This is my very first review (and my very first post to the forums at all, for that matter). I don't normally post a whole lot anywhere, but I had to join in reviewing this since I've been waiting for its release for more than a year now.
In the bottle: To be honest, the first time I sniffed the opened bottle I got a generic "perfume" scent. There are so many different notes in this I wasn't able to distinguish any of them. Upon subsequent sniffings, the generic impression of "perfume" resolved itself into being mostly musky and herbal.
On, freshly applied: There's a sharp, almost biting fresh green note, and beneath that, a blend of softer herbal notes blended with a skin musk and a hint of woodiness (the elm bark, I'm guessing). Every now and then, a hint of sweetness peeks out which is probably the chamomile. (And maybe the amaranth, but I can't say because I have no idea what that smells like.) It's very masculine, yet nothing that a (strong) woman couldn't wear.
On, dry: This is an incredibly rich, complex scent, and it seems to morph as I wear it; sometimes the sweetness seems to predominate, sometimes the musk, and sometimes the green herbal notes. After wearing it a while, it mellows and becomes somewhat powdery; instead of smelling freshly cut herbs, I now smell dried herbs. The musk and woody notes seem to linger the longest, on me.
I really love this, and it does remind me of Odin, even though it's not exactly the way I would have designed the oil myself. I would have included all the Nine Herbs, but instead of the amaranth I would have used a base of mead with a tinge of blood (which BPAL somehow manages to simulate remarkably in a few blends I've tried). I might have also substitued yew or ash bark for the elm, and perhaps ambergris for the "warrior's musk." (Although the "warrior's musk" is nice, too, whatever type of musk it actually is.) Then again, I'm not a perfumer, so who knows whether my own creation would have smelled as good?
