Holly King v6

[The_Witching_Hour]

WOW. This truly is the King of "winter"! From first sniff, I'd have to say this is Skadi's BIG brother. Deeper, stronger, more robust.

 

I didn't know Holly King had a story behind it and was surprised when I found it to be a speculated archetype of English folklore. Robert Graves proposed in "The White Goddess" that two mythical creatures, the Holly King and the Oak King, representing two halves of the year, perpetually strive for superiority, the Holly King triumphing over the Oak King at midwinter and the Oak King triumphing in turn at midsummer.

 

These pairs are seen as the dual aspects of the male Earth deity, one strong in the summer and one strong in the winter. Given in similar interpretations in Wiccan seasonal rituals, the Holly King is represented by holly and evergreens, and personifies the dark half of the Wiccan Wheel of the Year. He is also seen by some Neopagans as the early inspiration for the Santa Claus legend.

 

These are big shoes to fill (obviously) and I believe Beth did a wonderful job in her interpretation of Holly King! At first, this is like breathing in an icicle. It's cold, snowy but not slushy (this is colder than slush). It's more like a silent forest on a calm night, after fresh snow has fallen and settled for hours. It's full of evergreen, holly berries, spice (maybe some cranberry, too) and most surprisingly....warmth underneath.

 

It's clean, crisp and beautifully choreographed. I was surprised with how "clean" this one wore after 6-8 hours, especially with the bold and effervescent start. Once I read the mythology behind Holly King, it made so much sense, though – since he is succeeded by Oak King in the summer (spring would be a clean ending, right?).

 

Fabulous concept! I hope to see these come to life one day.

 

[zankoku_zen]

Definitely agree that this is Skadi's big brother. This one is a strong, masculine fir/pine note with just a bare hint of snow and perhaps a slight, ever so slight, berry/mistletoe note to it. It smells green, tree-like and winter.

 

Clean, crisp, and very much the counterpart to the Oak King. I can definitely see Oak King and Holly King being released as a pair though, and I hope they are released.

[Dark Alice]

Wet: Fir and pine are all that I get from this.

 

Drydown: It actually smells more like fresh cut pine wood....and fresh cut fir wood from either a sapling branch or freshly cut from the heart of the wood.

 

Completely dry: This smells like a fresh holly berry tree. I can smell a subtle snow note, a hint of holly berry, and the pine and fir lightly wafting in the background. It is quite lovely and if it were ever released as a holiday scent...I would have to say I would buy it.

[hlinspjalda]

In the vial: Tannic, possibly evergreen, and something that's almost patchouli-like.

 

Wet: Evergreen, tannin, and something berrylike. I keep going back to see if I can identify the berry, but so far I can't. It's juicy and tart, but bitter, not sweet.

 

One hour: Still that tart bitter berry note and evergreen. I don't know if this is actually composed of holly or not, but it certainly smells like the idea of holly to me. And there's an overtone of something edible, too, like hot flavored tea at Christmas. Not citrus, but more like fruit, maybe cranberry.

 

Two hours: Still tannic evergreen and berry. I like it, and it's very evocative, but I think I will be able to part with half of it.

 

Three hours: Still much the same, but it's trending toward a commercial scent of some type, like maybe a candle or incense or potpourri.

 

Four hours: Fainter now, less commercial smelling, and very pleasantly balanced although rather subdued. I get something like balsam now, too.

[Gin]

I hadn't even heard of Holly King 'til it came my way via the Champagne Sniffie circle. Frankly, it didn't smell very good in the vial or at first on my skin. It smelled like trees and animals and just not good. Dry, though? It's beautiful. Still tree-ish, I guess, but also spicy and masculine. It reminds me of Pumpkin King--like they share a similar base.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: Mmmm… holly wood and fir. It’s very December and pleasingly so. Wet: The holly is stronger and now is smells like old polished pine as well. There may be a hint of holly berries. This is really gorgeous as it warms. Dry: Holly wood fading down to almost nothing.

[papermaker]

i decided to wear Holly King since today is his day to be the conquerer. In the bottle it is very woody and maybe pine or fir. Once wet on my skin, it is very wintery. I smell cool winter crisp air, fir trees, and as it warms more, holly berry. As it dries, it becomes a warm wood scent, with holly berry scent. I rather enjoy this, and would love to see it released.

[cuervosueno]

This is very sharp evergreen, like holly! It is so green to be almost menthol-like, not that it smells like it so much as it has the pungency. It is sharp! And yet, there is a flash of full fruity redness, too, like the holly berry (Very sharp--I accidently got some on my lip while sniffing my arm when the perfume was wet and it burns!) It's a very masculine winter greenery note, and strong and bold.

 

Captures the Holly King perfectly!