Myrrh
Pure myrrh:
In this Advent/Christmas season I have been considering the story of the three Magi and their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. While gold and (frank)incense are relatively easy to find, I always wondered about myrrh. I mean, where do you buy pure myrrh? My supermarket and drug store don't carry it. Nor does Walmart's. Are there any myrrh merchants (myrrhchants) in the area? I couldn't find myrrh listed in the yellow pages.
This is probably because myrrh, the fragrant dried sap of the tree commiphora myrrha, native to East Africa, is one of those things that best serves as part of another product and is widely used in perfumes, incenses, and liniments. It is also part of the Italian drink Fernet Branca, which is a aperitivo/digestivo with a bitter taste meant to clear the palate. I understand myrrh is also a mild opiate so that it is not part of the formula of the Fernet Branca sold in the U.S. Pity! In ancient times myrrh was a very prized commodity, like gold, and to a lesser degree, frankincense or incense; so it would have made a nifty gift, coming from a peripatetic Magus like Melchior.
I love the look of the word myrrh. There is something slightly silly about it too. I've tried to incorporate the spelling into other words (wyrrhds) simply because I had the yrrhge and I am a nyrrhd. Here are some of my results:
Myrrhmaid = a sea nymph who uses myrrh-containing perfumes.
Myrrhder on the Orient Express: an Agatha Christie whodunnit involving toxic amounts of myrrh.
Heart myrrhmyrrh: experienced by the Magi as they made their way palpitatingly to Bethlehem.
Myrrhger = when two resin companies myrrhge into one.
Tyrrhd = A piece of fecal matter, a son-of-a-bitch.
Other folks who wyrrh fond of myrrh:
Ethel Myrrhman, Ethel Myrrhtz in "I Love Lucy," Myrrhna Loy of the "Thin Man" series, the myrrhchant of Venice in Shakespeare's play, author Thomas Myrrhton of The Seven Storey Mountain, the great magician Myrrhlin. And here is a little smyrrhf.
In this Advent/Christmas season I have been considering the story of the three Magi and their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. While gold and (frank)incense are relatively easy to find, I always wondered about myrrh. I mean, where do you buy pure myrrh? My supermarket and drug store don't carry it. Nor does Walmart's. Are there any myrrh merchants (myrrhchants) in the area? I couldn't find myrrh listed in the yellow pages.
This is probably because myrrh, the fragrant dried sap of the tree commiphora myrrha, native to East Africa, is one of those things that best serves as part of another product and is widely used in perfumes, incenses, and liniments. It is also part of the Italian drink Fernet Branca, which is a aperitivo/digestivo with a bitter taste meant to clear the palate. I understand myrrh is also a mild opiate so that it is not part of the formula of the Fernet Branca sold in the U.S. Pity! In ancient times myrrh was a very prized commodity, like gold, and to a lesser degree, frankincense or incense; so it would have made a nifty gift, coming from a peripatetic Magus like Melchior.
I love the look of the word myrrh. There is something slightly silly about it too. I've tried to incorporate the spelling into other words (wyrrhds) simply because I had the yrrhge and I am a nyrrhd. Here are some of my results:
Myrrhmaid = a sea nymph who uses myrrh-containing perfumes.
Myrrhder on the Orient Express: an Agatha Christie whodunnit involving toxic amounts of myrrh.
Heart myrrhmyrrh: experienced by the Magi as they made their way palpitatingly to Bethlehem.
Myrrhger = when two resin companies myrrhge into one.
Tyrrhd = A piece of fecal matter, a son-of-a-bitch.
Other folks who wyrrh fond of myrrh:
Ethel Myrrhman, Ethel Myrrhtz in "I Love Lucy," Myrrhna Loy of the "Thin Man" series, the myrrhchant of Venice in Shakespeare's play, author Thomas Myrrhton of The Seven Storey Mountain, the great magician Myrrhlin. And here is a little smyrrhf.
