Lethe

[Silvertree]

Il n'a su réchauffer ce cadavre hébété
Où coule au lieu de sang l'eau verte du Léthé

Sister to Strife and dark reflection of Mnemosyne, she is the personification of forgetfulness and withdrawal from the cares of the living.

The cool, green waters of oblivion whose murmuring waves lull the dead to sleep:chthonic river foam,

bog cypress, lavender resin, black labdanum, and asphodel.

 

 

[ghoulnextdoor]

Lethe is a still, subterranean lake, a study in chilled, mineralic, mossy notes. It's the languid escape endlessly downward, deep into the cool, indifferent embrace of shadows, past the mists, the driftwood, the cypress knees. A dream of the sovereign of a rain-soaked realm, their heart a stony tomb where green waters slowly pulse, instead of blood. An eerie, emerald luminescence, the quietude of forgotten things, and the mordant astringency of embittered ghosts clutching pale flowers of the dead.

[doomsday_disco]

A dear friend sent me her bottle so I could try this, and if it comes back into stock, I may have to get one of my own!

 

Lethe isn't particularly boggy or aquatic at all, so don't let the river foam note scare you away from this. The black labdanum isn't one of the sweet cola-like varieties, and it's bolder than the labdanum found in most of the Lab's blends featuring lavender and labdanum as of late. It may have a touch of something oud-like to it, without being overly funky, but maybe that's secretly a hint of the river foam lurking behind it. The lavender and asphodel cozy up to it, making a great sleep scent. The asphodel does veer somewhat into bubblegum territory on me after a few hours, but since I would get this to use as a sleep scent, I'd probably doze off long before it reached that point. And although I enjoy cypress, it is not a main player on me in this scent. One of the reasons I was curious to try this is because it shares several notes with A Conscious Slumber (Lavender buds and cypress, sepulcher lilies, a sprig of rosemary, and a bouquet of asphodel), of which I regret only buying one bottle. They are not similar despite sharing some of the same notes, but I think both are relaxing enough to lull one to sleep.

 

Of the lavender and labdanum scents that the Lab has released over the last few years, I enjoy this one the most.