Food of the gods: what is nectar and ambrosia in reality?

What actually were the mysterious ambrosia and nectar that gave immortality to the gods in ancient Greek myths?

According to Greek mythology, nectar and ambrosia are magical substances that ensure the immortality of the gods. They were served to the inhabitants of Olympus by the goddess of eternal youth Hebe. Since the Greek gods used these drugs, it was not blood that flowed in their veins, as in mortal people, but a transparent liquid called ichor.

Nectar and Ambrosia: Mythological Origins of the Potion of Immortality

In Greek mythology, there are many references to ambrosia. According to myths, it was brought to Olympus by heavenly doves. When the mortal Psyche married Eros, Zeus gave her ambrosia. Mortal Hercules, when he joined the gods of Olympus, received this divine product as a gift from Athena.

Ambrosia was used not only as food, but also as a magic ointment. The hero Achille's mother anointed him with ambrosia and raised him over the fire to burn the mortal parts. But she was distracted by the father of Achilles - Pelius, and she broke off without smearing the child's heel with the potion. As a result, the heel of Achilles turned out to be a very vulnerable spot, the injury of which became the cause of the death of the hero.

But ambrosia was not a substance available to any mortal. After tasting it on Mount Olympus, Tantalus wanted to share the potion with other mortals. He tried to steal ambrosia from the gods, for which he was punished for an eternity to suffer from hunger and thirst.

Nectar was the name of a divine drink, which, like ambrosia, gave immortality to the one who drank it. The gods punished every mortal who dared to steal it from them.

Embalming, honey or wine?

The subject of numerous disputes and theories is the question: are ambrosia and nectar invented or did they really exist? Preventing the decomposition of the deceased's body can be seen as a way to deceive the destructive consequence of death, thereby granting him immortality. In the Greek literature, there are examples where ambrosia was used as embalming liquid. In the Iliad, for example, Apollo uses ambrosia to anoint Sarpedon's corpse.

But unlike modern embalming liquids, nectar and ambrosia, according to myths, have sweet taste. So, Homer mentions that the goddess Aphrodite rubbed herself with fragrant ambrosian oil. In the Odyssey, Menelaus and his people disguise themselves as seals, covering themselves with dirty animal skins, and the goddess lets them breathe in ambrosia so that they do not suffocate from the unpleasant smell.

Because honey has cleansing and healing properties and a sweet scent, it has been suggested that nectar and ambrosia were actually two varieties. Ambrosia could be a kind of cake made of honey, water, fruits, cheese, olive oil and barley. There is also a version according to which nectar could be honey wine.

Hallucinogens and shamanism

If the above assumptions are correct, then another question arises. Why do the gods condemn the mortal Tantalus to eternal torment for stealing such banal products as honey and wine? If ambrosia and nectar were of high value, then it should be assumed that they were something special, unique. They could receive their mythological status as substances of immortality due to the fact that they gave the gods special power. It is possible that the answer lies in the sacred secrets and magic of shamanism.

Shamanism is an ancient spiritual practice that is still practiced in many indigenous cultures today. It is based on the idea of ​​a shaman who acts as a magical mediator between the world of the living and the dead with the aim of predicting the future or healing the sick. To do this, he can go into trance and become a conduit for the spirit that will speak or act through him. Also, the shaman can enter a state of lucid dream and go to the spirit world.

Many shamans were healers who used their deep knowledge of the healing properties of local vegetation. In some cases, they also used psychoactive plants, which promoted the expansion of consciousness and helped them on their spiritual journeys. For example, local people in Mexico use the peyote cactus, which provides hallucinogenic visions. The peoples of the Amazon basin drank ayahuasca, a drink that gave them the gift of clairvoyance and magical sensations (for example, the feeling of flying).

A well-known hallucinogen of the Old World is the fly agaric mushroom. It is known to be used medicinally as an analgesic to treat sore throat and arthritis, and has also been used as an insecticide. It has also been associated with magical practices and witchcraft. Very often this mushroom is present in illustrations in children's fairy tales. It is also known that fly agarics were used in pagan religious and shamanic rituals. Therefore, some researchers believe that the divine ambrosia could well be a fly agaric, and the nectar, most likely, was a decoction from the same mushroom.

Other versions explaining the origin of ambrosia and nectar

Scientists also considered versions of the origin of the names of divine potions. The Greek word "ambrosia" means "immortality" and comes from the same root as the Sanskrit "amrita", which in Hindu mythology is also food or drink for the immortality of the gods. Similarly, Hindu mythology refers to soma - a nectar-like drink from an unknown plant. It was used in religious rituals in Iran and India.

The effect of soma is described in the Hindu sacred text “Rig Veda” as follows: “We drank Soma and became immortal. We have reached the light." Amanita, hemp and the hallucinogenic mushroom Psilocybe cubensis, which grows in cow dung, have been put forward as a somatic plant. It may also be the Himalayan plant sarcostemma, which is called somalata in Sanskrit. It is used to make somatic juice, which is used in Ayurvedic and Siddian medicine and purification rituals in South India.

Ephedra is another plant that can act as a source of soma. It is called Ma Huang in Chinese. For 300 years, this plant has been used in Chinese medicine to treat colds, flu, headaches, malaria and asthma. In Iran, it is called homa, which suggests a resemblance to the word "soma". The Zoroastrians of this region used this plant in their rituals even in the 19th century and exported it to India.

Although the word “nectar” is used to describe a delicious sweet drink, and ambrosia describes heavenly food for the gods, no one really knows what these substances actually looked like. Perhaps these were the most common products (honey, wine).

But it is more likely that the food of the gods was created from magical plants that had healing properties and were associated with health, longevity, and even immortality. It can also be assumed that they were hallucinogens that helped mortals communicate with the gods.

It can also be assumed that nectar and ambrosia were created from plants unknown to science and extinct long ago, or that these are just iconic words for any magical food. Perhaps they did not even exist in nature, and the designations are all metaphors for the immortality of the gods.