A mythological figure whose image has been significantly influenced by a single representation - and not necessarily in a favorable way - is that of the Valkyrie. Thanks to Richard Wagner's interpretation - and especially due to his famous Ride of the Valkyries (unforgettable in Francis Ford Coppola's anti-war film 'Apocalypse Now', where the napalm bombing of Vietnam is 'accompanied' by this Valkyrie ride) - the Valkyrie is portrayed as powerful, thunderous, and fearsome. One thinks of gigantic, blonde women with braided hair and horned helmets, wearing iron breastplates, who respond to such lyrical names as Helmwige or Schwertleite. If I were to assign a fragrance to this Wagnerian Valkyrie, it would have to be something like Black Afgano, Youth Dew, or Alien, enduring and brutal like a war galley.
In fact, the Valkyries in Norse mythology were female spirit beings in Odin's retinue, who selected the bravest and most honorable of the fallen warriors - called 'Einherjer' - from the battlefield, lifted them up, and guided them to Valhalla. The Vikings believed that the Northern Lights were the reflection of the moon on the armor of the shield maidens riding through Midgard. These Valkyries were ethereal and cool beings in pale or bluish garments and rode on white battle horses. They were often depicted with winged helmets - and not horned ones, as Wagner did. A fragrance that matches such a ghostly apparition should be as ethereal and cool as they are - but not fresh or cheerful - something like Atkinsons' Mint & Tonic would suit this Valkyrie.
Remarkable - though not intrusive - is the top note. Only a few cool top notes manage to do without a pointed citrus component (no matter what grapefruit, lime, and mandarin may claim - they are all there, but they do not define the fragrance) while simultaneously not being metallic. Mint & Tonic is reserved and balanced from the very beginning - those expecting a party-ready cocktail or long drink scent may find this disappointing. I also perceive a muted medicinal accord (the fine sharpness of ginger) - also only moderately pronounced - and finally a diffuse yet comforting warmth - like the warm breath of the winged Valkyrie as she gently lifts the Einherjer from the battlefield and carries him on the back of her white horse onward to Valhalla.
Conclusion: one of the Valkyries mentioned in the Poetic Edda Grímnismál is Reginleifr. The Pre-Raphaelite Edward Robert Hughes painted her ethereally beautiful in his 'Night Watch of the Valkyrie', as she sits on a wall holding the winged helmet in her arm - and subtly and quietly smells of Atkinsons' Mint & Tonic.
