Example: I went back in time in circles, almost as if going unconscious. I went back and back and then there came this awful smell such as I’ve never experienced. I always felt it was the smell of death. I would wake ternfied. One night my husband, a practical and down to eanh man, said he would read me to sleep to see if it helped me not to have the dream. It made no difference, I still had the nightmare. Imagine my surprise though. He said “I knew you’d had the dream again for there was an awful smell in the room for a minute” (Mrs E C).
A smell can remind us of a particular situation or person. Odour attracts, repels, relaxes or offends, and so depicts feeling responses and intuition, and may summarise what we feel about a person or situation. Frequently in dreams a smell expresses an intuition of something rotten in one’s life if the smell is bad—rotten might mean ‘bad’ emotions felt in a relationship, a hunch or feelings about something, as in the example; memories. Good smell: good feelings; non-verbalised intimations or love.
Also explainable by the large number of idioms regarding smell. Idioms: on the right scent; throw someone off the scent; in bad/good odour with; odour of sanctity; smell a rat; smell of greasepaint; smells fishy; something stinks to high heaven; like stink; raise a stink; what you did stinks.
See Also: nose under body.
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