Apatouros

In Greek vase paintings depicting the Gigantomakhia, Aphrodite is sometimes depicted driving the chariot of Ares into battle.Strabo, Geography 11. 2. 10 (trans. Jones) (Greek geographer C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) : "In Phanagoreia [in Mysia] there is a notable temple of Aphrodite Apatouros (Deceiver). Critics derive the etymology of the epithet of the goddess by adducing a certain myth, according to which the Gigantes attacked the goddess there; but she called upon Herakles for help and hid him in a cave, and then, admitting the Gigantes one by one, gave them over to Herakles to be murdered through ‘treachery’ (apate)."

In 2011 Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab had a Lupercalia theme "Ode to Aphrodite". Apatouros was the name of one of the scents in that theme and I now understand that the names must all have been names under which Aphrodite is also known. I did not buy new releases at the time, this scent was sent to me by a very kind and generous woman from the Dutch Lush forum which has a BPAL thread. She sent me some scents for my son to try and some for me too. Apatourus happens to be one I like a lot. BPAL gives her the title Deceptive One.

Black fig, green tea, opoponax, ciste absolute, myrrh, carnation, nutmeg, and Brazilian vetiver.

And deceptive she is, for I do not smell nutmeg or myrrh or vetiver which I would expect to easily pick out as they are all strong scents. I get mostly green tea and ciste, I am not sure about the opoponax, I must sniff my opoponax oil again to remember its smell better. I don't know what black fig smells like, so I don't know if I smell that. I don't really smell carnation, but I do smell something floral that is not ciste. However, no matter what I do or don't smell, the Deceptive One has a very nice scent that I am sure I shall not hand over to my son. (He is already getting Odin, which is perhaps an even nicer scent, but at least in name more masculine.)