Scented Story No. 1
This year, for the first time, Estéban has tried out a new profession: that of a storyteller. In its mission to spread the power of perfume (that of sharing emotions) even further, the brand has created the Olfactory Tales. A game of riddles to explore your sense of smell and discover the imaginary journeys subtly woven into our creations. To mark the release of this unique box set, the perfume mag' team will be sharing one of their favourite scented tales from around the world every Sunday of Advent.
1st Sunday of Advent: The Sweet-Smelling Princess - A Polynesian Tale
On an island in the Pacific lived the sweet-smelling princess. Of singular beauty, she commanded the wind, and her body diffused a perfume that no flower could equal. Her name sounds like an order and fascinates all men: "Huri-i-te-mono'ï-a-'are'-vahine", meaning "Pour the perfumed oil on the woman's wave".
The four sons of the King and Queen of Tahiti are sent to find her, so that her beauty may illuminate their valley and her perfume may embalm their mornings. After days of sailing, the sails of their boat appear near the island where the princess lives. Informed of the reason for their visit by the "perfume of men" that the wind brings her, the princess goes into the forest to find the most fragrant flowers to make welcome wreaths. In her absence, she asks her servant to welcome them with honors. The servant does so, even going so far as to impersonate the princess, donning her attire so that the young Tahitians will take her away. While the first three brothers are easily fooled, the youngest is hardly convinced by this woman: her skin, even covered in oil, seems dry to him, her clothes seem ill-fitting, and her head droops under the weight of the tiara. Nevertheless, the brothers set sail again with the disguised servant by their side.
The princess, warned by the wind, dives into the ocean with the wooden plank that serves as her canoe and quickly catches up with the princely vessel. She then sings to attract their attention, but the servant warns them: it is a sea monster seeking to seduce them to devour them. The young brother, certain he recognizes the true princess, pulls her aboard, despite the cries of the servant who continues to perjure her and the three older brothers, ready to throw her overboard. The princess asks them to wait until they are in sight of Tahiti, after which she will join her ancestors, the shark, the tiger fish, and the whale, to prove her good faith. Then she follows the young brother into his shelter, placing around his neck the vial of perfumed oil she always carries with her. "Keep it with you, and one day, you will do what my name commands," she tells him. The young man, in love, promises without seeking to understand... Two days later, near Tahiti, the three brothers take advantage of the darkness to throw the princess into the sea. Immediately a wave forms, and in the hollow of the foam appear the shark, the tiger fish, and the whale, just as the princess had predicted. The shark opens its mouth and carries the princess to the bottom of the waters.
Once in Tahiti, the King and Queen are surprised by the attitude of this princess who, doubting her ability to fool the royal couple, refuses to walk on the mats leading to their palace. The monarchs ask for another night to reflect – a night during which the youngest brother tells the whole story to his parents and their only sister. "Let's return to the place where this woman was thrown: if the shark is her ancestor, he will bring the princess back; otherwise, we will find a blood-red ocean," proposes the sensible young sister. A proposal that the assembly eagerly accepts. Once on site, a gigantic wave lifts the royal canoe, and a tunnel of water forms to the bottom of the ocean. Among the red rocks await the enormous shark, the tiger fish, and the whale. The sister then instructs her brother to do what the princess had commanded him. As the whirlpool begins to swallow the canoe, his hands touch the vial entrusted to him, and he remembers. He shouts the name of the sweet-smelling princess "Huri-i-te-mono'ï-a-'are'-vahine" and pours the perfumed oil onto the wave. The wave immediately subsides, and the shark brings its mouth out of the water. The water mixed with the oil enters its mouth and covers the body of the young woman who awakens. The young man pulls her aboard and holds her close. The princess is safe and sound.
Back on dry land, the King and Queen recognize the young woman as the true princess. "Only one of my sons knew how to see beyond the crown and adornments. Only one of my sons risked his life listening to his love and faith. Only he is worthy of this sweet-smelling beauty," concluded the King. The three brothers were condemned to become servants of the young couple, and the unfaithful servant, dead from shame, was cast into the sea. There was much dancing at the wedding of the young Prince Tui-hai-potii and Huri-i-te-monoï-a-are-vahiné, on the windy island; it was a very fragrant celebration…
Sources:
La princesse au doux parfum is a Tahitian tale from the collection Contes des sages de Polynésie collected by Céline Ripoll, Seuil, 2013. In it, you will discover twenty legends rewritten to celebrate Polynesian oral tradition. (Marquesas, Tahiti, Bora, Rapa Nui, Aotearoa, Samoa, Hawaii, Wallis).
*Monoi or "perfumed oil" in Polynesian is obtained through the maceration of Tiare flowers in refined Coprah oil.
