjaja moves deftly around the kitchen, turning her ambitious dinner dream into reality — all the while, cracking quips about cooking and taking the time to explain each step of her process.

Watch the full episode of On The Fly to watch expert chef Ayesha Nurdjaja turn these random ingredients into a cohesive date night meal.

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