Perfume Oils

Cryptozoology can be called both art and science. It's a calling, a dream, and a passion united with the pursuit of knowledge that there's more out there than we can ultimately understand, categorize and define. If you look up the textbook definition of Cryptozoology, you'll see it's the study of "hidden" animals; occult beasts, legendary ones deemed nonexistent by contemporary biologists - the same beasts that have ensnared the minds and imaginations of cultures and folklore throughout the world for millennia. Perhaps these apocryphal monsters that we seek wait not only in the shadows that linger just out reach of the camera's lens, but deep within the darkness our own psyches.

Where does the monster live within you?

5ml Brown Apothecary Bottle - $17.50 Pip Sampler Set - All 11 Monsters - $45 - NEW! Please indicate your desired size and fragrance from the drop down menus below then click the Add To Cart button to complete the selection.	Sizes 5ml Brown Apothecary Bottle $17.50 Pip Set of all 11 Monsters $45.00 Cryptozoology Beasties Please Choose Your Critter! Aswang Chupacabra Hibagon Ignus Fatuus Kraken Loch Ness Monster Mothman Olgoi-Khorhoi Unicorn Wendigo Werewolf

	ASWANG One of the most feared entities in the folklore of the Philippines. The Aswang is reported to appear as a vampiric female with the ability to shape shift into other animals such as pigs or birds, but most often as a dog. They are known to fly though the night skies in search of their favorite meal: disobedient children. To this day, mothers will invoke the name of the Aswang to scare their children into compliance. An apotropaic potion of botanicals legendary for their abilities to repel the dreaded Aswang: macerated coconut meat, shredded ginger root, bamboo fronds, lime leaf and a pinch of blessed salt.
	CHUPACABRA Latin America's loathsome livestock predator, El Chupacabra (literally translated - "goat sucker") is the creature blamed for the exsanguination of multiple farm animals, namely cows, sheep and, of course, goats. The Chupacabra is reported as having a reptilian appearance and with eyes that glow with such a terrifying shade of red that those unlucky enough to catch sight of the beast claimed nausea simply by looking into them. In addition to the grayish-green scales and glowing crimson eyes, the Chupacabra is said to have sharp spines that run the length of its back. A truly unsettling appearance, indeed! I wonder if their leader is named Spike... Blood red oputina, black sagebrush, chuparosa, golden copal, pinyon bark, cottonwood, devil's claw and creosote.
	HIBAGON Stalking the foothills of Mt. Hiba in Japan is the Hibagon, a gorilla like creature that is said to have a black wooly body with white hands and feet. There are many theories as to what, or whom the Hibagon may be ranging from an actual gorilla that had escaped a Japanese zoo to a mutated human being suffering the lingering horrendous effects of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Fortunately, while the Hibagon is said to smell of decay, its oily namesake does not! Rain falling softly on the bamboo that grows on Mt. Hiba, suspiciously cracked juniper branches, Eastern sandalwood, cassia, oakmoss, black musk, green tea and light tendrils of smoke from a hard wood fire burning distantly in a hidden den.
	IGNIS FATUUS A ghostly green light, or orb that hovers over marshy, swampy realms known to come out as the light of day fades. Also called will-o'-the-wisp and corpse candle (among many other names), Ignus Fatuus is renown world-wide in myths and folklore. Almost universally associated with the spirit world, some legends claim Ignis Fatuus is the mischievous spirit of a departed loved one while others affirm it is a helpful Earth elemental who guides lost travelers out of perilous bogs. Benevolent, or sinister - anyone want to volunteer to find out? Spanish moss, water lily, bulrushes, water dragon, black gum tree, pitcher plant, Lady's Slipper orchid, cypress, blue flag and swamp water.
	KRAKEN The massive sea monster, Kraken, has earned its reputation as a fearsome foe of the deep. In 1869 Jules Verne wrote about a giant squid in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and its fearsome visage has ignited imaginations ever since. Some report that the Kraken has the appearance of a gigantic octopus, others claim a it is a more squid-like beast, however, all sources can agree: the Kraken is a terrifyingly bad-ass fabled cephalopod! The black, murky waters of the deep give birth to sheer terror: sea salt, a spurt of squid ink, splinters of driftwood, tangles of kelp and loads of regret.
	LOCH NESS MONSTER Lovingly referred to as "Nessie" by the locals of Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands,this monster has vexed visitors with its elusive bobbing head and serpentine body since the creature's first reported sighting in 1933. Some speculate that Nessie is a remnant from the Jurassic age; a plesiosaurus that has lasted long past its expiration date. Others believe Nessie is nothing more than a trick of the light skipping across a twilit Loch. Either way, she's yet another reminder of the possibilities that only human desire and fantasy can envision. A bewitching bouquet of woodland magic: Purple iris growing freely long the loch's edge. Clover, cowslip, heather, red raspberry leaf and fruit. Woodland brambles, vetch, Enchanter's Nightshade, Bog Asphodel and St. John's Wort caressed by enigmatic loch mist.
	MOTHMAN The Mothman made his supernatural debut during the autumn of 1966 in Point Pleasant, West Virginia when a young couple spied a pair of glowing crimson eye-like lights that peered out of the shadows on the grounds of an abandoned World War II explosives factory. How horrified they must have been when the lights were, in fact, eyes attached to a large, dark animal-like figure that flew at them! They reportedly tried to outrun the flying creature with their car, but could not shake the Mothman - even at speeds of over 100 MPH! Additional sightings were reported for the remainder of that year and the next, appearances that seemed to be portends of pending disaster; the very last sighting was over the Silver Bridge immediately preceding the collapse that took 46 lives.  The Mothman has a reported wing span of 12 feet a height of near 7, has reflective red eyes and an apparent gift for precognition. A mesmerizing mix: cold clove and distant black pepper with a dark heart of black currant and blood orange wrapped in the night of agarwood, labdanum and vanilla absolute.
	OLGOI-KHORKOI Allegedly residing in the southernmost reaches of the Gobi desert is the Olgoi-Khorkoi, also known as the Mongolian Death Worm. It is said to have a thick red body like a cow intestine with spines extending menacingly from both ends. Reaching almost five feet in length, it is a ghastly adversary as it is known  for the ability to spew corrosive sulphuric acid over great distances, emit incapacitating electrical charges and even render death upon the slightest touch. Fortunately, according to the locals, Olgoi-Khorkoi is only active during the months of June and July. Maybe you can meet one yourself next time you visit the Gobi desert by wearing yellow; legend has it that it's its favorite color! Saxual tree accord, acacia, wormwood, a melange of spice, goyo (Olgoi-Khorkoi's favorite!) and a sprinkle of worm-summoning desert rain.
	UNICORN The product of the will of dreams and a symbol with only the best associations. The Unicorn as we know her today stems from humanity's desire for a creature to exude nothing but beauty, goodness, purity, strength and light.  Often associated with fair maidens, Mother Mary and others who possess virginal purity and fortitude of the heart. The Unicorn was first recorded by the Greeks - not as a part of their mythology, but as a fact of the natural world; they believed that the unicorn was a mysterious, elusive creature that lived in the jungles of India. Only those with the most crystalline of spirits may approach and touch this beast. I guess we'll just have to watch her from afar and marvel at the joyous splendor. Purity, strength, light: An ironwood heart beats in a body of the purest of rose, lightest of lilies, the sweetest and creamiest of vanillas, the gentlest of musks and the prayers offered by the most mysterious and alluring of sacred resins possible.
	WENDIGO Quite possibly born out of collective fears of starvation and death spawned during the darkest and cruelest of winters the manitou spirit of the Wendigo manifested itself to the Algonquian tribe. Mythologically, the Wendigo is a cannibalistic spirit and capable of the most horrific act and can influence the will of its victim through possession. The Wendigo's existence symbolizes what lies at the end of the choice a person could make when starvation is gnawing at the edges of their sanity - cannibalism or death. Some, like those in the Donner party, chose the former while the stories of the latter remain unknown. The Wendigo can never be satisfied as each meal only makes it twice  as ravenous as it was before. Brumal earth notes, firewood smoke, sacred tobacco leaf, dapples of fading light: oakmoss, clove and cedar, the last few remaining huckleberries of the season and the menacing scent of an early winter heavy in the air.
	WEREWOLF Werewolves, also known as Lycanthropes, are shape shifting, nocturnal entities. According to legend leading back into antiquity, Werewolves are born when an unsuspecting human is bitten by a werewolf. The person is then said to transform temporarily into the deadly beast when next exposed to the light of the full moon. While there are multiple ways to injure a Werewolf, most folklorists insist that it can only be killed by a silver bullet. Historically, there is not one sure-fire cure, though this is up for debate. Symbolically, the Werewolf harkens to humanity's wild side, unbridled need to act without recourse for one's actions, or an invitation to revel in one's dark id. Lunar white lupines, moonflowers, wolfs bane, silver sandalwood, tonka, choya loban and clear amber.

Illustrations and label designs by Paula Schricker, copyright Conjure Oils 2010.

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