Scented Story No. 1
This year, for the first time, Estéban has tried its hand at a new profession: that of storyteller. In its mission to spread the power of fragrance (the power to share emotions) ever further, the brand has given birth to Contes olfactifs (Olfactory Tales). A set of riddles to explore one’s sense of smell and set off to discover the imaginary journeys that lie at the heart of our creations. To mark the release of this unique set, the mag’parfum team will share with you every Sunday of Advent one of their favorite scented tales from the 4 corners of the world.
1st Sunday of Advent: The Princess with the Sweet Perfume - Polynesian Tale
On a Pacific island lived the princess with the sweet perfume. Of singular beauty, she commanded the wind and her body radiated a scent that no flower could equal. Her name sounds like a command and fascinates all men: « Huri-i-te-mono'ï-a-'are'-vahine », which means « Pour the scented oil onto the wave of the woman ».
The four sons of the King and Queen of Tahiti are sent in search of her, so that her beauty might brighten their valley and her perfume might sweeten 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 arrival by the « scent of men » that the wind brings her, the princess sets off into the forest to gather the most fragrant flowers to make welcome garlands. In her absence, she asks her servant to welcome them with honors. This the servant does not fail to do, even going so far as to pass herself off as the princess by adorning herself in the latter’s finery, so that the young Tahitians will take her away. While the first three brothers are easily deceived, the youngest is hardly convinced by this woman: her skin, even covered in oil, seems dry to him, her clothes seem poorly fitted, and her head bows under the weight of the tiare flower. 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 board that serves as her outrigger and quickly catches up with the royal vessel. She sings to attract their attention, but the servant warns them: it is a sea monster trying to seduce them to better devour them. The youngest brother, certain he recognizes the real princess, helps her on board, amidst the cries of the servant who continues to denounce her and the three older brothers, ready to toss her overboard. The princess asks them to wait until they are in sight of Tahiti, after which she will leave to join her ancestors the shark, the tiger shark, and the whale, to prove her good faith. Then she follows the youngest brother to his shelter, passing around his neck the vial of scented oil she always carries with her. « Keep it with you, and one day, you will do as my name commands, » she tells him. The young man, in love, promises without trying 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 shark, and the whale, just as the princess had predicted. The shark opens its jaws 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 to reflect for one more night—a night during which the youngest brother tells the whole story to his parents and their only sister. « Let us 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 sea red with blood, » suggests the young sister, full of good sense. A proposal the assembly hastens to agree to. Once at the scene, a gigantic wave lifts the royal outrigger and a tunnel of water forms down to the depths of the ocean. In the middle of the red rocks, the enormous shark, the tiger shark, and the whale wait for them. The sister then urges her brother to do as the princess had ordered him. As the whirlpool begins to swallow the outrigger, his hands land on the vial that was entrusted to him and he remembers. He screams the name of the princess with the sweet perfume « Huri-i-te-mono'ï-a-'are'-vahine » and pours the scented oil onto the wave. The wave immediately subsides and the shark brings its jaws out of the water. The water mixed with the oil penetrates its mouth and covers the body of the young woman, who awakens. The young man pulls her on board and holds her close. The princess is safe and sound.
Back on solid ground, 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 the ornaments. Only one of my sons risked his life by listening to his love and his faith. He alone is worthy of this beauty with the sweet perfume, » concludes the King. The three brothers were condemned to become servants to the young couple, and the unfaithful servant, dead with shame, was cast back out to sea. There was much dancing at the wedding of the young prince Tui-hai-potii and Huri-i-te-mono'ï-a-'are'-vahine on the island of the wind; it was a very fragrant celebration…
Sources:
The Princess with the Sweet Perfume is a Tahitian tale taken from the collection Contes des sages de Polynésie (Tales of the Sages of Polynesia) 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).
*Monoï, or "scented oil" in Polynesian, is obtained through the maceration of Tiare flowers in refined coconut oil.
