Those who ate the plant never cared to report or return.įiguratively, 'lotus-eater' denotes 'a person who spends their time indulging in pleasure and luxury rather than dealing with practical concerns'. After they ate the lotus, they would forget their home and loved ones and long only to stay with their fellow lotus-eaters. The lotus fruits and flowers were the primary food of the island and were a narcotic, causing the inhabitants to sleep in peaceful apathy. lōtophágoi) were a race of people living on an island dominated by the lotus tree, a plant whose botanical identity is uncertain. In Greek mythology, the lotus-eaters ( Greek: λωτοφάγοι, translit. Odysseus removing his men from the company of the lotus-eaters. For other uses, see Lotus-eaters (disambiguation).