Frankincense was a natural plant resin extracted from the frankincense tree.[1]
Description[]
Frankincense was an aromatic resin, similar to myrrh, dragons' blood, and cassia with a color ranging from white to golden.[1][3]
Availability[]
Frankincense trees were actually a group of closely-related trees found in the Sword of Anauroch, and harvested by the Bedine. The resin was acquired by chipping away the bark with a wide, flat chisel to clear a hand-sized patch, causing the tree's white sap to weep from the wound. After three weeks the sap would have hardened into the resin and could then be harvested. This first scraping was actually worthless, with a second preparation after several more weeks yielding low-quality frankincense, and a third scraping producing the prized high-quality resin.[1]
A raw fist-sized lump of frankincense was worth about 1 gp to the Bedine, but after being exported to other lands the price increased precipitously. It was generally one-third the price of myrrh and five times as popular.[1] The Bedine usually traded plant resins such as myrrh, frankincense, dragons' blood, and cassia to the D'tarig and other outsiders in exchange for metals they couldn't obtain otherwise. The D'tarig were their most common trade partner and also harvested frankincense and other resins themselves, typically selling it on to Zhentarim merchants who then exported it to the rest of the Realms.[4][5][6]
Frankincense was harvested in the Pearl Cities of Zakhara, with much of it exported from Ajayib and Gana.[7][8] The desert north of Ajayib was dotted with the trees and regularly harvested,[9] while the Realm of Bleeding Trees west of Gana had great amounts of the trees harvested by nomads and opportunistic pearl-divers.[10] A rare variety of trees with red sap grew in a genie-controlled grove in Ubar of the Haunted Lands.[11]
Qudra handled much of Zakhara's exports of frankincense to southern Faerûn, along with other luxuries such as indigo, spices, and coffee.[12]
Usage[]
Frankincense was popularly used by the Bedine as a perfume, and was used to give entire tents a sweet scent for festivities by casting a few grains of powder onto a flame.[4] "Second scraping" low-quality resin was usually used for their common, everyday purposes.[1]
High-quality frankincense was commonly used in the wider Realms to make various scented items including perfumes, incenses, lamp oils, beeswax,[13][14] and candles.[15] It was also used to make incense for religious rituals, and everything from the most common to most expensive cosmetics.
Medically, it was used to treat gout, mental confusion, sight problems, and skin problems. White frankincense, called shihri, was also used by the Bedine as well as people in Unther, Mulhorand, Tharsult, Raurin, Thay, and Calimshan as a chewing gum to promote the health of teeth and gums (the efficacy of frankincense in these treatments was uncertain).[1]
Frankincense and myrrh were commonly used in the mummification process.[16]
Appendix[]
Appearances[]
Adventures
Novels & Short Stories
External Links[]
Frankincense article at Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Ed Greenwood (November 1991). Anauroch. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 42–43. ISBN 1-56076-126-1.
- ↑ Jeff Grubb, Julia Martin, Steven E. Schend et al (1992). Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue. (TSR, Inc), p. 38. ISBN 0-5607-6327-2.
- ↑ Jeff Grubb (August 1992). Land of Fate (Adventurer's Guide to Zakhara). (TSR, Inc), p. 5. ISBN 978-1560763291.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Ed Greenwood (November 1991). Anauroch. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 19. ISBN 1-56076-126-1.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (November 1991). Anauroch. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 31. ISBN 1-56076-126-1.
- ↑ Troy Denning (July 1991). The Parched Sea. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 3, p. ?. ISBN 1-56076-067-2.
- ↑ David Cook (October 1992). “Map Booklet”. In Bill Slavicsek ed. Golden Voyages (TSR, Inc.). ISBN 978-1560763314.
- ↑ David Cook (October 1992). “Home Port: Wherein the Tale Begins”. In Bill Slavicsek ed. Golden Voyages (TSR, Inc.), p. 32. ISBN 978-1560763314.
- ↑ Jeff Grubb (August 1992). Land of Fate (Adventurer's Guide to Zakhara). (TSR, Inc), p. 86. ISBN 978-1560763291.
- ↑ Jeff Grubb (August 1992). Land of Fate (Adventurer's Guide to Zakhara). (TSR, Inc), p. 88. ISBN 978-1560763291.
- ↑ Wolfgang Baur (November 1993). Secrets of the Lamp. Genie Lore. (TSR, Inc.), p. 36. ISBN 978-1560766476.
- ↑ Nicky Rea (1994). Corsairs of the Great Sea (Campaign Guide). (TSR, Inc), pp. 22, 23. ISBN 978-1560768678.
- ↑ David Howery (September 1988). “Treasures of the Wilds”. In Roger E. Moore ed. Dragon #137 (TSR, Inc.), p. 22.
- ↑ Jeff Grubb, Julia Martin, Steven E. Schend et al (1992). Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue. (TSR, Inc), pp. 106, 107. ISBN 0-5607-6327-2.
- ↑ Gregg Chamberlain (March 1992). “Magic by Candlelight”. In Roger E. Moore ed. Dragon #179 (TSR, Inc.), p. 19.
- ↑ Terry Edwards (October 2002). “The Ecology of...: Shrouded in Death”. In Jesse Decker ed. Dragon #300 (Paizo Publishing, LLC), p. 78.