AJOURNEYTHROUGH THE MAGICALPROPERTIES OF PERFUME

For centuries, perfume has been associated with magic, witchcraft, and sorcery. Its charm lies not only in triggering memories and emotions, but also in a belief that it possesses magical power. For years many mystical narratives around perfume flourished across cultures as people shared fascinations about its potential.

We all tend to associate nice fragrances with good and awful odours with bad, but it’s much more complicated than that. To start with, the Kapsiki people of Cameroon are an example that proves how subjective it can be. Traditionally for them, cow dung perfume is perceived as a status marker of wealth and prosperity, in opposition to the fishy smell of the low class of fishermen, thus it’s eagerly used to appear more sophisticated. Historically, nice scents were often regarded as ambrosial and delicious,powerful butalsovery dangerous and it was the same for those who dabbled in perfumery.

Egyptian funerary traditions of oil balming the bodies involved various fragrant oils used for purification and preservation since it was believed that the state someone was buried in was crucial for a journey to leave the worldly life. Mehret - seven sacred oils (festival scent oil, jubilation oil, pine oil, rejoining oil, support oil, cedar oil and Libyan oil) were believed to invoke the divine “breath of life” of spirit Akh - the spirit of a deceased person enabling the soul to assume any form which made it possible to travel to the afterlife. They calmed the gods, helpedtoconnect deceasedparts,andsupported them during the journey. The opening of the mouth ritual also served a purpose so those who passed away and temple statues could breathe the scents of cut lotus flowers and oils and ingest the spiritual energy from the offerings. Interestingly, the same fragrances were used in medicine, cosmetics or as religious offerings to gods.

Europe, for centuries, centred its focus on herbs, elevating scents to a prominent place since ancient times. In Greece, fragrances were thefoundationforsorcery.Plantswereregarded as so potent that they could affect gardeners; it was even recommended for root cutters to consume garlic and drink wine before work to shield themselves from dangers of other crops. Moreover, aromantic plants were widely associated with divinity as those who worked with them were usually priests. It was mostly women that dealt with those potent plants and the consciousness around powerful witches started emerging.

An early example would be Medea - a skilled priestess able to put to sleep a beast with narcotic herbs, or to rejuvenate Aeson by creating a bath in herbs and his blood. She is alsoastudentofHecate,agoddessofmagicand witchcraft which solidified her recognition. Women like her, who concerned themselves with olfactory senses, used powerful fragrances but were never affected by them, were considered dangerous, as they had power over others, especially in seducing men. We could say they were the first to show femininity, strength of independence and ability to persuade in very patriarchal times where they didn’t enjoy much liberty in other aspects of life.

Other fragrances are believed to have divine origin. Hindu mythology explains the creation of Mysore Sandalwood. It was the desire of goddess Parvati, symbol of beauty and grace, to have an extraordinary fragrance. After she asked gods for help, Lord Vishnu gifted her Mysore Sandalwood. As a result, it is believed that this fragrance contains divine essence and can enhance spirituality and purity. It’s widely used in India in religious ceremonies, traditional festivals or Ayurveda. Used in various ways, it can also be burned as incense, a practice known to many different cultures.

The Celtic people had a unique tradition involving the use of juniper smoke for purificationandblessings,apracticecommonly known as smudging. This ritual held special significance,particularlyduringthedawnofthe NewYear.Thiscustom servedasalinkbetween the earthly and the spiritual, but also the Celtic people and their surroundings.

In the Middle Ages, a shift of focus in how smells function happened. Widely used in medicine, they became associated with both physical and spiritual protection, from other spells or diseases such as plague, at the time treated as a punishment for sinfulness. Not only women were associated with herbology. That was the time when monk-alchemists created manyremedies.TheQueenof Hungary'sWater, the first alcohol-based perfume in Europe, was one of them. Made from rosemary and thyme (and later, several other ingredients) it served various purposes - helped with headaches, or any kind of pain, cleansed the body or even reduced blindness.

On the other side of the world, in Central and South America, one of the most precious ingredients was and still is a tree called Bursera graveolens, more commonly known as Palo Santo. Named by Spanish monks, this “holy wood” was used bythe IncaTribe during rituals and was thought to have endless potential. Healing,cleansing,chasingawayevilspiritsare just a few of the things that a warm, woody incense with a hint of freshness can do. The aroma and the smoke could free from any unwanted presence or energy. Shamans believed that Palo Santo has a strong spirit so it should be treated with respect. It should only be harvested more than three years after the death of the tree so it can help with balancing your own well-being. These days, it’s still used for purification but is mostly known for its calming properties that help people to get into a state of meditation.

Introduced at the beginning of the 19th century in NewYork, citrusy and floral Florida Water is a cologneassociated with Fountain ofYouth.At first, taken by enslaved African Americans in their magic practices and then popular in Voodoo rituals in the Caribbean and South America,itbecameaknowningredient usedfor purification and as a medium to connect with the spiritual realm and spirits of ancestors. What’smostinteresting,itisstillusedsimilarly, for example as an aid in bone-throwing divination. According to the New Orleans Voodoo spiritual temple’s priestess, Miriam Chamani, the scent has calming abilities that help in driving meaning out of the fortune order/arrangement.

Magic of perfume acts as a universal language connecting people with others, with their surroundings and their spirituality. In the world of scents, fragrances play a vital role, acting as a bridge between our earthly realm and the spiritual. Not only do they possess calming and healing properties but also hold the potential to transport us into the transcendent. They are the gateways to our memories and emotions, that’s why we assign so much meaning and power to them. As Patrick Süskind writes in his book, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer: "Odours havea power of persuasionstronger thanthat of words, appearances, emotions, or will. The persuasive power of an odour cannot be fended off, it enters into us like breath into our lungs, it fillsusup,imbuesustotally.Thereisnoremedy for it."

Aleksandra Sołtys