Frankincense was a fancy incense-like substance, burned for the scent. Myhrr was used in fucking EMBALMING. They were both fucking weird ass presents to give a baby, but they were also expensive and generally hard to acquire.
Myhrr was also used in incense, balms, etc. They were great gifts for anyone for the reasons you listed, especially during a time when people of that nationality had been ordered to travel possibly great distances and you believed the people you were giving the gifts to would be fugitives.
Frankincense and myrrh are incenses you would burn in your house if you want to pollute your air with micro-particles and make your house smell like a middle-eastern souk.
The only thing you want from the Three Kings story is the gold. Trust me on that one.
Interestingly, the gospels don’t actually mention the number of magi that visited Jesus’ birth.
But which is technialm more valuable?
I only answered your question about what they are 🙂 I have no idea how much they’re worth. Probably too much if you don’t live in the middle-east, as you’d have to import that stuff I guess.
For the record, you can get myrrh resin for like 20-30 bucks a 4oz sack on Amazon.
A one pound sack of frankincense goes for about 20.
What was more valuable in the first century is anyone’s guess.
