Where Hinzelmann had been standing stood a male child, no more than five years old. His hair was dark brown, and long. He was perfectly naked, save for a worn leather band around his neck. He was pierced with two swords, one of them going through his chest, the other entering at his shoulder, with the point coming out beneath the rib-cage. Blood flowed through the wounds without stopping and ran down the child’s body to pool and puddle on the floor. The swords looked unimaginably old.
The little boy stared up at Shadow with eyes that held only pain.
And Shadow thought to himself, of course. That’s as good a way as any other of making a tribal god. He did not have to be told. He knew.
You take a baby and you bring it up in the darkness, letting it see no one, touch no one, and you feed it well as the years pass, feed it better than any of the village’s other children, and then, five winters on, when the night is at its longest, you drag the terrified child out of its hut and into the circle of bonfires, and you pierce it with blades of iron and of bronze. Then you smoke the small body over charcoal fires until it is properly dried, and you wrap it in furs and carry it with you from encampment to encampment, deep in the Black Forest, sacrificing animals and children to it, making it the luck of the tribe. When, eventually, the thing falls apart from age, you place its fragile bones in a box, and you worship the box; until one day the bones are scattered and forgotten, and the tribes who worshipped the child-god of the box are long gone; and the child-god, the luck of the village, will be barely remembered, save as a ghost or a brownie: a kobold.
Shadow wondered which of the people who had come to northern Wisconsin 150 years ago, a woodcutter, perhaps, or a mapmaker, had crossed the Atlantic with Hinzelmann living in his head.
And then the bloody child was gone, and the blood, and there was only an old man with a fluff of white hair and a goblin smile, his sweater-sleeves still soaked from putting Shadow into the bath that had saved his life.
The luck of the tribe: black pine pitch and gouts of blood, darkness and bonfires that cast long shadows.
suntannedcactus147 –
This really brings me back to the imports store we used to have in town. It’s a warm, welcoming smell, with a hint of spice – not so much it burns, but more like a cinnamon sweet or a good cup of chai. It kinda hits acrid out of the bottle (I have the imp), but it softens into a happy haze on my skin. Think shopping for incense, or a witch’s altar scented with fragrant herbs and food offerings. I think it would wear very well on many different skin types and for many genders!
gaia.earth24 –
Okay I have to leave another review because I have been wearing this nonstop for almost a week. It’s been less than a year since I bought this scent and it hasn’t changed much but I definitely can smell the lavender now. I don’t know why I associate this smell with curry and I feel like it’s not the best term to describe this scent but it is tantalizing. Any time I want something a little spicy and warm I reach for this scent. I forgot I had it for a while and almost got rid of it after my first review but this past week I have been wearing it nonstop. My partner loves it on me. I love it on me. It’s complex and I can’t stop sniffing my wrists. It still doesn’t last super long which is disappointing but it’s not going to stop me from wearing it and maybe buying a bigger bottle in the future.
gaia.earth24 –
The first I tried this I was disappointed. Out of the bottle it smell like curry and soap. On my skin is calms down to incense, smoke, booze, and (still) curry. I don’t really get the lavender. After a day or two I tried it again and once the curry smell fades it is a delicious warm and spicy scent that is a little addicting. Hopefully it’ll just get better as it ages. The scent barely lasted two hours on me so this is a “keep it in your purse” kinda perfume. Would definitely wear to a speakeasy.
Amanda –
Yuuuumy. It’s deliciously dark with just tiny wisps of the lavender in it. It works perfectly for my husband, but can easily be gender neutral because I think there’s enough sweetness under the dark to really make it interesting. It’s strong on him and I hope that means it’ll last all day. Viscompte de valoir was good on him too, but didn’t last very long
movie maven –
Love Nag-Champa incense and also sandalwood & bits of lavender so on my first purchase i choose to try an imp, years ago. Only problem was my husband thought it to masculine on me, though he too enjoys the incense…? Odd. However, it’s still a secret indulgence & pleasure of mine.
sglonder –
Probably my favorite from my recent order – the scents all really come together into something hippie-ish and enchanting – deep, but soft – the other reviews are spot on. plus, it’s one of the few that really lasts on me.
jtilley –
Incredibly pungent and mysterious….the nag champa and sandalwood are earthy and dominant but the lavender is present and softens the nose… My wife loves it on me…. Smoky and rich….
alina.m.hensley –
I absolutely agree with the above statement that Gaueko is a sleeper. No one knows about it. I discovered it on accident while playing in a box of my friend’s imps, and instantly knew I’d found “the one”. Everyone who smells this on me loves it. They never think it’s perfume, really, they just think I smell like that. A friend of mine describes it as warm and spicy, like Stevie Nicks’ tour bus. The Nag Champa, Sandalwood, and Patchouli in it really resonate (hahaha, resin-ate, get it,) they hum! But they are really softened and rounded out by the Lavender and Labdanum. It’s a very full, very warm “hippie” smell, flawlessly executed, and I’m about to buy my sixth bottle.
lookingglass –
I’ve always thought of Gaueko as a sleeper. Of all of the hundreds of BPALs my partner has tried, this one one of his first, and sill a favorite, over 10 years later. The lavender is very dominant over the bottle, but quickly settles into a complex fresh yet creamy blend with the incense and resins. It ends up being fresh, but smoldering and so sexy.