The Smell of Fear
Originally published at kelliowen.com. Please leave any comments there.
Fear is the mother of morality.
~ Friedrich Nietzsche
After posting Tuesday’s blog, regarding the pissy smelling tunnel of my childhood, my mom emailed an interesting thought. I responded. Then I thanked her for giving us this week’s Gypsy Question Thursday blog. Grab your coffee and a healthy dose of fear… here we go.
Many monsters, in films and novels, have used the line, “I can smell your fear.” Generally they’re speaking about your personal smell. Rather than a come-hither pheromone or expensive perfume, they smell your endorphins, adrenaline, etc. But this is not your body and its ability to chameleon its scent. This about your fears themselves-the objects, the places, the situations.
First, think of the thing(s) you are afraid of. Now then, does it have a natural smell? Elevator grease? The heavy metallic smell of blood? Secondly, there’s the reverse, which may be easier for some to do. What smells induce raw emotional terror in you? Medical or general purpose sterilizing chemicals? The aroma of electricity? The stench of disease? What do your fears smell like?
I give you two options, let you attack this thought from both sides, because in trying to answer it myself after talking to mom, I realized woodticks have no aroma, and the smell of the woods doesn’t make me automatically fear their presence. But conversely, I remember driving down the road once and suddenly smelling that sickly sweet scent of doom the engine gives off right before it overheats. I remember watching the gauge and slowing down, for fear of crashing at high speeds. See… I don’t necessarily have a fear of accidents that I would list or note or even think of when asked my fears, but that smell induced it quick enough.
Now then, your fears…?