Stora Skuggan - Hexensalbe - niche perfume
“In rifleing the closet of the ladie, they found a pipe of oyntement, wherewith she greased a staffe, upon which she ambled and galloped through thick and thin, when and in what manner she listed”
– Proceedings Against Dame Alice Kyteler, Prosecuted for Sorcery, 1324
Hexensalbe, also known as witches’ flying ointment, was a hallucinogenic salve used in witchcraft in the middle ages. It was a mixture of extremely poisonous ingredients.
Top notes: Wormwood, salty liqourice
Heart notes: Tuberose, rosemary, angelica, belladonna
Base notes: Black hemlock, lichen, patchouli
EDP 30 ml / unisex
| Category: | Niche perfumes |
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The drug produced an ecstatic trance with powerful sensations of flying, images of otherworldly creatures and a primal sexual hunger. These hallucinations are at the core of the mythology of witches, where they fly to the sabbath at Blåkulla or Brocken to do it with the devil and other witches in unholy rites.
So, the image of witches flying can be traced back to the use of hexensalbe, but why on a broomstick? The ointment was so poisonous that eating it would be directly fatal, instead it was applied to other soft membranes of the body, armpits and more commonly the genitals. Because of the erotic effects of the high, the salve would often be rubbed directly onto a phallic object like the end of a staff or a broomstick. And so, the witch did not ride the broomstick like we picture her today. She actually -really- rode it.
Given which aspects of the story of hexensalbe has survived into the modern image of witches, and what has been suppressed, it would seem that the one thing more terrifying than witches or devils, is female sexuality.
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Made by hand in Stockholm these unusual fragrances in beautifully designed bottles are definitely not for everyone. With mysterious names and stories, characteristic Scandinavian aesthetics and a unique approach to individual ingredients, a group of young Swedish alchemists comes up with very different perfumes that confidently play with the established rules. And that's only one of the great things about them...
A unique tradition
The Stora Skuggan perfume brand was created in 2015 by a group of young alternative alchemists. Olle Hemmendorff and Tomas Hempel set out to create a company where freedom can be achieved in every aspect of creation: from fragrance formulation to packaging and branding.
CONTINUOUS EXPERIMENTATION WITH UNIQUE RESULTS
Stora Skuggan fragrances are derived from an autonomous identity closely linked to the tradition of craftsmanship, where the creative process becomes the basic concept of each perfume. In addition, its founders come from an art and design background, which guarantees continuous experimentation with unique results. The inspiration for the individual Stora Skuggan perfumes comes from places, feelings, emotions and everything that moves the mind.
And where exactly did the brand name come from? Stora Skuggan means "big shadow" in Swedish, it is also the name of a famous park in the center of Stockholm, the city where Stora Skuggan is located.