Frankincense and myrrh - Aroma of Righteousness
Deborah Green's The Aroma of Righteousness elaborates on scents and their biblical origins and significance. In chapter three titled "Election and the Erotic: Biblical portrayals of Perfume and Incense", Green discusses the biblical origins and importance of rituals which inherently require and incorporate spices and incense. Two of which Green uses as examples are frankincense and myrrh.
The author explains that frankincense (or levonah) is associated with "white" since it is harvested in autumn when it is white in color. (Green 67). Myrrh derives from "bitter taste"(Green 68). In the Hebrew text, there is a strong association between scents and tranquility, or "soothing odors".
Frankincense comes from the Boswellia tree, and there are five different species of Boswellia trees that produce the resin needed for frankincense. The resin is tapped from the trees by slashing the bark and letting the resin pool out and harden.
Boswellia trees are able to grow in some of the harshest environmental conditions on the planet. They are native to the Arabian Peninsula and northeastern Africa.
The word "frankincense" itself is recorded to also have roots in Old French, translating to "high-quality incense".
Myrrh comes from the tree Commiphora myrrha. Both myrrh and frankincense come from trees in the Burseraceae family. This tree also shares the same native range as the Boswellia tree- which is not surprising since the two are always paired together.
Seeing how the Egyptians used these scents for perfuming and embalming may associate them with death in that tradition and culture. On the other hand, another culture uses them for perfumes as well but not associated with death- more for other religious rituals and practices. This discrepancy is interesting and brings the question of perspective and perception of certain smells -- which smells are "positive" or "good" and which are not? And how do societies begin to make these assessments of these scents?
Green also writes that "Fragrance cannot be seen, heard, or touched, and it does not last, but one can be aware of its existence. So, too, wind and spirit can be described as transitory and elusive, discernable only through an inner sense" (68). This notion of an "inner sense" makes it seem like it is a universally understood sense- or perhaps even somewhat of another sense entirely. How does this play into the perception of scents and their uses such as frankincense and myrrh?
"The two spices that most often appear together in the text are frankincense and myrrh. Widespread use of these spices is well attested in the ancient world and long predates the Israelites. Egyptians used myrrh extensively for perfuming and embalming, while other civilizations, such as Mesopotamia, used myrrh for incense in cultic rituals, as a medicine, and as an ingredient in perfume."
The author explains that frankincense (or levonah) is associated with "white" since it is harvested in autumn when it is white in color. (Green 67). Myrrh derives from "bitter taste"(Green 68). In the Hebrew text, there is a strong association between scents and tranquility, or "soothing odors".
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| Boswellia tree |
Boswellia trees are able to grow in some of the harshest environmental conditions on the planet. They are native to the Arabian Peninsula and northeastern Africa.
The word "frankincense" itself is recorded to also have roots in Old French, translating to "high-quality incense".
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| Commiphora myrrha |
Seeing how the Egyptians used these scents for perfuming and embalming may associate them with death in that tradition and culture. On the other hand, another culture uses them for perfumes as well but not associated with death- more for other religious rituals and practices. This discrepancy is interesting and brings the question of perspective and perception of certain smells -- which smells are "positive" or "good" and which are not? And how do societies begin to make these assessments of these scents?
Green also writes that "Fragrance cannot be seen, heard, or touched, and it does not last, but one can be aware of its existence. So, too, wind and spirit can be described as transitory and elusive, discernable only through an inner sense" (68). This notion of an "inner sense" makes it seem like it is a universally understood sense- or perhaps even somewhat of another sense entirely. How does this play into the perception of scents and their uses such as frankincense and myrrh?
It's incredible to me that a huge number of people can all agree that yes, the scent of this thing (myrrh, for example) is clearly a good scent, and that they can convince themselves that what they have done is make an objective assessment of the thing's universal qualities and not simply stated their opinion.
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