"So off they went and soon enough
they mingled among the natives, Lotus-eaters, Lotus-eaters
who had no notion of killing my companions, not at all,
they simply gave them the lotus to taste instead…
Any crewman who ate the lotus, the honey-sweet fruit,
lost all desire to send a message back, much less return,
their only wish to linger there with the Lotus-eaters,
grazing on lotus, all memory of the journey home
dissolved forever."
– Homer
The Odyssey, Book 9, lines 102-110. The Lotus Eaters is an episode in which Odysseus and his men stop off at an island and barely escape from it. They are not in direct danger from the inhabitants, who turn out to be a gentle people. But the threat comes from the enemy within: human nature and the desire for the forbidden fruit. The natives eat the sweet lotus fruit, which acts like a drowsy narcotic, causing people to live in a dreamy and carefree state. When Odysseus’ men taste the intoxicating fruit, they are hooked. They lose all memory and care about returning home and just want to feed on more lotus.