Antonio Mcgowan
The use of incense in the medieval period was influenced by various factors, including fragrance preferences, medicinal beliefs, and Christian liturgical practices. While incense balls, known as pomanders, were used in the medieval period, it is unclear whether they were specifically used in castles. Pomanders were balls of perfumed material or small metal cases containing fragrant substances, and they played a role in masking unpleasant urban aromas. The use of incense in Christian rituals, such as masses and prayers, contributed to its significance during the medieval period, with ingredients like frankincense, myrrh, and cinnamon holding symbolic value. Additionally, the practice of strewing herbs and plants on floors, influenced by northern European plant lore, was a common method for improving the scent of indoor environments in wealthy homes.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Use of incense in castles | Incense was used in medieval masses and the censers used to distribute the smell of incense during mass were the forebears of the pomanders used by the nobility to overcome the natural aromas of the urban areas |
| Incense ingredients | Resins, fragrant woods, spices, and other aromatic substances such as frankincense, myrrh, storax, mastic, camphor, agarwood, cloves, and cassia/cinnamon |
| Incense in medicine | Incense was used in medieval medical recipes, with the ingredients chosen for their medicinal properties |
| Trade of incense | During the medieval period, robust trade routes were established to regions that exported aromatics, exotic resins, and perfumes |
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What You'll Learn
Incense balls were used in Christian services
Incense balls, or incense grains, have been used in Christian services since the earliest centuries of the religion. The practice was inherited from Jewish tradition, which was, in turn, commanded by God in the Bible. In Exodus 30:34-38, God instructs Moses to make an "altar of incense" for worship in the Tabernacle, saying:
> "Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (of each shall there be an equal part), and make an incense blended as by the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy; and you shall beat some of it very small, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I shall meet with you; it shall be for you most holy."
Incense is thus seen as a symbol of sanctification and purification, as well as a symbol of the prayers of the faithful rising to heaven. In some traditions, the ecclesiarch (sacristan) and his assistant (paraecclesiarch) will perform the censing at specific moments of the service. The censer, also known as a thurible, is usually made of silver, brass, or gold-plated metal and consists of a bowl for charcoal and incense, a lid topped with a cross, and three outer chains (for the Holy Trinity) and a fourth inner chain (for the Oneness of God).
The use of incense in Christian services is particularly prominent in the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Church, and the Eastern Catholic Churches, where censers are used at every vespers, matins, and Divine Liturgy, as well as memorial services. In the Latin Church and its Latin liturgical rites, censers are used during important Masses, benedictions, and processions. In Anglican churches, incense is used at Solemn Mass, Missa cantata, and the offertory during Solemn Evensong. Lutheran Churches also make use of incense during the celebration of the Mass, at the entrance and gospel processions, at the offertory, and at sending.
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Incense was believed to have medicinal properties
Incense was made from resins and fragrant woods, with early medieval recipes often containing spices and other aromatic substances. Common ingredients included frankincense, myrrh, cinnamon, cloves, and cassia. These ingredients were sourced from established trade routes to regions that exported aromatics and perfumes.
The use of incense in Christian practices was inspired by passages in the Bible, with its use in prayer and worship carrying Christian symbolism. The word "thurible" comes from the Latin "thuribulum", which is derived from the root "thus", meaning incense. The use of incense in medieval times was also linked to its Christian symbolism and perceived power.
The practice of burning incense to improve the atmosphere and fragrance of homes and castles continued after the ancient world, with incense used alongside herbs and sweet-smelling plants. The use of incense and fragrances was intimately linked with the idea of the medicinal value of plants and their vapors.
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Incense ingredients were largely plant-based
The use of incense in the medieval period was largely associated with medicine and religious practices. Incense was also used to improve the atmosphere of homes, especially in castles and manor houses, where the musty odours needed to be countered.
The use of plants for fragrance extended to personal fragrance as well. The Catholic clergy discouraged the use of perfumes or scented oils, but the censers used to distribute incense during mass inspired the pomanders used by the nobility to mask the unpleasant aromas of urban areas. The pomanders were "balls" of perfumed plant material or small metal cases containing them.
The specific plants used in incense varied based on location and availability. For example, sage and cedar were used by the indigenous peoples of North America, while gorse flowers, honey, mullein, and hawthorn were used in Britain. Additionally, lavender twigs were referenced in smoke healing and food-related research.
The process of making incense involved combining fragrant materials with a combustible base that allowed the incense to burn slowly and evenly. Natural plant-based binders, such as gum arabic or gum tragacanth, were used to hold the mixture together. The incense mixture was then shaped into sticks, cones, or other forms, dried, and additional coatings could be applied.
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Incense was used to scent the homes of the wealthy
Incense was also used in medieval medical recipes, with surviving early medieval manuscripts on the topic produced in monastic writing centres. The ingredients used to produce incense were largely plant-based materials, such as resins and fragrant woods, with camphor being a common ingredient. Medieval incense recipes also often contained spices and other aromatic substances, including frankincense, myrrh, storax, mastic, agarwood, cloves, and cassia/cinnamon. These ingredients were obtained via established trade routes to regions that exported aromatics, exotic resins, and perfumes.
While incense was used in Christian worship and medicine, the Catholic clergy discouraged parishioners from using perfumes or scented oils on themselves. Instead, the wealthy used plants to scent their homes, strewing herbs and other plants on the floors of their homes to improve the atmosphere. This practice was likely informed by traditional herbal knowledge and plant lore from northern Europe, where fragrance was linked to the medicinal value of plants and their vapours. Popular fragrant plants for the home included lavender, thyme, meadowsweet, marjoram, germander, and hyssop, all of which had healing qualities associated with them. Rosewater was also popular among the nobility, with bowls of rosewater placed on dining tables for guests to wash and scent their hands after meals.
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Incense balls were also called pomanders
Incense balls, also called pomanders, were used in medieval times to ward off unpleasant smells and as protection against infections. The word "pomander" comes from the French "pomme d'ambre", meaning "apple of amber", referring to the round shape of the object and the occasional addition of ambergris, a substance from the bile duct of a sperm whale. Pomanders were also known as "amber apples", "musk balls", "perfumed apples", and "smelling apples", among other names.
Pomanders were typically made of gold or silver and hung from a chain, belt, or neck girdle. They were perforated to allow the scent to escape and sometimes contained partitions for different perfumes. The scented material inside a pomander could include a variety of ingredients, such as ambergris, musk, civet, benzoin resin, calamite, labdanum, storax balsam, cinnamon, sweet sanders, cloves, and rose water.
The use of pomanders as a form of personal fragrance was particularly important in medieval times when bathing was uncommon, and people believed they could contract diseases from washing with water. Pomanders were also used as herbal amulets, believed to protect against negative spirits, energies, harm, jealousy, envy, and the Evil Eye.
The practice of using incense and fragrant plants to improve the atmosphere and for their medicinal properties was common in medieval castles and manor houses. While the use of incense may have been influenced by its symbolic significance in Christian liturgical practices, the specific inclusion of incense in medical recipes was likely due to the perceived medicinal value of its individual ingredients.
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Frequently asked questions
Incense balls, or pomanders, are balls of perfumed material or small metal cases that contain perfumed material.
Yes, incense balls were used in medieval castles. They were used to overcome the natural aromas of the urban areas of the time.
Incense balls were made of plant-based materials, such as resins and fragrant woods, and could include spices and other aromatic substances.
Yes, incense was also used in churches during services. It was believed to ward off disease and plague. Incense was also used in medicine.
Yes, there were many different types of incense, with different recipes.
