Essay Sample on Nefertem: The Ancient Egyptian God of The Lotus Flower

Did you ever think there would be a god of perfume as well as flowers and the god of the sunrise? Well, Nefertem, who is the god of lotus and the sunrise was most known for helping bring the sun into the sky where Ra, his creator, ruled. In Ancient Egyptian myth, he supposedly rose from a blue water-lily into Ra’s nostrils. He was also involved in Egyptian medicine, where he created healing scents used for curing disease and was the leader of the surface including healing arts produced from flowers. Nefertem was also looked at as an aspect of the sun god Ra, and also his grandson. Nefertem, the lotus god had a youthful flowerlike appearance, an unusual origin story, and was needed by the Ancient Egyptians to make the sunrise and kill diseases.

Nefertem most commonly had a flowerlike appearance since he mainly worked with blue lotus flowers and water lilies to make aromas for many different illnesses. He was commonly described as a gorgeous young man with a lotus headdress on his head or was described as a lion or cat. Nefertem might have a catlike appearance since he is called the son of Bast or Sekhmet who is strongly connected with cats and has catlike features. The lotus on his headdress symbolized the fact that he works with the lotus flower to create fragrances, medicines, and other supplements including the lotus flower. Nefertem wore the water-lily or blue lotus headdress as a representation of fragrance and beauty. He also usually wears a headdress including two feathers and two necklaces which represent fertility associated with the goddess of the sky, of women, and of fertility and love, Hathor who was a close friend of his mother Sekhmet and Bast. Sometimes Nefertem was also seen as warlike and was depicted carrying a scimitar with a falcon’s head. The god of lotus ointments and perfumed oils, Nefertem mostly had a flower appearance overall with the same lotus headdress. 

Nefertem has a unique origin story that describes who he is and how he was created. Ancient Egyptians believed that the god Nefertem was the god of Perfumes or aromas, the ruler of the morning, and the god of the sunrise. The name Nefertem means “Young Atum”, or the rising sun connected to his role of creating the sunrise known as him “bringing the sun to the sky where Ra was.” Nefertem is mainly described as the child of the lion or cat-headed goddess Sekhmet and the creator god Ptah. Some believe that he was resting in a blue lotus and was breathed out through the Nostrils of Ra. From the source“Nefertum | Ancient Egypt Online.” It states that “[Nefertem] was born from a blue lotus bud which emerged from the waters of Nun at the beginning of creation.” Nefertem was mainly worshipped in the city of Memphis in Lower Egypt, where he created a part of the Memphis triad. The importance of the Memphis triad made the Egyptian god of creation and making things, Ptah’s cult, grow all over Egypt. He and his companions Sekhmet and Nefertem were all part of the Memphis Triad of deities. He also is widely known for the story mentioning that he brought the Sun God Ra a sacred lotus to reduce his suffering as he got older. Supposedly the fragrance of the lotus flower restores and protects which played an important role in the history of ancient Egypt. Some Ancient Egyptians thought that the aroma of the lotus flower had a godlike origin and used it in temples, funerary rituals, and ceremonies to worship the gods and goddesses. 

Nefertem is the god of many things which made him more important to Ancient Egyptians. He was the ruler of each morning, the creation of the day, the god of perfumes and flowery scents because the chemistry of fragrant oils was highly important in Egyptian science, and he also had to bring the sun to the sky where Ra was. Nefertem who was found in a blue Water lily represents the fact that they open up in the morning and close at night symbolizing rebirth and regeneration, most known as the sun rising and setting. Nefertem was also connected to Atum, a young boy who came from the lotus of Nun at the beginning of time and shed tears that created mankind. The main reason the god Nefertem worked with Atum was to make the sunrise and set which is why Nefertem was the one who symbolized sunrise. Nefertem was so important to the ancient Egyptians because he made the sunrise in the morning which gave them light during the day. That is why they sometimes even carried small statues of him as good-luck charms. Now you know the god Nefertem was worshipped because Ancient Egyptians thought he cured diseases, made the sunrise, and ruled each morning.

Clearly the well known lotus god Nefertem was an important god with many roles that benefited Ancient Egyptians. In conclusion Nefertem had a youthful flowerlike appearance, an unusual origin story, and was highly needed by the Ancient Egyptians. He occured in stories, myths, and legends in Egyptian Mythology where usually described him as the Egyptian lotus god of the sun, healing, medicine, and beauty. Ancient Egyptians also thought that without this important god there would be no sunrise or the daytime, which reveals that Ancient Egyptians life would not be achievable without the lotus headdress wearing god Nefertem.