Sensual History of Scent: Part One | Scentrifugal Events

The Sensual History of Scent: A Definitive Guide To the Intoxicating Delights of Fragrance, Perfume and its Mysticism Throughout Time

Let’s travel through time and learn where scent began and where it has come.

A Garden of Intoxicating Delights

Fragrance has been used as a tool of seduction since the dawn of time. The first Temptress was surely Eve, who conveniently lived in a lush garden full of potent aromatic smells and flavors. It was there in the paradise of Eden that she enticed her man with a glistening crimson apple, crisp and succulent - freshly plucked from a forbidden tree. (Which made it all the more exciting!)

As Adam bit into the dangerous fruit, sweet juices ran down his chin, and his mouth was filled with a wonderful splendor.  Eve had carefully gathered a bouquet from her garden of roses, lilies, gardenia, freesia, tuberose, ylang ylang and jasmine, and when she presented it to Adam, surrounded by the pungent aroma of trees bearing tart lemons, pulpy oranges, juicy pomegranates, salty olives, moist figs and ripe dates, the heady scent overwhelmed him. He inhaled deeply and felt light-headed, as if he was floating in a sea of irresistible perfume. Adam was helpless against her sensory charms. Eve knew exactly what she was doing… and the rest is history.

The Perfumed Warrior Queen

When urban civilization burst forth in ancient Egypt, at the center of that golden universe stood Cleopatra, filled with fire, lust, and unquenchable desire for power.  She was a Queen, a General of a legendary Army, a Mistress, and a lover of beauty and indulgence.  Cleopatra was so enamored of the fragrant arts that she had her own laboratory with a personal perfumer to create exquisite essences to anoint her body, hair and clothing.  Her daily rituals included bathing in pure white milk strewn with rose petals to keep her skin soft, and scenting her hair with Myrrh so that a veil of the heady spice trailed behind her wherever she ventured, causing an epidemic of swooning Egyptian soldiers.

As a Seductress, Cleopatra’s talents were unparalleled. She famously perfumed her sails to greet Marc Antony as he strode onto her barge, the soft breezes enveloping him in the sweet caress of musk, amber and sandalwood. When he emerged, days later, he was a man so besotted with this woman who was a mass of emotion and sensuality, that he felt as if was drowning… but he had no desire to be rescued.

 Always looking for a new conquest, Cleopatra next lured Julius Caesar to Egypt, and then presented herself to him wrapped in a carpet soaked in a fragrant elixir of frankinscense, cypress oil and patchouli leaves. As she slowly unravelled the cloth, the scent wafted into the air and it was very clear who the true ruler was.  She oozed confidence and strength, and she knew the aromas gracing her perfumed torso enhanced her sexual power even more. 

Mysticism , Magic & the First Women Perfumers

 Perfume has always been entwined with magic and mystical religious rituals. The first ‘perfumes’ recorded by historians were actually incense, offered at altars to please the gods and keep evil spirits at bay. Which perfectly explains the definition of the word ‘perfume’, translated from Latin to mean ‘through smoke’ (per fume).  The famous Egyptian Kyphi incense was burned in temples every evening at sunset and in homes at night, and the smoky vapors were believed to have magical powers as a purifier, a relaxant and to protect.

A City of Perfume & Sex

A major step in the story of perfume occurred in the early Middle Ages, when the Arabs developed a technique for the distillation of plants. Large areas of Persia were reserved for growing roses for precious rose oil, and Baghdad of The Arabian Nights became known as a City of Perfume. Powerful new ingredients were found, too, like musk, which was even mixed into the bricks used to build mosques and palaces so that they would emit a perpetual pungent scent as they baked in the hot sun or rain beat down on them.

Scent has always been an essential component of sex. In many languages, the word for ‘to kiss’ and ‘to smell’ are the same, and anthropologists have theorized that kissing is really an extended process of amorously tasting and smelling your lover.  Assyrian kings romanced maidens whose bodies had been marinated for twelve months in special perfume-baths – six months in myrrh and six months in labdanum.  In China, courtesans were fed food flavored with musk, so that when they perspired during lovemaking their bodies sweated pure perfume.

The scents of a fresh body were also treasured. One ancient custom is that of love-apples – a peeled apple was worn in an armpit for a day and then presented to a lover. The green apple was particularly desired because of its tartness. The secretions from the sweat glands mingled with the juice of the apple and the result was an effective aphrodisiac.

The history continues in our next blog post!