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The blue lotus
sšnWhat it actually depicts
A blue water lily, shown open or as a closed bud on a long stalk. Not, botanically, a lotus.
What it meant
Rebirth and the first sunrise. It closes and sinks at dusk and opens again on the surface at dawn.
Where you see it
Held to the nose at banquets. As the capital of columns. As the flower on Nefertem's head, with the newborn sun inside it.
What gets said that is wrong
Treated as ornament in banquet scenes. It is the sun's own image, and the guests holding it to their faces are doing something closer to a gesture than to flower arranging.
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