donderdag 10 mei 2012

Atlas


The Attacus Atlas is a moth from the family of Saturniidae, all very large and spectacular moths. They can be found in the tropical and subtropical forests of Southeast Asia and the Malay Archipelago. 
The Atlas moth is a very large moth with a wingspan that can be over 25 cms (10 in). Females are larger and heavier than males. It is not known if the moth is named after the Titan Atlas from Greek mythology who supported the heavens, or after the map-like wing pattern. Personally I would think it is named after the Titan, because I find the wing pattern not very much like a map. In Hong Kong the Cantonese name of the moth translates to snake's head moth, because of the extensions of the forewings that indeed look much like the heads of snakes. 
In India the Atlas moth is cultivated for its silk, but not as commercially as the silkmoth. The silk of Atlas is brown and in broken strands which gives it a structure like wool. It is thought to have a greater durability than silkmoth silk and it is called fagara. In Taiwan the complete cocoons have been used as purses.


Atlas was one of the moths of BPAL's 2011 Metamorphosis release and by far my favorite. I have been very sorry that I did not get a bottle of it, although I have consoled myself with Oak Moon which has a few similar notes, but not the coffee Atlas has.
Mallow, oak bark, coffee bean, hinoki wood, and khus.
Khus is another name for vetiver, but in BPAL perfumes it is known as a gentler variety of vetiver. Hinoki wood is from the Chamaecyparis obtusa, a Japanese cypress species that grows very slowly and as a result has a very high quality timber which is used for temples, palaces, shrines and noh theaters. 
I know there is a coffee bean absolute (an absolute is like an essential oil, but it is produced by solvent extraction instead of steam destillation). But I don't know if there is any scented oil made from mallow or oak bark. They are however notes that are more often used in scents of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab.
The perfume Atlas is a strong, warm scent unlike any other scent I know except Oak Moon, but Oak Moon has the greenness of the tree, Atlas has the brown softness of the moth. 



Geen opmerkingen:

Een reactie posten