Violet Ether~Solid Perfume
~ Ether is the space between heaven and the clouds. Where the end of the worlds atmosphere meets the unknown. The Violet Ether is a place where violets root themselves into clouds, and when it rains, purple blue rain drops drip drop full of the scent of sweet violets. Petite creamed violet cakes and candies are served upon tea tables, held steady by the purple clouds, their flavor savored by the Flower Nymphs who visit the Violet Ether often.
The Flower Nymph, Violet, was born on the very first day of Spring. The same day the very first violet sprung from the earth. Her mother, Viola, had a hard, long labor, her sister, Pansy, assisting in anyway she could; aromatic oils to calm her mind, and cool compresses of herbs steeped in river water too dissipate her fever. The sun rose, and the sun set, but still Viola's baby wasn't ready to enter the world. Outside the ground was still frozen from a cold, long winter, and a few flurries could be seen floating through the air, Old Man Winters last hoorah.
On her second day of labor, her sister Pansy came dashing through the door like a bat out of hell, "Viola, Viola! I have something to ease your pain, and soothe you into birth!"
"What is it Sister," said Viola through a long, drawn out breathe.
"I met a kind old woman, we got to chatting, and once she heard of your troubles, she pulled this vial from her covered wagon, and said it's just what you need!"
"Oh dear Sister I know you mean well, but we can't trust a stranger." Violet replied in a disappointed tone.
"Ah yes I knew you would say that, and so I asked around, and sure enough I found someone who knows her, and can vouch for her." She said with a satisfied smile. She continued, "Why it was Pan himself, and he seemed pretty sure of it."
"Pansy, I don't know if we can trust him either. He's always up to his tricks." Viola's tone gave way to her frustration. "But I suppose I haven't much choice. If this sweet baby girl or boy doesn't bless us with his or her presence soon, I fear the worst for the both of us." She looked at Pansy, eyes tired and worried.
Pansy handed her the vial and said, "Drink all of the potion until there is one drop left, and with the last drop, anoit over your heart."
Hesitant, but desperate, Viola took the vial and did as her sister instructed.
Within minutes Viola gave birth. Pansy washed the new baby in the warm water she had prepared, and bundled her up in the cotton and wool blanket the Shepard and Field nymphs had created. "It's a sweet baby girl!" Pansy exclaimed with excitement as she handed Viola her new baby.
The new mother smiled, as tears of relief and joy flowed down her cheeks. "Now I must choose a name." Cooed Viola to her new baby. She brushed her nose against the newborn's head, the scent of the child imprinting in the young mother's memory.
The wind picked up outside, howling and blowing through the trees, and shaking the walls of the old cabin.
The door flew open, the wind seemingly pushing it. Pansy walked across the room, and began shutting the heavy, old door, hinges creaking as she did. Just before the jamb met the frame, long nailed fingers crept through the crack, stopping Pansy from shutting the door completely.
"Do let me in dear," said a crackling voice. Caught off guard Pansy nearly jumped out of her skin. "Whose there?" Pansy said, knowing well whose voice was behind the door. "It is I, your new friend you met earlier. I wanted to see how things got along for your sister." said the voice. Pansy pulled the door open, revealing the old woman who had given her the potion earlier that day.
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"Why my sister is just fine. Thank you for your concerns, no need to worry." Pansy said with her cheeks flushed red, as she tried to shoo the old woman out and close the door.
The old woman put her boot in front of the door, and flung it open with force, nearly hitting Pansy.
"Dear I am not worried. I have great confidence in the medicine I gave you. I am here to collect my payment," the old woman cackled. "Do invite me in won't you," she said as she strolled through the doorway and into the room.
Viola and Pansy both looked at each other, each could see the fear on the others face.
"You didn't mention payment," said Pansy in a mousy tone.
"Ah but I did," she said as she picked up the empty vial on the nightstand next to Viola. "You see," she said as she unrolled a tiny piece of paper around the vial. It appeared to be a piece of birch bark wrapped around the vial, but as she unrolled it, the two nymphs could see the writing scrolled across the back of bark. "I'll read it to you so it's clear," the old woman said with an evil smirk. "By ingesting this potion, you agree to any terms I deem appropriate for payment," her smirk grew into a wicked smile as she spoke.
Viola's new baby began to stir, and she pulled her in tight to her chest. The old woman moved towards the bed where Viola lay with the baby. "Hmmm what payment shall I request? I did save your life, and your unborn childs life as well. That's two souls. I'll be kind today, seen as it's the first day of Spring. I demand one soul to pay for the two saved."
Viola and Pansy both gasped in unison, knowing exactly what the old witch wanted; the new child.
"Never," said Viola with anger in her voice, shielding her newborns face from the gaze of old witch.
"But dear, you haven't a choice, you are bound by the law of the forest," said the old witch in a matter of a fact tone. She stepped towards the bed, arms outreached.
Viola lept from the bed with only the strength a new mother could harbour after two days of labor. She hurried towards the still open door, while her sister Pansy stepped in front of the witch, blocking her path towards the new mother and child.
"You can run but you can't hide!" The old witch bellowed, "I'll find you," she laughed.
Adrenaline coarsing through her body, Viola ran towards the treeline in her bloodied nightgown and moccasins, holding her child close to her heart, shielding her face and head from the cold wind. She ran and ran until she could run no more, and she collapsed onto the forest floor, clutching her baby to her body. She nursed her little one, and then fell into a deep sleep along with the newborn, and only when her baby awoke and began to cry did she too awake.
She looked down at her garments, white and covered in blood, but now had splatters and drops of royal purple too. She began to hum and shush to soothe her child, looking down at the newborns face. The baby could sense her fear and worry, and continued to cry. Only then did she realize the purple tears that were flowing from the child's eyes. She followed a single purple tear as it rolled down the newborns cheek, dangled for a moment, slipped off, and onto the ground. Where the tear fell, a disturbance began amongst the leaf litter, and a green sprout poked it's way out towards the light. It grew just a bit, popped out two identical heart shaped leaves, and formed a fragile purple flower bud. The flower opened revealing a dainty purple flower, it's soft fragrance wafting up to the new mother's nose. A scent as sweet as the scent of her newborn's skin, powdery, delicate and fine. She looked around her, the ferns she'd slept on, folded outwards, making way to the tiny purple flowers, and dark green, glossy heart shaped leaves, which had grown up all around her from the newborns tears. Immersed in the fragrance she felt a calm fall over her. The newborn sensed her shift in mood, stopped crying, and stared at her with inquisitive eyes. "Violet", she mouthed to the child. The name had instantaneously popped into her mind, "Violet, " she spoke, and the child smiled. Just as quickly as the scent of the flowers had brought her peace, her worries returned just as fast when she heard the sound of forest floor cracking under foot. Had the witch found her?
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She crouched down low, holding Violet close, and peered through the ferns. She could see the black boots of the witch through the trees!
The witch turned, sniffed the air, and then looked down directly at Viola. Viola shrieked as the witch made her way towards her.
Violet began to wail as she heard her mother's shrill cry, her tears soaking the ground around them. The witch was closing in now, but Viola, weak, and frozen with fear, couldn't move. As the witch moved into her last few steps towards the ferns where Viola and Violet were, the ground began to shake, knocking the witch onto her backside.
A giant size green sprout wound it's way up out of the ground, lifting Viola and Violet up with it. Two leaves grew from the sprout, and a bud began to form on top, knocking the mother and child off. They landed on a leaf, and it bounced them up towards the top, which had opened into a flower, and caught them.
Viola looked around her, her head in a big, fluffy cloud. Violet continued to cry, turning the clouds purple, and sprouting Violets all through the sky. Viola looked down at the witch, who looked like an ant down below.
"Oh this is too much work for now, but I'll get you next time!" The old witch said as she threw her arms into the air and pointed uo at Viola and Violet.
By this time the other Nymphs from the village had made it to the spot where Violet and Viola were perched upon the giant flower. They'd been searching for them, with Pansy leading the pack.
"Oh no you won't," Pansy shouted at the witch, as she blew a gold dust from her hand and into the witches face. Ad with a pop and phew, he witches cloak dropped to the ground, no with in site.
"A bit of magic of my own!" Pansy hollared up to her sister. She shielded her eyes from the sun rays, not sure she was seeing what she was seeing. She turned around to the other Nymphs, who were all looking up into the sky in amazement.
Viola had hushed Violet to sleep be gently rocking her and singing a lullaby to the new baby. But by the time that happened Violet had cried a while lot of flowery tears upon the clouds. They were now fluffy purple clouds, faded to blue, heavy with Violets tears. And just like on the ground, flowers had grown from her tears, and the fancy, delicate flowers with the heart shaped leaves now covered the clouds en masse.
"Why I guess we'll have to call them Violet Flowers!" Petunia, Pansy and Violets cousin, said to Pansy with a chuckle.
"Yes, that sounds about right! Now to figure out how to get them down from there." Said Petunia's sister Poppy."
The purple-blue clouds above them vegan to rumble like thunder, which woke the sleeping baby. Viola watched as Violets eyes grew wide, Welles up with purple tears. The clouds burst into fragrant purple rain, pouring down on the mother and baby, and the Nymphs down below. The leaf they were sitting on began to puddle with water, then bent like a slide, sending Viola clutching Violet on her chest, down towards the next leaf below, and like a gentle stream they slid down the leaves with the flow of the purple rain, until they reached the bottom.
The other nymphs all ran towards the new mother and her baby. They had brought blankets, and embraced her and the baby in their arms and soft material.
"Dear Sister! Oh dear, oh dear! I'm sorry. It's all my fault!" Said Pansy.
"Now, now Pansy you were only trying to help." Viola said in a loving tone as she hugged her sister.
"We've already named the flower that sprouts from your daughters eyes. We will call them Violets!" Pansy exclaimed, as she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
"Yes, that is perfect Sister. We shall call them Violets!" Viola said as she kissed her sister on the cheek.
The Perfume.......
I created this perfume intuitively. I didn't really have a plan, just a rough draft in my mind. It began with my own handcrafted Violet Leaf Concrete created from the leaves of my collection of viola odorata. Next, I added Orris Root Resinoid I created from my heirloom Iris flower roots, dug from my Mom's old growth garden, and transplanted here in our gardens. I dried, cured, and extracted the roots taken from the hearty patch. Sweet Woodruff from the garden was extracted with Vanilla Beans, and a co-absolute created. Elderflower, my favorite Spring flowers next to Violets, I knew the sweet, creamy absolute I created from the dry flowers had to be included. Jasmine, Rose, and Hyacinth enfleurage was added, to give the illusion of violets amongst the melange of handcrafted, violet like extractions. Together these botanicals create a very creamy, dreamy violet. The perfume wears close to the skin, invoking you to get close, as you would when smelling a violet.
For me, this is the perfect Violet Soliflore. It has the sweetness of the flower, without being cloy, while remaining rich. Although the composition contains warm vanilla, and musky jasmine, the perfume is in fact quite cool toned, with notes of green heart shaped violet leaves, and a sheer, powdery, soft floral that only the violet can emit. Violet Ether is magical, as if enchanted, it changes as it warms on your skin, and goes through a metamorphosis of Violet interpretations, before settling into skin for the buttery, floral dry down, akin to smelling the elusive perfume of the flower. I imagine if I was to rub the most fragrant crushed violets all over my skin, I would smell just like Violet Ether Perfume! Like wispy, delicate Violets!