Nefertum – God Of Lotus Blossom, Perfumes, Aromatherapy, Beauty In Egyptian Mythology

A. Sutherland  – AncientPages.com – In the religion of the ancient Egyptians, Nefertum (in Greek: Iphtimis) is the personification of the refreshing and most beautiful smell, which, according to the myths, was to set free the creative energy of Re-Atum, and on this belief is based the connection of the name ‘Nefertum’ with Atum.

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Aromatic oils used in rituals like mummifications, anointing the deceased to ensure his eternal life possessed this smell.

Nefertum (Nefertem) was often believed to be the god of perfumes, but in the first place, he was the young and very handsome god of the lotus blossom, which has its beginnings in the primeval waters. Especially blue Lotus (Nymphaea cerulean) plays a significant role in the Egyptian story of creation because the sun god, Ra, emerged from this flower. It all happened at the very beginning. He is associated with the primordial lotus flower and mentioned as “the lotus blossom which is before the nose of Ra” in the Pyramid Texts (266) dated to c. 2350 BC and his importance continued, and he became an even more prominent deity during the New Kingdom (1539 BC-1075 BC and later.

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