Major Figures wearing lotus garlands are attested in a very small number of Old Kingdom tomb scenes. Is it just an artistic motif chosen by the tomb owner? or does this attribute symbolize a special feature indicating social status or priestly class? Maybe used to perform religious rituals?
While tomb owners' wives occasionally wear a lotus garland in marsh scenes where their husband is the focal point of the scene it is rare for the major figure to wear a garland. Only three examples are attested, in the pleasure cruise scenes in the tombs of Kakhenet (II) at El-Hammamiya, Hetepet and Iy-nefert at Giza. As garlands are more commonly associated with women, the absence of this feature in the corpus of Old Kingdom tombs is possibly linked with the small number of marsh scenes representing female major figures in comparison to those showing male major figures. Another female figure wearing a Lotus wreath, this time on a false door fragment, so in a different context, comes from Giza.
In (PT(W) 266) xA NN m nfr-tm zSSn r Srt ra pr.f m Axt ra nb wabw nTrw n mA.f «Unis will appear as Nefertem, as the water-lily at the Sun’s nose when he emerges from the Akhet every day, the one at the sight of whom the gods become clean»
The most commonly represented Egyptian lotus (water-lily) blossom was the sacred snw-ptblue lotus (Nymphaea cerulea), which is recognizable by its pointed buds and petals. As the blue lotus closes at midday and sinks underwater - only to rise and open again at dawn – it became a symbol of the sun, creation and resurrection. The white lotus (Nymphaea lotus) blooms at night. The essential oils from the lotus were used in one of the seven sacred oils, Madjet (the best nadjem comprised lotus and frankincense). The strong scent of the lotus is similar to that of the hyacinth and, in offering rituals shown in tombs and stelae, the deity is said to be satisfied by the flower and his/her heart appeased by the scent.
Bibliography
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Ali el-Khouli and Naguib Kanawati - The Old Kingdom tombs of El-Hammamiya (1990)
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