An interesting disussion I had on a Singapore paranormal forum, is that why do some spirits emit fragrances?

In local belief, the pontianak and jinn (djinn) are two spirits (I mean non human spirits) known to emit smells. Pontianak is a evil spirit of a woman who died during childbirth (not sure how the spirit became evil though).

Jinns are beings which live in an overlapping world. Their world overlaps ours. They have their own world, their towns, they work, they marry, they have babies and families. Their lives and societies are same as us. But the difference is that the live for thousands of years and they can see us but we can't see them. They can make contact with humans as and when they like, but for humans to initiate contact, will be thru a medium or bomoh (local version of 'shaman'). To us they look ugly, but to them, they are beautiful and we humans are ugly. They are spirits but they can materialize into solid form and that's when their powers are weakest. Jinns are also small in size, or at least they appear small, like around the size of a small cat. Jinns can emit both fragrances and foul odours, and can be both good and evil.

I've smelled sudden fragrances in the forest before, while having a midnight investigation of a supposedly haunted and abandoned heritage site.

Human spirits can also emit fragrances, but why? What do you think?

I'm a bit undecided on the subject of odours.

Maybe it's one thing that a spirit or entity might be able to do to get our attention or alert us to their presence - maybe they can modify molecules around us to form particular scents indicative of themselves - like perfume or after-shave, or tobacco, if they were a smoker, for example.

But possibly they are unaware that they are doing this - living human beings put on aftershave or perfume deliberately, but tend to forget about it during the course of the day. Another person on the bus might notice your scent, but you are oblivious to it...

Who knows?

I have heard that some smells produced by possible paranormal causes are particularly vile - like unwashed bodies or sick etc. Why on earth would someone want to produce those odours...? Unless of course it's part of the 'stone tape recorder' theory - these are residual 'recorded' smells. I'm not sure how that would work though.

I think that spirits emit certain scents because it has something to do with the other plane of existance they're living in.

Many witnesses have noted a sweet smell during benevolent hauntings, I think this is because the place they live in is a calm place. Maybe that scent gives us an idea of what it's like where the are?

Stone tape recorder?

Yeah. The theory that materials in a location absorb the emotion/trauma/events that occur there & later on project them back out to whomever is passing.

Ohhh.... thanks for clearing that up!

Assuming hauntings are something other than imagination, smells are an odd aspect aren't they? I guess visual or aural is just taken for granted as being usual for hauntings, but I suppose any one of the senses is fair game.

Good point. Although one interesting thing is i've never heard of witnesses reporting any out of the ordinary tastes associated with hauntings

Well if you're smelling rotten eggs or sulfer those are linked with taste so you'd kind of taste that.

Does that make any sense?

Like if a smell is so strong you taste it?

Yeah I suppose so. Like say, when you breathe with your mouth, you can kind of taste it.

Good point I hadn't thought of that

I believe it is their way of getting our attention, and making themselves known. Perhaps they are unable to manifest themselves in any other way, so send us a scent in order to trigger our minds. For example, my friend who died a day before Thanksgiving in 2005, was constantly painting, changing furniture and decorating her place, which is downstairs from me. The night before Thanksgiving of 2006 my son and I were getting ready to head out to dinner, when all the sudden I got a very strong odor of "paint" fumes. I walked around trying to see if a paint can had opened somewhere or where it was coming from, but found nothing. My son said the scent was around ME nowhere else. Still wondering why, I then realized it was the anniversary and time of her death. So, that is one of many I have endured due to relating it to "someone." JN

That would be weird. "Oh my GOD NO, the Sushi ghost! Ahhhhhh!

OMG NO!!~!!!!!

My close family is the only one that knows about this. As a few of you know my mom was killed in a house fire in 2003. Ever since then, around the date of her death and her birthday, we will smell random burning wood in our house. It can be strong enough to make you go looking to see if there is a fire. It used to really upset me but now I just shrug it off.

An encounter my friend had few days ago. She was going home on night after watching a ghost horror movie. She entered the lift and as the lift doors were closing halfway, suddenly it opened and there was no one around. Then she pressed 'door close' and the door closed as normal. As she walked to her flat, suddenly there was this strong fragrance, but the neighbours do not have any flowers.

AWWW Jules I am so sorry for your loss. But I find those sort of things a comfort, in the sense I truly believe they are close by us at the time. In my opinion it is not coming from our subconscious because due to other scents I have picked up for others, is the only reason I feel that way...JN-

This is a long story, but I will condense it. Few years back my entire kitchen smelled like something died, so I assumed maybe a mouse in the walls? I cleaned, sprayed and did everything to no avail. I even went out and bought a new refrigerator thinking it was Freon leaking etc. This went on for 2 weeks, horrible odor continued as did knocking on my fire escape door. Even when I opened it, it was snowing and no foot prints. Came home from work one day and my entire place smelled like roses and carnations, and I knew someone had passed on, somewhere. I laid down to take a power nap, had a dream my aunt died, and it was SO real. I woke shaking, so called her. Her niece answered the phone and said she had passed two weeks ago. I was heartbroken cause I really loved her. Then the scents stopped as did the knocking. I felt she was was trying to tell me she passed, so scents can be very distinct and indicative of death..JN

Thanks for that. WHile i wil always miss her I am okay with her death finally. I know where she is. Like I said at first it really bothered me because it reminded me of the way she went, but after a couple of years I became okay with it and I would think of her fondly instead of the bad thing that happened.

SOrry about your aunt. It is really hard when we lose someone we care for.

I had to cope with the way my Mother passed too. I was hurt, and angry and out of 4 kids, she knew everyone but me, yet we were the closest, then again she was toxic. She is in a better place, no more struggling. She once told me the reason she lived with my step father is because "she didnt want to die alone." Guess what, it was middle of the night, and she did die alone. I also think of the good times and we had many, and she was a wonderful Mother up until I was 13. But, I realize now, she did what she had to do, or what she felt she needed to do in order to numb the pain of the death of my brother. I am ok with it too, but when I visit her grave, beside my brother's I totally fall apart, they were my family! My aunt and I were very very close, esp after my Mom passed. I used to send HER Mother's Day cards, cause she was like a mother to me. She had a rough life, she lost her husband at the age of 39 due to burst appendix, and her son at 21 from motorcycle accident, but she went on, and she was my hero, very strong, and pretty stubborn LOL..But we all die, its part of the circle of life, but it is very difficult for the ones left behind...((Jules))