Ancient Egyptian mural detail from the Tomb of Menna, circa 1400-1352 BCE. A woman is holding water lily flowers, wearing a collar necklace of water lily petal beads (like the ones shown below) and a headdress of water lily petals with a water lily flower at her forehead with a mandrake fruit in its centre. On top of her head is a perfumed ointment cone likely scented with water lily.
The ancient Egyptians associated water lilies with purification, dawn, the underworld, and resurrection. They used water lilies for food, medicine, perfume, intoxication, pleasure, ritual, and spiritual purification. They used two water lilies: the day blooming “blue lotus” (Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea) and the night blooming “white lotus” (Nymphaea lotus). Nefertem, the water lily god, was deity of the dawn of the universe and of each new day. Water lilies are featured in the famous Book of the Dead and the flowers, buds, and petals were used as funerary garlands to adorn the dead.
