Male not related by birth who has sworn loyalty
The Norwegian warrior
Orvar-Oddr
bids a last farewell to his blood brother, the Swedish warrior
Hjalmar
, by
Marten Eskil Winge
(1866).
Blood brother
can refer to two or more people not related by
birth
who have sworn loyalty to each other. This is in modern times usually done in a ceremony, known as a
blood oath
, where each person makes a small cut, usually on a finger, hand or the
forearm
, and then the two cuts are pressed together and bound, the idea being that each person's blood now flows in the other participant's
veins
.
[a]
The act carries a risk due to
blood-borne diseases
. The process usually provides a participant with a heightened symbolic sense of attachment with the other participant.
Cultures
[
edit
]
Germanic
[
edit
]
The
Norsemen
entering the pact of foster brotherhood (
Icelandic
:
Fostbræðralag
) involved a rite in which they let their blood flow while they ducked underneath an arch formed by a strip of turf propped up by a spear or spears. An example is described in
Gisla saga
.
[1]
[2]
In
Fostbræðra saga
, the bond of Thorgeir Havarsson (Þorgeir Havarsson) and Thormod Bersason (Þormoð Bersason) is sealed by such ritual as well, the ritual being called a
leikr
.
[3]
Orvar-Oddr
's saga
contains another notable account of blood brotherhood. Orvar-Oddr, after fighting the renowned Swedish warrior
Hjalmar
to a draw, entered a foster brotherhood with him by the turf-raising ritual. Afterwards, the strand of turf was put back during oaths and incantations.
[
citation needed
]
In the mythology of
Northern Europe
,
Gunther
and
Hogni
became the blood brothers of
Sigurd
when he married their sister
Gudrun
. In
Wagner
's opera
Gotterdammerung
, the concluding part of his
Ring Cycle
, the same occurs between Gunther and Wagner's version of Sigurd,
Siegfried
, which is marked by the "Blood Brotherhood
Leitmotiv
". Additionally, it is briefly stated in
Lokasenna
that
Odin
and
Loki
are blood brothers.
Scythia
[
edit
]
Among the
Scythians
, the covenantors would allow their blood to drip into a cup; the blood was subsequently mixed with wine and drunk by both participants. Every man was limited to having three blood brotherhoods at any time lest his loyalties be distrusted. As a consequence, blood brotherhood was highly sought after and often preceded by a lengthy period of affiliation and friendship (
Lucian
,
Toxaris
). The
4th-century BC depictions of two Scythian warriors drinking from a single
drinking horn
(most notably in a gold applique from
Kul-Oba
) have been associated with the Scythian oath of blood brotherhood.
[4]
The Hungarian
hajduks
had a similar ceremony, but the wine was often replaced with milk so that the blood would be more visible.
[
citation needed
]
East Asia
[
edit
]
In
Asian cultures
, the act and the ceremony of becoming blood brothers is generally seen as a
tribal
relationship for bringing about alliance between tribes. It was practiced for that reason most notably by the
Mongols
,
Turkic
and
early Chinese
.
[
citation needed
]
In
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
, the Chinese classical literature, the three main characters took an oath of blood brother, the
Oath of the Peach Garden
, by sacrificing a black ox and a white horse and by swearing faith.
[5]
Other blood oaths involving animal sacrifice were characteristic of rebel groups, such as the uprising led by
Deng Maoqi
in the 1440s, of criminal organizations, such as the
triads
or the pirates of
Lin Daoqian
, and other East Asians such as the
Mongols
and the
Manchu
.
[6]
Genghis Khan
had an
anda
called
Jamukha
.
[7]
The term also exist in
Old Turkic
:
ant i?mek
("to take an oath"), derived from the "ancient test by poison". The Turkic term, if it's not a loanword in
Middle Mongol
, is related to Mongol
anda
.
[8]
Philippines
[
edit
]
El Pacto de Sangre
, a romanticized painting of the
Sandugo
blood compact
ritual between the
Spanish
explorer
Miguel Lopez de Legazpi
and
Datu Sikatuna
of
Bohol
,
Philippines
; by
Juan Luna
(1886)
In the
Philippines
,
blood compacts
(
sandugo
or
sanduguan
, literally "one blood") were ancient rituals that were intended to seal a friendship or treaty or to validate an agreement. They were described in the records of the early Spanish and Portuguese explorers to the islands. The most well-known version of the ritual from the
Visayan people
involves mixing a drop of blood from both parties into a single cup of wine that is then drunk. Other versions also exist, like in
Palawan
which describes a ritual involving making a cut on the chest and then daubing the blood on the tongue and forehead.
[9]
[10]
Sub-Saharan Africa
[
edit
]
The blood oath was used in much the same fashion as has already been described in much of
Sub-Saharan Africa
. The British colonial administrator
Lord Lugard
is famous for having become blood brothers with numerous African chiefs as part of his political policy in Africa. A powerful blood brother was the
Kikuyu
chieftain
Waiyaki Wa Hinga
.
David Livingstone
wrote of a similar practice called 'Kasendi'.
[11]
Southeastern Europe
[
edit
]
Blood brothers among larger groups were common in ancient
Southeastern Europe
, where, for example, whole companies of soldiers would become one family through the ceremony. It was perhaps most prevalent in the
Balkans
during the
Ottoman era
, as it helped the oppressed people to fight the enemy more effectively. Blood brotherhoods were common in what is today
Albania
,
Bosnia and Herzegovina
,
Bulgaria
,
Croatia
,
Greece
,
Montenegro
,
Serbia
and
North Macedonia
.
Christianity
also recognized sworn brotherhood in a ceremony, which was known as
Greek
:
adelphopoiesis
,
Slavic languages
:
pobratimstvo
in the
Eastern Orthodox
Churches and as
Latin
:
ordo ad fratres faciendum
in the
Catholic
Church. The tradition of intertwining arms and drinking wine is also believed to be a representation of becoming blood brothers.
[
citation needed
]
Famous blood brothers
[
edit
]
Historical
[
edit
]
- In the 9th century AD, chiefs of the seven
Hungarian tribes
formed an alliance
drinking from each other's blood
, and chose
Almos
as leader.
[12]
- In 1066,
Robert d'Ouilly
and
Roger d'Ivry
, two Norman knights taking part in the
Norman Conquest
of England were known as blood brothers. It was said they had agreed beforehand to share profits of this adventure. Both survived the
Battle of Hastings
, were granted lands in
Oxfordshire
and elsewhere, then worked together on various projects such as
Wallingford Castle
.
- In the 12th century AD, the Mongol leaders
Yesukhei
(father of Temujin) and
Toghrul
(later ally of Temujin) were blood brothers.
- Temujin (
Genghis Khan
) and
Jamukha
were childhood friends and blood brothers, although Jamukha later betrayed Temujin. Jamukha refused reconciliation and thus was executed at orders of Temujin.
- In the 18th century AD, emissaries of British King
George III
and leaders of the
Jamaican Maroons
reportedly drank each other's blood when conducting peace treaties.
[13]
- Blood brothers in the
Serbian Revolution
(1804?17): rebel leader
Karađorđe
(1762?1817) and commander
Milutin Savi?
(1762?1842);
[14]
Karađorđe and Greek volunteer
Giorgakis Olympios
(1772?1821);
[15]
commander
Hajduk-Veljko
(1780?1813) and Giorgakis Olympios;
[16]
commanders
Stojan ?upi?
(1765?1815) and
Bakal-Milosav
;
[17]
commanders
Cincar-Janko
(1779?1833),
Milo? Pocerac
(1776?1811) and
Anta Bogi?evi?
(1758?1813).
[18]
- Blood brothers in the later
Principality of Serbia
: Prince
Milan Obrenovi?
(1854?1901) and
Milan Piro?anac
(1837?1897);
[19]
A?im ?umi?
(1836?1901) and
Kosta Proti?
(1831?1892);
[20]
đura Jak?i?
(1832?1878) and
Stevan Vladislav Ka?anski
(1829?1890).
[21]
- In the
Greek War of Independence
(1821?30), Greek
Nikolaos Kriezotis
and Montenegrin
Vaso Brajevi?
were said to be blood brothers.
- Samoan
wrestler
"High Chief" Peter Maivia
was considered a blood brother of Amituanai Anoa?i, father of fellow wrestlers
Afa
and
Sika
Anoa?i, renown as
the Wild Samoans
, who regard Peter as their uncle. Thus, from that time onwards, the
Anoa?i
family
regard the
Maivia
line as extension of their own clan.
Folklore
[
edit
]
Literature
[
edit
]
Explanatory notes
[
edit
]
- ^
The term "blood brother" may also refer to brothers
related by birth
, in that case as opposed to adoptive, step or foster brothers.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Poole, Russell
(2005),
"Claiming Kin Skaldic-Style"
,
Verbal Encounters: Anglo-Saxon and Old Norse Studies for Roberta Frank
, University of Toronto Press, p. 278,
ISBN
9780802080110
- ^
The Story of Gisli the Outlaw
. Translated by
George Webbe Dasent
. Mildmay, C. E. St. John (illustrator). Edinburgh: Edmonston and Douglas. 1866. pp.
23
?24.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: others (
link
)
- ^
Gunnell, Terry (1995),
The Origins of Drama in Scandinavia
, Boydell & Brewer Ltd, p. 27,
ISBN
9780859914581
- ^
Caspar Meyer,
Greco-Scythian Art and the Birth of Eurasia: From Classical Antiquity to Russian Modernity
, OUP (2013),
246 (fig. 98b)
"Gold relief applique showing two Scythians drinking from one drinking horn. From
Kul-Oba
(Inventory 2, K.12h). Rostoftzeff identified the scene with the Scythain sacred oath described in Herodotus 4.70. Fourth century BC. 5 × 3.7 cm, 28.35 gr."; see also
"Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine",
Scythian gold statuette depicting the ritual of brotherhood
.
- ^
Wynne, Mervyn Llewelyn (2000) [1941].
Triad Societies: Western Accounts of the History, Sociology and Linguistics of Chinese Secret Societies
. Vol. 5. Routledge. p. 19.
ISBN
9780415243971
.
- ^
Ownby, David (2016-09-16).
"Chinese Hui and the early modern social order: Evidence from eighteenth-century southeast China"
. In Ownby, David; Somers Heidhues, Mary (eds.).
Secret Societies Reconsidered: Perspectives on the social history of early modern south China and southeast Asia
. Routledge. p. 46.
ISBN
9781315288031
.
ter Haar, Barend (2016-09-16).
"Messianism and the
Heaven and Earth Society
: Approaches to
Heaven and Earth Society
texts"
. In Ownby, David; Somers Heidhues, Mary (eds.).
Secret Societies Reconsidered: Perspectives on the social history of early modern south China and southeast Asia
. Routledge. p. 155.
ISBN
9781315288031
.
- ^
"Anda | oath"
.
Encyclopedia Britannica
. Retrieved
2018-11-29
.
- ^
Peter B. Golden (2003).
Nomads and Their Neighbours in the Russian Steppe: Turks, Khazars and Qipchaqs
. Ashgate/Variorum. p. 82.
- ^
Pigafetta, Antonio (1906). "Primo Viaggio Intorno Al Mondo". In Emma Helen Blair; James Alexander Robertson (eds.).
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XXXIII, 1519-1522
. Arthur H. Clark Company.
- ^
Sandugo Festival Bohol Philippines
www.philippinecountry.com Retrieved December 2006.
- ^
Trumbull, H. Clay (1885).
The Blood Covenant
(Outlook Verlag, Frankfurt am Main, 2018 ed.). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
ISBN
9783732636679
. Retrieved
2019-10-19
.
- ^
Anonymus (c. 1200).
Gesta Hungarorum
(PDF)
.
- ^
Bilby, Kenneth (1997). "Swearing by the Past, Swearing to the Future: Sacred Oaths, Alliances, and Treaties among the Guianese and Jamaican Maroons".
Ethnohistory
.
44
(4): 655?689.
doi
:
10.2307/482884
.
ISSN
0014-1801
.
JSTOR
482884
.
- ^
Бошко Стрика (1927).
Српске задужбине Фрушкогорски манастири: Fru?kogorski manastiri
. тисак закладе тискаре "Народних новина". p. 173.
- ^
Douglas Dakin (1973).
The Greek Struggle for Independence, 1821?1833
. University of California Press. p. 36.
ISBN
978-0-520-02342-0
.
- ^
Bela K. Kiraly; Gunther Erich Rothenberg (1982).
War and Society in East Central Europe: The first Serbian uprising 1804-1813
. Brooklyn College Press. p. 382.
ISBN
978-0-930888-15-2
.
- ^
The Slavonic and East European Review
. Jonathan Cape Limited. 1928. p. 183.
- ^
The Revolt of the Serbs Against the Turks: (1804?1813)
. Cambridge University Press. 2012. p. 112.
ISBN
978-1-107-67606-0
.
- ^
Du?an Baranin (1977).
Milan Obrenovi?: kralj Srbije
. V. Karad?i?. p. 67.
- ^
Vukadin Sretenovi? (1990).
Kralj Milan
. NIGP "Glas". p. 55.
- ^
Gavrilo Kovijani? (1986).
Tragom ?itali?ta u Srbiji
. Narodna knjiga. p. 138.
- ^
Neboj?a Popov (January 2000).
The Road to War in Serbia: Trauma and Catharsis
. Central European University Press. pp. 192?.
ISBN
978-963-9116-56-6
.
- ^
Tanya Popovic (1988).
Prince Marko: The Hero of South Slavic Epics
. Syracuse University Press. pp. 26?.
ISBN
978-0-8156-2444-8
.
- ^
Anamaria Dutceac Segesten (16 September 2011).
Myth, Identity, and Conflict: A Comparative Analysis of Romanian and Serbian Textbooks
. Lexington Books. pp. 208?.
ISBN
978-0-7391-4865-5
.
- ^
Asmus Soerensen; Marija Kleut (1999).
Prilog istoriji razvoja srpskog juna?kog pesni?tva
. Zavod za ud?benike i nastavna sredstva. p. 55.
ISBN
9788617077059
.
- ^
May, Karl (1878).
Winnetou
.
ISBN
978-0874221794
.
- ^
"Blood Brothers (musical)"
,
Wikipedia
, 2022-11-02
, retrieved
2022-11-28