TODORAC

LORE
/ˈtɔ.dɔ.rats/ noun (South Slavic)

pl. Todorci

Half human and half horse, the Todorac is a faceless rider whose torso rises from the animal’s back. Cloaked and armed with sabers and chains, they appear during Todor’s Week in late winter, their passing marked by hoofbeats and prints in the earth. In some regions, hoof‑shaped cookies are baked as offerings to protect households and livestock from their approach.

OLFACTORY FAMILY
Aromatic, Boozy, Herbal, Gourmand, Amber, Smoky

PERFUMER’S NOTES
“Todorac comes from my relationship with the Balkans, which is more of an adoptive community than something I grew up in. When I think of that region, I think of the liquor - pelinkovac, šljivovica, dunjevača, the beeswax candles in Orthodox churches, and the cigarettes that seem to hang in the air. Those scents overlap in a very organic way, and that mix is what I wanted to bring into the perfume. The base is built around immortelle from Niš. It gives the liquid its deep color and that heavy, almost textural density. On skin, it doesn’t stay quiet, it pushes forward, and it doesn’t really allow a neutral reaction. That directness is part of what defines the Balkans and Todorac.”