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271
The Folk-lore of Plants
·
T. F. Thiselton-Dyer
207
Passing
on
to
other
countries,
we
find
among
the
plants
most
conspicuous
for
their
sacred
character
the
well-known
lotus
of
the
East
(Nelunibium
speciosum),
around
which
so
many
traditions
and
mythological
legends
have
clustered.
According
to
a
Hindu
legend,
from
its
blossom
Brahma
came
forth:--
"A
form
Cerulean
fluttered
o'er
the
deep;
Brightest
of
beings,
greatest
of
the
great,
Who,
not
as
mortals
steep
Their
eyes
in
dewy
sleep,
But
heavenly
pensive
on
the
lotus
lay,
That
blossom'd
at
his
touch,
and
shed
a
golden
ray.
Hail,
primal
blossom!
hail,
empyreal
gem,
Kemel,
or
Pedma,
[1]
or
whate'er
high
name
Delight
thee,
say.
What
four-formed
godhead
came,
With
graceful
stole
and
beamy
diadem,
Forth
from
thy
verdant
stem."
[2]
Buddha,
too,
whose
symbol
is
the
lotus,
is
said
to
have
first
appeared
floating
on
this
mystic
flower,
and,
indeed,
it
would
seem
that
many
of
the
Eastern
deities
were
fond
of
resting
on
its
leaves;
while
in
China,
the
god
Pazza
is
generally
represented
as
occupying
this
position.
Hence
the
lotus
has
long
been
an
object
of
worship,
and
as
a
sacred
plant
holds
a
most
distinguished
place,
for
it
is
the
flower
of
the,
"Old
Hindu
mythologies,
wherein
The
lotus,
attribute
of
Ganga--embling
The
world's
great
reproductive
power--was
held
In
veneration."
We
may
mention
here
that
the
lotus,
known
also
as
the
sacred
bean
of
Egypt,
and
the
rose-lily
of
the
Nile,
as
far
back
as
four
thousand
years
ago
was
held
in
high
sanctity
by
the
Egyptian
priests,
still
retaining
its
sacred
character
in
China,
Japan,
and
Asiatic
Russia.
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