CATOBLEPAS

LORE
/kəˈtɒblɪpəs/ noun (Ancient Greek)

origin: Greek katablepō (“to look downward”)

In ancient accounts from Aethiopia, the catoblepas is described as a heavy‑headed beast that can only face the ground. Classical writers claimed its gaze, or in some versions its breath, could kill, and that it fed on poisonous plants. Often likened to a buffalo or boar‑like creature, it is depicted as slow and sullen, with bloodshot eyes and a mane that falls across its face. Its danger lies not in pursuit but in the fatal meeting of its eyes.

OLFACTORY FAMILY
Amber, Spicy, Aromatic, Green, Rose, Gourmand

PERFUMER’S NOTES
“Catoblepas is the enigma of my opening collection. The others are built on clear classical structures, but this one struggled to fall into place, and so I leaned into that instead. Like the story, I played with the idea of removing visual cues and the placebo of suggestion, letting the mind wander without anything obvious to hold onto. When you take away the usual markers, you end up navigating it differently, almost by instinct. It’s intentionally offbeat, peculiar, and hard to read. It’s built from spices and resins common to the region, with a heavy dose of myrrh that gives it a metallic, almost bloodlike edge cutting through the heaviness. It isn’t meant to resolve or behave neatly, and that curiosity is part of the intrigue.”