Fleur de Lis Designs

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SYMBOLISM OF HERALDIC COLORS, FURS, LINES & ORDINARIES or...

What does it mean if your coat of arms bears a red boar's head?

Please note that the following

descriptions and meanings are gleanedfrom a variety of sources, some of whichdisagree on those meanings. The mostcommonly accepted meanings are given,but scholars vary in the their opinions

concerning the reliability ofany"commonly held" historic meanings for

coats of arms and crests.

For examples of the different positions for heraldic animals,see our "Sample Lions In Heraldry" page.

COLORS Even the colors can have special meaning in a"family crest" or coat of arms:

Gold (Or) Generosity and elevation of the mind

Silver or White(Argent)

Peace and sincerity

Red (Gules) Warrior or martyr; Military strength and magnanimity

Blue (Azure) Truth and loyalty

Green (Vert) Hope, joy, and loyalty in love

Black (Sable) Constancy or grief

Purple (Purpure) Royal majesty, sovereignty, andjustice

Orange (Tawny

or Tenne)

Worthy ambition

Maroon(Sanguine orMurray)

Patient in battle, and yet victorious

FURS The mere fact that a shield or crest containsfurs suggests a mark of dignity. Usually the furcoat of the weasel is represented.

Ermine White with black spots.

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Ermines Black with white spots.

Pean Black with gold spots.

Vair Blue and white bell-shaped objects.

Heraldic Lines and Ordinaries:

Nebuly Line Clouds or air

Wavy Line Sea or water

Engrailed Line Earth or land

Invected Line Earth or land

Indented Line Fire

Dancette Line Water

Raguly Line Difficulties that have been encountered

Embattled Line Walls of a fortress or town (also, fire)

The most common heraldic symbols and their meaningsas suggested by some historians - images and more information

available via links for each item.

For a list of symbols and their meanings, without illustrations, visit Meanings: All.

For a list of all symbols and their meanings with illustrations (page may take a whileto load to your screen), visit Symbolism.

A B C

Acacia Branch or Leaves Baby's Breath Cactus Flower

Acanthus Leaves Baguette (gem ring) Cadences (Marks of Cadency)

Acorn Banderole Caduceus

Agricultural Tools (Seealso Scythe and Sickle)

Banner Calla Lily
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Laurel)

, ,Caltrap (or Caltrop)

Allerion (Mythicalcreature, similar to aneagle, but without beakor claws)

Barry Wavy Camel

Anchor Bat Cannon & Cannon Balls

Angelica Baton Candle/Lamp

Angels Battle Axe Canton

Annulet(finger ring)

Bay Leaves Cap of Maintenance

Ant Beacon (Also Lantern orLighthouse)

Carnation

Antelope Bear Carpenter's Square

Antlers Beaver Castle (Tower/Chateau)

Anvil Bee Cat (Also Wildcat or Lynx)

Apple/ Apple Tree Beech Cattails (Bulrushes)

Arm (or Hand) in Armouror Embowed

Bell Catherine Wheel

Arm, Naked Bell Tower (or ClockTower)

Centaur

Arrow or Dart Bend/Bendy Cerberus

Aspen Leaves Berries Chains

Ass Bezant/Byzantine Coin(Also Besant; Gold

Roundle)

Chamomile

Axe (Also Halbert,Halberd, Hatchet)

Billet/Billettee Chapeau See also "cap of maintenance")

Azalea Birch Chaplet (Floral)

Bird of Paradise Chequy

Birdbolt Cherry Blossom

Bishop's Mitre Cherubs & Cherubim

Black-Eyed Susan Chess RookBlasted Chevron

Bluebonnet Chief

Boar Chimera

Boar's Head Chough (Cornish Crow)

Bonacon Chrysanthemum

Bomb (Mortar Piece) Church

Bones (CrossedThighbones)

Cinquefoils

Book Civic Wreath (of oak leavesand acorns)

Border Clarion

Bourdon (See Pilgrim'sStaff or Palmer's Stave)

Claw of a Bird

BowClock Tower

Bow and Arrow Clouds

Braced Cock (male bird)

Bracket Cockatrice(small serpent)

Bridge Column

Broom Plant Comet

Buck (See Stag) Community

Buckle Compass
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Buglass (purple quatrefoil) Compony or Gobony

Bull/Buffalo Cornish Chough (crow,raven; See "chough")

Bull's Head Cornucopia (horn of plenty)

Bull's Horns Cottice/Cotice (bendlet)

Butterfly Coupeaux

Crane (Stork)

Cramp

Crescent

Cresset (See "Beacon")

Crosier/shepherd's crook

Cross

Crossed thighbones (SeeBones)

Crow (See also "Chough")

Crown or Coronet

Crown (Mural)

Crown (Naval)

Crown of thorns

Cup (often covered)

Cushions

Cygnet (young swan)

Cypress

D E F

Daffodil Eagle Falcon (Hawk)

Dagger or dart Eagle with two heads Fasces

Dahlia Edelweiss Feathers

Daisy Elephant Fer de moline

(See millrind)Dawle (black quatrefoil) Elm Fern

Decrescent Enfield Fess/Fesse

Deer (See alsoStag/Hart/Buck)

Ermine Spot Fetterlock

Dice Escallop (scallop shell) Fife

Dill Escarbuncle Fig leaf

Dog (See also Talbot) Escutcheon or smallshield, alone, with nocharges

Finger, pointing

DogwoodEscutcheon of Pretence(Small shield in center of

primary shield, as shownabove.)

Fire/Fire-fighting

Dolphin Estoile (star with sixwavy points)

Fish

Dove Eye Flag or Pennant

Dragon Flanchi/flasque/flanches(Also flaunches)

Drops (Guttees) Fleece (lamb's)

Drum Fleur-de-lis

Duck (Also Teal) Flint stone

Flowers (See specific
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Fly (or Gad-fly Gad-bee)

Fountain

Fox

Fraises

Fret(saltire througha mascle)

Fruit

Fusil(narrow lozenge)

Fusil of Yarn (yarn with thespindle)

G H I-J-K

Galley HammerIchthus (Greek for "Fish")

Gannet (duck withoutbeak or legs)

Hand Increscent/Increment

Garb (wheatsheaf) Hand, redInescutcheon (See"Escutcheon of Pretence")

Garlic Hare (see Rabbit) Infinity Symbol

Gauntlet Harp Insignia - Marine Corps

Gavel Harpy (Virgin's face, neckand breast with the bodyof a lion)

Insignia - Naval Academy

Gem or Jewel Hart (male deer) - SeeStag/Buck

Ivy Leaves

Geranium Hawk (Falcon) Inkhorn or Inkwell

Gillyflower (tawneyquatrefoil)

Hawks' lures: Iris

Ginseng Hazel branch or leaves

Globe Head (Human) Jaguar

Goat Heart, Flaming Jasmine

Gobony or Gobbony (SeeCompony)

Heart, Human Jessamine (whitequatrefoil)

Goose Hedgehog Jessant de lis

Gorged (around neck) Heliotrope

Grape leaves Helmet

Grapes Hibiscus

Grasshopper Hind (female deer)

Grenade Holly Keys

Greyhound Horns Knight (especially onhorseback)

Griffin Horse (See alsoSeahorse)

Gyronny Horseshoe

Hourglass

Housemark

Huitfoil(double quatrefoil)

Human Head

Humettee
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Hyacinth

Hydra (dragon with sevenheads)

L M-N O-P

Labarum (Constantine'sCross)

Man Oak Garb or Sheaf

Label Magnolia Oak Tree, Leaves, BushLadder (Scaling Ladder) Maple leaf Oak Tree/Bush with Acorns

Lamb or Ewe Marigold Olive Branch or Leaves

Lamb carrying staff orbanner with a cross(paschal lamb)

Martlet(footless swallow)

Orange Blossom

Lamp/Lantern(See also "Candle")

Mascle(hollowed out lozenge)

Orchid

Lance or Javelin Masonic Square Orle

Laurel Leaves Mastiff Ostrich/Ostrich plumes

Lavender Matches Otter

Leg Maunch (lady's sleeve) Owl

Lemur Mermaid OxLeopard or Ounce Millpick

Leopard's headswallowing a fleur-de-lis(jessant)

Millrind(or millstone)

Letter (i.e., A, B, C) Mint

Level Mitre (See Bishop's Mitrefor more images)

Lightning Bolt Mole Pale/Palet/Pallet/Paly

Lilac Monkey Palm Branch

Lily Moon Palm Tree

Linden branch or leaves Moor/Saracen/Turk Pansy

Lion Moor fowl or Moor-cock Panther

Lion, heraldic Mortar Piece Papal Headdress

Lotus Morning Glory Parchment/Scroll/Diploma

Lozenge or Lozengy Mount/Mound(See "Coupeaux")

Parrot

Lunel (Four crescent

moons facing eachother)

Mulberries Paschal Lamb

Lupine Mule Passion Nails

Lure (hawk's) Mullet(Star)

Pavilion

Lymphad (See also Ship) Musical Pipes Peacock

Lyre Myrtle Peacock Feather

Pear

Pegasus

Pelican

Nettle Leaf Pen

Pennon or Flag

Peony

Periwinkle (blue quatrefoil)

Petunia

Pheasant

Pheon (Spear-head)
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Phoenix

Pig

Pike (Fish) (See also Spear)

Pile

Pilgrim's Stave/StaffPalmer's Stave/Staff

Pillar (See Column)

Pincers

Pine

Pine ConePineapple

Pipes (See Musical Pipes)

Pitcher

Plant

Plow or Ploughshare

Plume of feathers

Plummet

Poinsettia

Pomegranate Fruit

Poplar leaf

Poppy (sanguine quatrefoil)

Portcullis (Castle Gate)

Primrose (Cowslip)

Proboscides

Pussy Willow

Q-R S T

Quatrefoil (Primrose) Sabre (See Sword) Table

Saddle Tabor (snare drum)

Sage Talbot (hunting dog) (Seealso Dog)

Salamander Tent

Rabbit (Conie) Salmon (See Fish) Terrace

Rainbow Saltire Thistle

Ram Savage/Saracen Thorn Leaf

Raspberries Scales Thyme

Rat Scallop Shell (See Escallop) Tiger

Ratch-hound (smallhound)

Sceptre Tiger Lily

Scroll (See Parchment orDiploma)

Raven Scythe or Sickle Torch

Ray or Rayonnee Sea Horse/ Sea Dragon TortoiseRhinoceros Seal/Sea lion Tower

Rhododendron Seaweed Tree Trunk/Stump/Branch

Rock Seraphim Tree

Rose Serpent/Snake/Lizard Tree of Life (Knowledge)

Rose, Red Shacklebolt Trefoil or Shamrock(three-leaved grass)

Rose, White Shamrock Tressure

Rose, Yellow Shield Tressure FloryCounterflory

Rosemary Ship Trestle

Roundles Ship, Dismasted Trident
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Shutle (Weaver's Shuttle) Tulip

Skull

Snail

Snake (See Serpent)

Snapdragon

Spear/Pike

Spear-head (See Pheon)

Sphere

Sphinx

Spider

Spur or Spur Rowel

Square Symbols

Squirrel

Stag(Also Reindeer)

Stag's Antlers

Star (estoile or mullet)

Steel

Stirrup

Stool

Stork

Sun

Sunflower

Swallow

Swan

Sword/Dagger/DartSabre/Cutlass/Scimitar

U-V W X-Y-Z

Unicorn Walnut Leaves YewWater Lily Zinnia

Water Bouget

Wheat-Ear

Vine Wheat Garb or Sheaf

Violet Wheel

Vol (Set of Wings) Willow (Weeping)

Vulture Wings (See also "Vol")

Wisteria

Wolf

Woodbine Leaves

Woman

Wreath of laurel leaves(and berries)

Wren

Wyvern(Dragon with only twolegs and armed tail)

Go to Custom Design Order Form

Not sure where to begin? Here are some basic guidelines to keep in mind.

DESIGN LEVELS: BA SIC, DELUXE, and PREMIUM
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SYMBOLISM OF HERALDIC ELEMENTS (D, E, F) or...

What does it mean if your coat of arms bears a red boar's head?

Please note that the following descriptions andmeanings are gleaned from a variety of

sources, some of which disagree on those

meanings. The most commonly acceptedmeanings are given, but scholars vary in thetheir opinions concerning the reliability ofany

"commonly held" historic meanings for coats ofarms and crests.

For examples of the different positions for heraldic animals,see our "Sample Lions In Heraldry" page.

Daffodil Regard; Chivalry,sunshine, respect

Dagger or dart Justice and militaryhonour

Dahlia Dignity, elegance,togethernessforever

Daisy Gentleness andinnocence

Dawle (black quatrefoil) See "Quatrefoil" Hope and joy

Decrescent One who has been

honored by thesovereign; hope ofgreater glory(crescent withhorns to the

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Deer (See alsoStag/Hart/Buck)

One who will notfight unlessprovoked; peaceand harmony

Dice Constancy

Dill Irresistible

Dog (See also Talbot) Courage, vigilance,and loyalty

Dogwood Love and adversity

Dolphin Swiftness,diligence, salvation,charity, and love

Dove Loving constancyand peace;outreach; the Holy

Spirit; with an olivebranch in its bill, itsignifies aharbinger of goodtidings

Dragon (See Examples of Dragons) Valiant defender of treasure; valourand protection
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Drops (Guttees) One who hasendured torrentsof liquids, as inbattle, dependingupon the color ofthe liquid.Yellow: goldBlue: tearsGreen: oilWhite: waterBlack: pitch or tar

Red: bloodDrum Ready for war

Duck(Also Teal)

Person of manyresources

Eagle (See Examples of Eagles) Person of noble

nature, strength,bravery, andalertness;leadership; or onewho is high-spirited, ingenious,quick-witted, andjudicious; "Truemagnanimity andstrength of mind"acc. to Guillim.If wings

"displayed," itsignifies protection

Eagle with two heads (See Examples of Eagles) Conjoining of twoforces

Edelweiss Daring and noblecourage; purity,immortality

Elephant Great strength,wit, longevity,happiness, royalty,good luck, andambition

Elm Dignity
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Enfield Mythical beast saidto have protectedfallen chieftains'bodies for properburial

Ermine Spot Mark of dignity

Escallop (scallop shell) Traveller to farplaces or victoriousnaval commander

Escarbuncle Supremacy;brilliant gem

Escutcheon or smallshield, alone, with nocharges

Defense

Escutcheon of Pretence

(Small shield in center ofprimary shield, as shownabove.)

Claim of a prince tosovereignty; ormarriage to anheiress of thefamily

Estoile (star with six

wavy points)

Celestial

goodness; nobleperson

Eye Providence ingovernment

Falcon (Hawk) (See Examples of Falcons) One who does not

rest until objectiveachieved

Fasces A bundle or rods

tied togetheraround an axe,with the bladeprojecting out;Symbol of amagistrate'sauthority and thejudiciary. (Itappears on thereverse side of theU.S. Liberty-headdime.)

Feathers (usually ostrich
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obedience andserenity

Fer de moline(See millrind)

Center of themillstone, by whichit is turned

Fern Magic, fascination,confidence, shelter

Fess/Fesse Military belt orgirdle of honour;representsreadiness to servethe public

Fetterlock Victory; one whohas takenprisoners orrescued prisonersof war

Fife Ready for war

Fig leaf Peace and plenty

Finger, pointing Direction; correctroute

Fire/Fire-fighting (See also sample FirefightingSymbols)

Zealousness

Fish A true, generousmind; virtuous forhimself, not

because of hisheritage; also unitywith Christ,spiritualnourishment

Flag or Pennant Refers to specialaction in whichbearer wascaptured, or areward for valiant

service

Flanchi/flasque/flanches(Also flaunches)

Given by a king forvirtue and learning

Fleece (lamb's) Ancient honourfrom the knightly
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of Gold

Fleur-de-lis (See Examples of Fleurs-de-lis) Purity; light; floralbadge of France;represents sixthson as mark ofdifference

Flint stone Readiness forzealous service

Flowers (See specificflowers)

Hope and joy

Fly (or Gad-fly or Gad-bee)

See Bee Efficient industry

Fountain Usually a roundle,crossed with wavybars of blue andwhite; representswater, a spring

Fox One who will use all

that he/she maypossess of wisdomand wit in his/herown defense

Fraises Strawberries;usually refers tothe cinquefoil

Fret(saltire througha mascle)

(Also, fretty orlatticework)Persuasion

Fruit Felicity and peace

Fusil

(narrow lozenge)

Travel and labour

Fusil of Yarn (yarn withthe spindle)

Negotiation

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SYMBOLISM INFORMATION FOR COLORS, FURS, LINES & ORDINARIESBACK TO LIST OF SYMBOLS

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DESIGN LEVELS: BA SIC, DELUXE, and PREMIUM

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A suggestion that certain water lilies might have narcotic properties is found Jin their frequent use as a motif in funerary art among the Egyptians as wayans. The work of Rands (1953, 1955) traced the New World distribution of water lily motifs throughout Mayan art and made important mssociations. iFrom the middle of the Classical period until the inception of the Mexican periods, I the water lily motif is extremely common and highly vas representation. I Rands makes the association between this tradition and that in Asiatic art.

though Conard, in his 1905 monograph on the water lilies, speaks of the importance of Nymphaea caerulea Sav. (Fig. 1) in a decorative and an embleense, he cannot attribute any mythic associations other than the obvious and does not mention the possibility of water lily cults. He further deniessertions of earlier writers that the Nymphaeaceae have any real medicinal value lor unusual chemical properties. This represents the current statought among most ethnobotanists, pharmacologists, and anthropologists.

extending the earlier works of Rands, Dobkin de Rios (1974, 1977) investigated the psychotropic flora and fauna in Mayan culture and noted the freqse of the water lily motif in association with the toad (Bufo marinus). These toads contain bufotenine in glands located near the tympanum. The substaleased in the matrix of a milky exudate when the amphibian is aroused. Bufotenine is capable of inducing profound hallucinations after breaking the b

rain barrier. This led Dobkin de Rios to the assertion that Mayan depictions of the water lily were probably more than decorative and constituted a soure development of a belief system that could be explained, in part, on the use of the toad and the water lily to alter states of consciousness. This hypoet with some hostile reactions from anthropologists, who found such a stylistic approach inadequate, even in light of the amassed evidence.

mboden (1974) touched upon the use of Nymphaea caerulea as a narcotic and has been in contact with Dobkin de Rios concerning the use of the watower as a narcotic. This paper explores the use of water lilies as narcotics in the old world and especially in ancient Egypt. In a future paper coauthoreobkin de Rios we will treat transcultural phenomena related to the use of narcotic water lilies in a comprehensive manner.

f the several Mayan sites in which water lily motifs have been found, perhaps the most dramatic are the murals at Bonampak, which are so like some gyptian murals that the similarity is startling. The association of the water lily with the sensory modes pointed out by Rands (1953) is strongly in evidenne of the principal Bonampak murals, which I have seen only recreated in the Peabody Museum of Harvard University, there is depicted a dance rithich water lilies are associated with the noses and foreheads of some of the dancers. Percussion instruments are played and many of the dancerasked. Trumpets are being blown as this unexplained ceremony takes place. Diaz (1977) has commented on these depictions and supports the conteat the water lily was used as a ritual narcotic. He quotes from poetry of a ritual nature that is a kind of hymn to the "precious aquatic flowers" anlowers that causevertigo, the beautiful narcotic flowers." The Nahuatl term quetzalaxochiacatl meaning "precious water flower" may refer to Nymmpla, according to Diaz. Supportive of this assertion is his finding a contemporary recreational use involving the crude rhizomes in Chiapas, Mexico. Isserted that these provoked "prolonged and powerful hallucinatory effects."

ollowing this lead with chemical analyses, Diaz isolated aporphine alkaloids from the plants. These compounds differ from apomorphine by two hydroupings. Apomorphine is a synthetic derivative of morphine and both are classified in the United States as narcotics. Although apomorphine is probablnown for its emetic action, low doses tend to tranquilize while higher doses may induce psychoses in some individuals. Diaz also mentioned earlier anaat identified nuciferine and nornuciferine that may play roles in the intoxication derived from eating fresh rhizomes. Mention was not made of the use

aerulea as a narcotic, and Diaz accepts the Conard thesis that this plant was used only in an emblematic sense. This paper will attempt to alteontention.

hamanic stratification was as important to Mayan priest-shamans as it was to the Egyptians. In both cultures, the true priests occupied centers thatrbidden to the shaman of the people who involved himself in curing and divination. The higher priestly caste carried out such activities as the predictcky and unlucky days, oracular revelation and formulating spells. The Harris Magical Papyrus, the Salt Magical Papyrus, and the Beatty Papyrus VII amost totally occupied with the magic of a priestly caste, a magic that never filtered down to the common man. Vogt and Ruz (1964) have suggesteame hierarchy for the Maya, and in both instances these priestly castes were served by assisting artisans, officials, craftsmen and commentators of nk, but still of a secret society.

Egypt, real commentary begins only in the Fifth Dynasty, and, among the Maya, Vogt and Ruz (1964) have traced the origin of records to the Proto-Ceriod. Both cultures built temples for private practices of priestly cults which were not open for public religious ceremonies. Festival days in Egypt bro

lgrims to the temples but not into them. Spectacles such as the avenging of the death of Osiris were staged, but these had nothing to do with the reae shaman-priests. Such spectacles served to strengthen the vast gap between the complex theologies at Heliopolis, for example, and the belief systeme people. In later periods, the mortuary temples became the gathering place for secondary cults that usually developed out of veneration for re

magined heroes who might be invoked. The "official religion" involved daily rituals on the part of temple priests. Egyptologists have remarked oniformity of these rituals at divergent sites. Based upon a center at Heliopolis (now Giza), the king became the personification of Horus in the worshsiris. Likewise, in pre-Osirian times the cult centered about the god Ra who had an origin in the blue water lily and who predated Osirian beliefs, layundation for these. Ceremonies were focussed upon the linking or fusion of the king and the god Osiris. The general populace knew little more than

uch ceremonies were for the well-being of their king, a condition that would reflect upon their own lives.

he elements that Rands (1953) found commonly associated with the water lily in the New World are exactly those depicted in funerary art in ancient Ehe death and resurrection of Osiris is symbolized in the blue water lily. Nym-phaea caerulea blooms for three consecutive days, with its flowers bornalks that lift the flower about 18 inches above the surface of the water. Each day it opens at around eight in the morning and closes about noon.

he symbol of three was of great shamanic importance. Numerous incantations were tripartite, a sort of trinity existed between Osiris, Horus and the phaWe are told in the legends of ancient Egypt that Osiris was murdered by Seth and his dissected body was cast into the waters of the Nile. He was made gain by his wife and sister Isis, but variations on this legend indicate that he became the sacred blue lily of the Nile, opening with the ascendehce of thnd closing with its descent in the sky. That Osiris could be a flower, the sun, creator god, a mystical personage brought back from death, etc. is indica

e ability of the Egyptian mind to harmonize disparate elements. His image is also to be found in the scarab beetle (dung beetle) of which the female ims egg into a ball of feces and the male rolls this ball into the sun during the day and back into some crevice at night. Thus Osiris had a further alter eis insect. Budge (1900) found individuals in the Sudan who still involved themselves in devouring these beetles in what he alleged to be a vestige of th

f Osiris. This was an element of "eating magic" which was a sort of communion of the most intimate sort with those elements that were godly manifestahis leads to the assertion that I shall set forth. Because the water lily was the incarnation of Osiris, it would most certainly be devoured as was the seetle. The effect of an experience such as this would be an alteration of one's conscious state or the ecstatic separation of body and spirit. I shall advidence to this end.

s the propitiators at Delphi held laurel leaves in their mouths, so those who approached the temples of Osiris and Horus are depicted holding waterortunately, tomb paintings have maintained their mineral colors, and we can clearly define the water lilies as Nymphaea caerulea and not another spchweinfurth (1883) analyzed flowers from the mummified remains of Ramses II, the princess Nzi-Khonsu, and a mummy marked "Kent." In each inse flowers in their garlands were N. caerulea.

ymphaea is first encountered in the Fifth Dynasty, becomes important in the Ninth Dynasty, and from the Fourteenth Dynasty to the Eighteenth Dynamost ubiquitous. It has been traditional to treat such representations as merely emblematic or symbolic offerings. The flower is seen with comestibles inf offerings to the dead, on unguent jars, on the fillets making up the head bands of queens, and often in association with the narcotic man
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andragora offi-cinarum (Fig. 2). It is not the rhizome that is depicted, but always the flower. Frequently, the flower has the fruit of the mandrake draws center. If the flower is to be considered as a comestible, we must remember that it is acrid and bitter. Even the rhizome was used only as famine foois after thorough leaching and roasting or boiling. The seed was retted away from the pulpy mass in which it was embedded and cracked so that the st

mbryo could be removed to make a kind of crude flour. We must keep in mind that many plants that have narcotic properties exhibit these in only cssues. For example, the opium poppy produces a highly narcotic exudate when the laticifers of the fruit are broken, and yet the seed of that same frue eaten in great quantities with impunity. This suggests that a decoction of the flower of Nymphaea caendea may not have the same properties as leaooked rhizomes or seed.

ome scholars have attempted to identify the sacred flower of the ancient Egyptians as the "lotus." This is not only inconsistent with tomb paintinescriptive early texts in which the glyph is clearly Nymphaea, but neither papyrus nor the lotus existed as natives in Egypt prior to about 700 B.C. whenere brought by the Assyrians. Nelumbo nucifera, the lotus, as both an esculent rhizome and a large seed, is also a fine food source once the bitter pluf the embryo is removed. By the end of the 19th century the plant could hardly be found in the Nile Delta, while the indigenous Nymphaea caendea wlatively abundant. It is sad to say that, during my journey to the Nile Delta flood plains in July of 1977, Nymphaea was seen sporadically and seemed

ghly endangered. This is due principally to the absence of the once numerous marshes, increasing salt concentration and pollution of the drainage dat help to irrigate the agricultural crops. Nevertheless, the persistent botanist'will find the plants in some areas outside of Cairo on the way to Giza.

he toad or frog is often encountered in zoomorphic clay lamps from ancient Egypt. These were used for burning castor oil (Ricinus communis) mixedalt to provide smoke-free illumination. The hole in the top of these lamps is often surrounded by a rosette of petals forming a water lily. Again we havssociation that Dobkin de Rios (1974) found with a high frequency in Mayan ceramics. The metamorphic nature of these amphibians and the possibiu-fotenine extraction and use would make them especially meaningful images. Likewise, the sacred water lily in association with the toad-frog would pbove all other floral representations, given its narcotic properties.

he Papyrus of Ani, better known as the Book of the Dead, is perhaps the most important document to emerge from the period of about 1500 B.C. toC. (Fig. 3). Written for the dead, these spells, incantations, and magical formulae can be traced to 1350 B.C., and some are even predynastic, accordudge (1913). In these texts, we encounter a chapter entitled "Transformation into a water lily flower." Some have called this simply "lily," others "lotus,ven the early date of the texts and the late advent of the lotus from Assyria, it is impossible to use such surrogates. It is essentially a magical shamansformation. The water lily was initially the favorite of Ra, and a product or emanation from his being. Ani wished to have the power to transform hito the sacred blue water lily so that his body might have new birth and ascend daily into heaven. Another version of this transformation allowed Aansform himself into Ptah (creator god). Importantly, the accompanying vignette is a human head springing from the open flower of Nymphaea caerowing in a pool of water. The text of this is attributed to "Osiris Ani" who says, "I am the holy water lily that comes forth from the light which belo

e nostrils of Ra, and which belongs to the head of Hathor. I am the pure water lily that came forth from the field of Ra." Later versions of the sameetition the water lily with requests for visions and soul flight. Such supplications suggest the power of the water lily and are important stylistic clues themical nature of the flower which might be used to provide such transcendent experiences.

is worthy at this point to recall that in popular legends Ra was the conqueror of Hathor when, in a malevolent state, she was going to destroy his peopnjoined the Egyptian people to make enormous quantities of beer at Heliopolis and to mingle this with their own blood and with mandrakes. The gathor drank many amphoras of this and fell into a protracted sleep of thousands of years, allowing the people of Ra to live. The legend implicattoxicant and the narcotic Mandragora in a tale of shamanic power. This would reinforce the contention that the contextual use of water lilies in associth sensory modes has similar implications. The proof must be found somewhere between legend and a convincing chemical profile that suggests the f Nymphaea caerulea to alter states of consciousness.

1910 Goris and Crete indicated that they had isolated a new compound from Nuphar luteum (formerly Nymphaea lutea) which they dubbed nupharinuch was made of this discovery until the year 1941, when it seemed that some of the world's opium sources might be lost. It had been rumored by

arlier explorers that various water lilies might serve as an opium substitute. In 1941 Delphaut and Balansard described their experiments with watersing the powdered rhizomes of Nymphaea alba in alcohol they were able to induce a deep and profound sleep in mice, dogs and eels after an pasmolytic action.

ore interesting were reports from the few individuals who had made observations on the effects of Nymphaea on human behavior. Mordrakowsky (asy letter in Raymond-Hamet, 1941) reported the flowers of water lilies to be narcotic and to provoke a hypnotic state when ingested. One of the eources for such assertions came from Descourtilz who wrote in his Pictorial and Medical Flora of the Antilles (1822), that flowers of species found intilles were "narcotic and able to replace opium." While the species in question was probably N. ampla, this first report gained credence when Pob912) noted that both N. stellata and N. caerulea had the same powers. On page 49 we read, "... a decoction of the flower is narcotic." Howevevestigations to date suffer from the absence of fine species characterizations and failure to note human response to utilization of floral decoctions beating that a narcosis is provoked. I will describe these psychogenic effects in a forthcoming issue of Mexican (Emboden, in press).

om the foregoing, one element is evident: water lilies of several species and genera are able to intoxicate by inducing a hypnotic state after an initial f neural stimulation usually reflected in nervous spasms. Would this not be the perfect trance material of the shaman? It would lead to behavioral patat are described for shamanic states in many and diverse cultures.

question now comes to mind: what evidence do we have for ritualistic use of Nymphaea caerulea in early Egyptian dynasties? We must again workylistic evidence coupled with what we now know of the narcotic properties of the flowers. It has not been characteristic for most cultures to reveaature of their most sacred ritual materials. In ten thousand verses of the Rig-Veda of the ancient people of north India, we can find no specific indicatie plant that was soma. Scholars must work from inconographic and textual clues from many sources. One of these clues in investigating shamanic ritu

s mediators in ancient Egypt is the ritual chalices used. These are usually calcite and in the form of a water lily. They are inlaid with blue pigment or

zuli and are most often found between the Eighteenth and Twenty-second Dynasties. One of these, found inside the door of the tomb of Tutankhamxemplary of the distinction between the ritual chalice and the drinking vessel. This white calcite chalice is in the form of a single flower of Nymphaea e white water lily of the Nile. Its supporting handles are each comprised of an open flower with two buds. On its lip is inscribed a toast to long lif

appiness. It is the observation of the great Egyptologist I. E. S. Edwards (1976) that cups in the form of the white water lily were used as drinking veshile those that represent the blue water lily were used for ritualistic purposes.

urther evidence for the use of the blue water lily as a psychoactive substance may be adduced from the famed golden shrine of Tutankhamun. In the scene of the top register, the queen pours some liquid into a vessel from a vase in her right hand, while in her left hand she holds a water lily and a pope lower left register, the king pours some liquid into the right hand of his queen as he holds a bouquet of water lilies and poppy flowers. The one insc

etween the king and queen is translated as "Adoration with offerings may the Great Enchantress receive thee, O Ruler, beloved of Amun." Here we hassociation between the two narcotic flowers in association with ritual libation. Although some have stated that "water" is being poured, it would hardlye most probable liquid, given the nature of the scene and its association with a shrine, although water was a great offering to the dead and important

eremony of "the opening of the mouth."

nguent vases, as they have been termed, were almost always found emptied of their contents in tombs that had been looted. That of Tutankhamun wxception. Robbers considered the contents of these vases to be more important than the vases themselves, for these were believed to contain didi, thef life that could convey immortality. It would have been much easier to sell goatskins full of this precious fluid than the exquisite vessels in which they


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een stored. One such vessel is in the Cairo collection of Tutankhamun and is elaborately carved of two blocks of alabaster. It may be characterized bpenwork calcite handles representing the union of upper and lower Egypt, balanced on a lower block of two humanoid figures and a central support. Tf this unguent jar bears the face of the goddess Hathor, who wears a necklace from which is suspended a Nymphaea caerulea flower with two flankingom the central flower there is suspended a single narcotic mandrake fruit. Could this be a clue as to the contents of the vase? Petals of this same fl

upport the base of the vessel and are seen as a central collar about it. The presence of the ankh as a symbol of life and two metamorphic tadpoles rther shamanic overtones. It is estimated that 400 liters of such fluid was removed from this tomb alone. Is it logical to consider it a perfume or rathehich allows a man to live forever as a god? We must also question the use of the term "unguent vessel" and "unguentarium" in the catalogues of eces. An unguent is, by definition, a salve and incapable of being poured from vessels with small orifices. The characterization most probably came frotempts to characterize the residue found in these vessels. Usually it was oleoresinous or it had dried into a block of dark residue. Neither of these ave characterized the fluid state of the original contents.

single such example suffers the possibility of being unique, but we can cite many such vessels in which the narcotic water lily and mandrake are juxtapne of the great ones is the leomorphic vase from Tutankhamun's tomb. This standing lion is crowned with a corona of N. caerulea petals, floral rosetteuggest the stigmatic surface of opium poppy capsules, and papyrus motifs. The figure rests its left paw on the symbol for protection and stands on theoral motifs below which is a row of mandrake fruits. The lion is part man and part beast. It is also the alter ego of the god Bes, the dwarf with a manend tail of a lion. As the protector god, Bes wears the royal insignia of the king on his chest. Inside, remains a matrix of dried lipid of an unidentified naecause it was a usual practice to extract floral materials by wringing them through linen, it would be necessary to keep these volatile substances vaporating. The most obvious solution would be to find a fat or oil that would combine with the extracts to prevent them from evaporating. While the actions would be lost in time, the fat or oil residue would remain. Gas chromatography combined with mass spectroscopy would provide important cata on the precise nature of these remains. Gabra (1956) identified opiates in the residue of one such "unguent vessel" of the Eighteenth Dynasomprehensive survey of the total composition of many vessels remains as an important piece of research.

writing of the young Tutankhamun, biographers have noted the delicate health of the boy king. No one has indicated the exact nature of this weaks queen, Ankhesenamun, is depicted on the exquisite throne chair of the king ministering to him. In her left hand she holds a blue vessel in the form

pened N. caerulea flower. The royal collars of both are yokes decorated with mandrakes and the blue water lily flowers. The queen wears the crowathor. The usual interpretation of this scene is that the queen is annointing her king with perfume. Is this possibly an offering of a medicamnderstood in the terms of a thing of power? We are compelled to recall the famous limestone depiction of King Semenkhkara and his consort Meriaton who are "promenading in a garden." In this latter depiction the King leans on a staff or crutch, as his consort offers two mandrake fruits and the bymphaea caerulea. In her left hand she holds one more bud and two open flowers from the same sacred blue water lily. This dates to approximately C., while the throne chair of King Tutankhamun was executed after his marriage and before his premature death in 1343 B.C. Both scenes suggest

ome ritual healing involving these sacred narcotic plants.

erhaps that which seems lacking is a broader shamanic context in which to place the blue water lily. A few more examples may suffice to illustratessertion. In the tomb of Amenemhet at Thebes there is a fresco showing a sacrificial bull being led to the funeral slaughter. A woman holding three wes leads the procession. Sacrificial bulls were garlanded with blue water lilies and mandrake fruits. One interpretation of this has been that both geasant scent. This is true but does not explain why these two should be selected out of the vast fragrant flora of the Nile region and should so often beconjunction with the opium poppy. Also in the tomb of Menna at Thebes a funerary voyage of the dead takes place on a ship the bow, stern and rud

hich are figured as water lilies. The Egyptologist Mekhitarian (1954) states, "We must never lose sight of the fact that the choice of motifs in Egctures, even in those which seem to have no connection with religious subjects, is always guided by ritual considerations."

the Theban tomb of Nebamun and Ipuky, we encounter a widow with bared breast squatting before the anthropoid figure of her coffered husbandours dust on her head as a ritual gesture of grief. Springing from the base of the figure is a column of blue water lilies and poppy capsules bound tognd topped with three palm fronds. Again, it is difficult to imagine that the combination of the narcotic poppy and blue water lily is merely fortuitous. Ae palm, it was the source of palm wine that could have provided a solvent for the poppy and water lily derivatives. It is worthy of note that these cap

ave been "milked" for their opium as indicated by the vertical slashes on the capsules. This also establishes the poppy as Papaver somniferum and not e other non-narcotic species of the area.

the tomb of Userhet at Thebes, we see another fresco in which a goddess arises from a lake and pours a magical fluid into golden cups. Mourners sinous, scented mourning cones on their heads. From the cones blue water lilies extend over the forehead. The fluid is indicated by wavy lines. Is thixir of forgetfulness that may be obtained from the aquatic water lilies? We know that such a painting was not merely decorative but of a magical ordas been said that these representations, dictated by a priestly caste, are hieroglyphs written large.

ost depictions of the veneration of the god Ra-Harakhte or Horus (Fig. 5) show the propitiators offering the god a vessel covered with a water lily. Poe Nymphaea is a clue to the contents of this vessel. The god Horus was known as "the healer" and as such was venerated. One fine example of this is

een in the limestone stela of Upuaut-mes of the Nineteenth Dynasty.

ennofer was curator of gardens and parks during the reign of Tuthmosis III (Eighteenth Dynasty). He and his sister Merit were beloved of the Pharaohus, were buried in a regal fashion at Thebes. In his tomb, a fresco depicts him seated in the tree of heaven with Merit kneeling next to him (Fig. 6). Bm is a table with three vessels. Each is in the form of a water lily bud; the central one is partially open. Around each is wound the peduncle of the frminating in the flower proper. Above these are three water lilies; the central flower is open. In his left hand, Sennofer holds the water lily beforostrils. This was a gesture that was believed to lead to the purification of the nostrils. In his right hand is a stylized water lily chalice. This is perhapost comprehensive depiction of Nymphaea caerulea associated with any figure in a tomb painting. One cannot argue that Sennofer was a commoner mb and its frescos reveal the esteem in which he was held during his lifetime. In death, he sits on a chair with the legs of a lion and supported by the

f heaven which confers immortality on those resting there. His attitude is that of a pharaoh. Had he been a commoner, his fate would have been to be

natron and relegated to obscurity.

We are left with the inescapable conclusion that the blue water lily, Nymphaea caerulea, was exploited for its narcotic content in order to provokhamanic state of ecstasis among a priestly caste in ancient Egypt. These initial observations and comparisons with recent investigations into similar

World traditions may lead to a very different way of viewing Egyptian art and artifacts and may provide new insights into the mysteries of a priestly caat great ancient civilization. In a future paper, the author will adduce further evidence to support the contention that water lilies in the Old World and ew World were important vehicles of shamanic ecstasis and have been disregarded in this context of use.

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udge, A. E. W. 1900. Egyptian Religion. Crown Publications (1975 reprint).------. 1913. The Papyrus of Ani: The Theban Recension of the Book of the Dead. The Mediciociety.onard, H. S. 1905. The Waterlilies: A Monograph of the Genus Nymphaea. The Carnegie Institution of Washington.escourtilz, A. 1822. Flora Pittoresque et Medicinale des Antilles. VII. Pichard, Paris.elphaut, J. & J. Balansard. 1941. Sur les proprietes du Nenuphar (Nymphaea alba). Compt. Rend. Hebd. Seances Mem. Soc. Biol. 135: 1665-1670.az, J. L. 1977. Etnofarmacologia de Algunos Psicotropicos Vegetales de Mexico. Cuaderno Cien-tifico Cemef. No. 4. Centra Mexicano de Estud
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armacodependencia.obkin de Rios, M. 1974. The influence of psychotropic flora and fauna on Maya religion. Current Anthropology 15: 147-164.-------. 1977. The Maya and the water lily: some musings. New Scholar 15: 299-309.dwards, E. E. S. 1976. The Treasures of Tutankhamun. Penguin Books, London.mboden, W. A. 1974. Bizarre Plants. The Mactnillan Co., Inc., New York.oris, A. & L. Crete. 1910. Sur la nupharine. Bull. Sci. Pharmacol. 17: 13-15.ekhitarian, A. 1954. Egyptian Painting. The Great Centuries of Painting, Editions D'Art. Albert Skira, New York.obeguin, H. 1912. Les Plantes Medicinales de la Guinee. Bibliotheque d'Agriculture Colonial.ands, R. L. 1953. The water lily in Maya art: a complex of alleged Asiatic origin. Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 151: 75-153.------. 1955. Some manifestations of water in Mesoamerican art. Bureau of American Ethnologyulletin 157: 265-393.aymond-Hamet, L. 1941. Sur un alcaloide a action excito-respiratoire. Compt. Rend. Hebd. Seances Acad. Sci. 213: 386-388.chweinfurth, G. 1883. The flora of ancient Egypt. Nature 29: 109-114.

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