Smell - can it possess supernatural powers?
A potent brew - The Magic Circle by JW Waterhouse
A bit of Halloween fun!
The witching hour is nigh, All Hallows' Eve is almost upon us and I'm in a ruminative mood. We are all aware of the power of scent to trigger a memory, a feeling- scent has a hotline to our emotional brain + imagination, evoking our soul secrets, the stories and experiences within us, but... what if a scent possessed a super(natural) power!?
In keeping with the eerie and phantasmagorical, why not take a leap into the realms of magic + fantasy and imagine if a scent could bestow you with a power, magical or otherwise, what would it be? What form would it take and to your febrile imagination what would it smell like?
For inspiration you could look to your favourite superheroes, or back into myth, legend, storytelling and fairytales. Consider the many forms and uses that 'scent' can take, especially in ancient traditions when aromatic potions were burnt (incense, candles etc), drank, bathed in, anointed, eaten etc... a large dose of creative license is allowed!
Check out this excellently hammy clip of Bela Lugosi in the 1940's 'The Devil Bat', whereby the monster bat is induced to kill by a pavlovian response to a smell ...
My twopenny worth, I've brainstormed a greedy list of powers, from the commonplace to the outlandish, but here are just a few of my initial offerings:
- Transmogrification: I would like a perfume that when sprayed on an inanimate object, would bring it to life
- Shape-shifting - this would be in the form of a light body veil spray
- A scent to command the elements (earth, wind, fire + water)
- A magical scent that would allow me to step into the pages of a book- I'm thinking perhaps of an invisible scented ink that you would use on your chosen book.
I just need to work on the scent bit...but, now it's your turn - unleash your mind and feel free to send me your 'Scent Superpower' ideas.
I will post my Superscent recipes next week. In the meantime, Happy Halloween!
Per-fume trickery: Incense, smoke + mirrors. Picture: Jay Payne/newsteam.co.uk