Circe as a prototype for the modern perfumer. “Sketch of Circe” by John William Waterhouse, ca. 1914

I’ve often pondered what sorcerers these perfumers be, to brew such potions as to ensnare mere mortals? They conjure molecules to take the form of memories. Flora and fauna that never lived side-by-side in our world nestle together in their bottles. They create magical beings with the head of this flower placed on the body of that tree stalking along on the paws of another creature. It is a sublime witchcraft.

 

Circe working on a new formula. “Circe and Her Lovers in a Landscape” by Dosso Dossi, ca. 1525, © National Gallery of Art

Cafleurebon’s Editor-in-Chief, Michelyn Camen, enlisted award-winning perfumer Amber Jobin of Aether Arts Perfumes to create a new fragrance to pay homage to a witch whose story has been retold for millennia, the mythic Circe. Michelyn wanted a scent that evoked the recent version of Circe as she is portrayed in the 2018 novel that bears her name. Madeline Miller’s “Circe” is a story of isolation, self-discovery, love, betrayal, and power. Above all, however, it is the nymph Circe’s telling of her own story in her own voice, a perspective largely unseen in ancient tales. As she reveals herself to us we watch the nymph grow from an intelligent yet insecure youth, the least in the myriad of immortals who live in her Titan father’s halls, into a solitary witch skilled in transformations to whom the earth has leant its powers through the plants Circe gathers, toils over and brews.

Young Circe fell prey to jealousy. “Circe Punishes Glaucus by Turning Scylla into a Monster” by Eglon van der Neer, 1695, © Rijksmuseum

Anyone whose imagination is transported by the mere thought of a specific aroma will revel in this novel. Olfactory references that are sprinkled throughout the work may charm most readers as background to the action. But to us perfumistas the story is so much richer by knowing that Prometheus smelled of green moss, that the thick smoke of burning cedar kept the exiled Circe company, that the sweetest honey came from bees who drank nothing but the nectar of thyme and linden blossom.  The greatest gift Madeline Miller gives to us perfume lovers is the extended metaphor that runs through the book in which Circe’s learned art of witchcraft reflects the art of perfumery. I will let Circle tell you herself, but in your mind substitute the word “perfumery” for “sorcery”: “Let me say what sorcery is not: it is not divine power, which comes with a thought and a blink. It must be made and worked, planned and searched out, dug up, dried, chopped and ground, cooked, spoken over, and sung. Even after all that it can fail, as gods do not. If my herbs are not fresh enough, if my attention falters, if my will is weak, the draughts go stale and rancid in my hands. Gods hate all toil… Witchcraft is nothing but such drudgery. Each herb… must be handled this way, then that, to find out where its power lies. Day upon patient day you must throw out your errors and begin again… I would have done that toil a thousand times to keep such power in my hands.” **

Circe on her wild island. “Circe and Odysseus” by Jan Bruegel the Elder, 1595

Amber Jobin brought me right to Circe’s Mediterranean island with her new release, Aether Arts Circe. In the case of this perfume Amber, like Circe, is a sorceress with a gift of transformation; I felt as if I was nymph silently shadowing the witch Circe as she searched the island high and low for the bits of nature needed to create her potions. As soon as I applied the perfume oil to my skin I experienced an initial sweetness, almost like honey or maple. That immediately gave way to a green, herbaceous fragrance with mineral elements. I found myself with my nose pressed into my skin throughout the day chasing different notes. I am shy of many green scents but I was fascinated by the greenness of Circe. In turns I smelled what reminded me of tomato and geranium leaves, basil and parsley, celery and cardamom. I smelled the piney scent as a spray of fallen cypress is crushed under Circe’s sandaled feet. At times a delicate floralcy wafts in chased by salty sea air.

Collage by Marianne imaging Circe’s island, its plants, and the witch holding a bottle of perfume

The book is certainly compelling as Circe interacts for better or worse with characters we know from Greek mythology. She does things to characters and other characters do things to her. (I hope you will read the book so I won’t give away plot points.) However the strength of the novel is in characterization of Circe herself. It’s not as if a 21st century woman’s mind has been placed into the person of an ancient Greek immortal, but rather that the interior and exterior life of this individual is laid plain for us. Her story is being told here, not just as a chapter in the tale of the wily Odysseus’s travels over the wine-dark sea. In Aether Arts Perfume Circe, Amber Jobin allows us to experience Circe for who she is as an individual by referencing the natural wildness of her island home. This is not a Circe painted throughout time in the exotic incense of an enchantress or the narcotic florals of a seductress. This perfume is the essence of the Circe we meet in the novel, skilled sorceress, gatherer of herbs.

** Madeline Miller, Circe, Chapter 7

Notes: Erigeron, Lovage, Tomato Leaf, Wild rose, Jasmine absolute, Cypress, Sea, Sand

Disclosure I received a sample for review of Aether Arts Perfume Circe from Amber Jobin, opinions my own

Marianne Butler, Senior Contributor

Thanks to the generosity of Aether Arts Perfume and Amber Jobin, we have a  2.2 ml rollerball bottle of Aether Arts Perfumes Circe for 1 registered reader worldwide. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what appeals to you about Aether Arts Perfume Circe based on Marianne’s review, and what you would want Circe to transform you into. Draw closes 8/9/2019.

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so like ÇaFleureBon and use our blog feed … or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

Follow us @cafleurebon @spritzi_mcgillacutty @aetherartsperfume on Instagram.