describe the lotus eaters and the big threat they posed for Odysseus
In Homer's epic poem, "The Odyssey," the Lotus Eaters are a group of people encountered by Odysseus and his men during their journey back home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. The Lotus Eaters inhabit an island where they consume the mystical lotus fruit, which induces a state of forgetfulness and blissful apathy.
Upon visiting the island of the Lotus Eaters, some of Odysseus' men consume the lotus fruit and immediately lose their desire to return home. They become lethargic, forgetful, and have no wish to leave the island. Odysseus, realizing the danger posed by the Lotus Eaters, forcefully retrieves his men and binds them to the ship, preventing their further consumption of the lotus fruit. He recognizes that their complacency would result in a complete abandonment of their journey and an eternal state of apathy, deterring them from reaching their ultimate goal of returning home.
Thus, the big threat that the Lotus Eaters posed for Odysseus was the risk of losing his crew members to a life of comfort and forgetfulness, essentially removing their desire to ever return to their homeland.