BLOOD BROTHERHOOD

special alliance or tie that binds persons together in a fashion analogous to, but distinct from, kinship ties. The relationship derives its name from the ritual commingling of the blood of the participants. The nature of the alliance thus formed typically enjoins the members to mutual support, loyalty, or affection. When practiced between groups, blood brotherhood most frequently serves to bind together potentially hostile groups, to form an alliance in war, or to conclude a peace. References to blood brotherhood occur in the works of many classical writers, beginning with Herodotus (5th century BC). Other accounts of blood brotherhood occur in myths and sagas from central Europe, Scandinavia, and Asia. In recent times, the custom has appeared and been described most frequently in Africa and, rarely, among North American Indians.