HEXENSALBE eau de parfum by Stora Skuggan.
Top Notes: Wormwood, Salty LiqouriceMiddle Notes: Tuberose, Rosemary, Angelica, BelladonnaBase Notes: Black Hemlock, Lichen, Patchouli

Made by hand in Stockholm.

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.

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 Blkulla 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.

FULL INGREDIENTS
ALCOHOL DENAT., PARFUM, AQUA, PIPER NIGRUM FRUIT OIL, HYDROXYCITRONELLAL, COUMARIN, LIMONENE, LINALOOL, BENZYL BENZOATE, BENZYL SALICYLATE, GERANIOL, FARNESOL, CITRAL, EUGENOL, ISOEUGENOL
FAQ from Stora Skuggan
Doyou use all natural ingredients?

No,weuse both essential oils and synthetic materials of the highest quality. Just as you will find in any good perfume. The difference from a mass market perfumer is thatwewill use the right materials, regardless of their cost. Cutting corners by using cheap substitutes of expensive oils only makes sense if you’re planning to sell millions of units. That is notourfocus.
AreStora Skuggan perfumes vegan?

With the exception of Thumbsucker, which contains beeswax yes. That does not mean you should eat them.

—

Stora Skuggan is a niche perfume brand from Sweden, founded in 2015. The brand is run by a small group of perfumers and designers. All production from perfume formulation to branding is done at the Stora Skuggan fragrance studio in Stockholm. The perfumes are compounded by hand. Stora Skuggan perfumes are based on stories that blur the line between myth and reality. Central to the brand, these tales are conceptualized through scent and art, creating a small universe for each product.