gwynhefar: (BPAL)
gwynhefar ([personal profile] gwynhefar) wrote2009-12-03 08:30 am
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Nes Gadol Haya Sham: Nun, the Snake: nuun, nothing. Naḥš, in modern Arabic, means bad luck. Represented by scents of loss and remembrance: opoponax and lemon verbena.

Gimel, the Camel: the Ship of the Desert. Represented by scents of abundance, fortitude, and determination: patchouli, heliotrope, pomegranate, and almond.

He, the Window: sometimes used to represent the Unutterable Name of God, this is the window in our souls through which God's light touches us. Represented by scents of clarity and piety: frankincense, myrtle, and hyssop.

Shin, the Tooth: also stands for Shaddai, one of the names of God. The hand formed into shin acts as a priestly blessing. Represented by scents of strength, generosity, kindness, and benediction: carnation, myrrh, red poppy, and hibiscus.

The essences of Nun, Gimel, He, and Shin are blended to become Nes Gadol Haya Sham.




In Bottle: Wow. A very complex scent. I can smell the patchouli, opoponax, frankincense, and lemon verbena, along with some other herb-y scents I can't place.



On me: Ok, the lemon verbena is stronger on me, and I can smell the patchouli and myrrh and maybe a hint of almond. It's a lovely scent, even if I can't parse out all the components.

[identity profile] 6-bleen-7.livejournal.com 2009-12-03 03:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Those are the four letter on the dreidel, aren't they?

[identity profile] gwynraven.livejournal.com 2009-12-03 03:05 pm (UTC)(link)
I believe so. I'm not really up on my Hebrew I'm afraid :)

[identity profile] 6-bleen-7.livejournal.com 2009-12-03 03:25 pm (UTC)(link)
I looked it up just now—"Nes Gayol Haya Sham" means "A great miracle happened there", which is the standard explanation for the letters on the dreidel. (In Israel, the shin is usually replaced with pe, changing the meaning to "A great miracle happened here.")