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{{Short description|Male not related by birth who has sworn loyalty}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Other uses}}
{{redirect|Sworn brother}}
{{redirect|Sworn brother}}
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{{More citations needed|date=August 2015}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2015}}
[[File:Hjalmars avsked av Orvar Odd efter striden på Samsö.jpg|right|300px|thumb|The Norwegian warrior [[Örvar-Oddr]] bids a last farewell to his blood brother, the Swedish warrior [[Hjalmar]], by [[Mårten Eskil Winge]] (1866).]]
[[File:Hjalmars avsked av Orvar Odd efter striden på Samsö.jpg|right|300px|thumb|The Norwegian warrior [[Örvar-Oddr]] bids a last farewell to his blood brother, the Swedish warrior [[Hjalmar]], by [[Mårten Eskil Winge]] (1866).]]
'''Blood brother''' can refer to one of two things: a male [[Kinship|related by birth]], or two or more men 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]]. The act carries a risk due to [[blood-borne disease]]s. The process usually provides a participant with a heightened symbolic sense of attachment with the other participant.


'''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]].{{Efn|The term "blood brother" may also refer to brothers [[Kinship|related by birth]], in that case as opposed to adoptive, step or foster brothers.}}
==Cultures==


The act carries a risk due to [[blood-borne disease]]s. The process usually provides a participant with a heightened symbolic sense of attachment with the other participant.
===Scandinavia===


==Cultures==
The Norsemen entering into the pact of foster brotherhood ({{lang-is|[[:is:Fóstbræðralag|Fóstbræðralag]]}}) involved a rite whereby 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 ''[[Gísla saga]]''.<ref>{{citation|last=Poole |first=Russell |author-link=Russell Poole |title=Claiming Kin Skaldic-Style |work=Verbal Encounters: Anglo-Saxon and Old Norse Studies for Roberta Frank |publisher=University of Toronto Press |year=2005 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F8naeLlWGikC&pg=PA278 |page=278 |isbn=9780802080110}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|ref={{SfnRef|Dasent|1866}}|translator=George Webbe Dasent|translator-link=George Webbe Dasent |others=Mildmay, C. E. St. John (illustrator) |title=The Story of Gisli the Outlaw |place=Edinburgh |publisher=Edmonston and Douglas |year=1866 |url=https://archive.org/details/storygislioutla00dasegoog |pages=[https://archive.org/details/storygislioutla00dasegoog/page/n77 23]–24}}</ref> In ''[[Fóstbræðra saga]]'', the bond of Thorgeir Havarsson (Þorgeir Hávarsson) and Thormod Bersason (Þormóð Bersason) is sealed by such ritual as well, the ritual being called a ''leikr''.<ref>{{citation|last=Gunnell |first=Terry |author-link=<!--Terry Gunnell--> |title=The Origins of Drama in Scandinavia |publisher=Boydell & Brewer Ltd |year=1995 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c8Elw62Qaf0C&pg=PA27 |page=27 |isbn=9780859914581}}</ref>
===Germanic===
The [[Norsemen]] entering the pact of foster brotherhood ({{lang-is|[[:is:Fóstbræðralag|Fóstbræðralag]]}}) 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 ''[[Gísla saga]]''.<ref>{{citation|last=Poole |first=Russell |author-link=Russell Poole |title=Claiming Kin Skaldic-Style |work=Verbal Encounters: Anglo-Saxon and Old Norse Studies for Roberta Frank |publisher=University of Toronto Press |year=2005 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F8naeLlWGikC&pg=PA278 |page=278 |isbn=9780802080110}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|ref={{SfnRef|Dasent|1866}}|translator=George Webbe Dasent|translator-link=George Webbe Dasent |others=Mildmay, C. E. St. John (illustrator) |title=The Story of Gisli the Outlaw |place=Edinburgh |publisher=Edmonston and Douglas |year=1866 |url=https://archive.org/details/storygislioutla00dasegoog |pages=[https://archive.org/details/storygislioutla00dasegoog/page/n77 23]–24}}</ref> In ''[[Fóstbræðra saga]]'', the bond of Thorgeir Havarsson (Þorgeir Hávarsson) and Thormod Bersason (Þormóð Bersason) is sealed by such ritual as well, the ritual being called a ''leikr''.<ref>{{citation|last=Gunnell |first=Terry |author-link=<!--Terry Gunnell--> |title=The Origins of Drama in Scandinavia |publisher=Boydell & Brewer Ltd |year=1995 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c8Elw62Qaf0C&pg=PA27 |page=27 |isbn=9780859914581}}</ref>


''[[Örvar-Oddr's saga]]'' contains another notable account of blood brotherhood. [[Örvar-Oddr]], after fighting the renowned Swedish warrior [[Hjalmar]] to a draw, entered into foster-brotherhood with him {{Dubious span|by this turf-raising ritual. Afterwards, the strand of turf was put back during oaths and incantations.|date=May 2018}}{{Citation needed|date=November 2015}}
''[[Örvar-Oddr]]'s saga'' contains another notable account of blood brotherhood. [[Örvar-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|date=November 2015}}


In the mythology of northern Europe, [[Gunther]] and [[Högni]] became the blood brothers of [[Sigurd]] when he married their sister [[Gudrun]]; in [[Wagner]]'s opera ''[[Götterdämmerung]]'', the concluding part of his ''[[Ring Cycle]]'', the same occurs between [[Gunther]] and Wagner's version of Sigurd, [[Siegfried (opera)|Siegfried]], which is marked by the "Blood Brotherhood [[Leitmotiv]]". Additionally, it is briefly stated in [[Lokasenna]] that [[Odin]] and [[Loki]] are blood brothers.
In the mythology of [[Northern Europe]], [[Gunther]] and [[Högni]] became the blood brothers of [[Sigurd]] when he married their sister [[Gudrun]]. In [[Wagner]]'s opera ''[[Götterdämmerung]]'', the concluding part of his ''[[Ring Cycle]]'', the same occurs between Gunther and Wagner's version of Sigurd, [[Siegfried (opera)|Siegfried]], which is marked by the "Blood Brotherhood [[Leitmotiv]]". Additionally, it is briefly stated in [[Lokasenna]] that [[Odin]] and [[Loki]] are blood brothers.


===Scythia===
===Scythia===
Among the [[Scyth]]ians, 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 at most 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]]'').
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 appliqué from [[Kul-Oba]]) have been associated with the Scythian oath of blood brotherhood.<ref>Caspar Meyer, ''Greco-Scythian Art and the Birth of Eurasia: From Classical Antiquity to Russian Modernity'', OUP (2013), [https://books.google.ch/books?id=884TAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA246#v=onepage&q&f=false 246 (fig. 98b)] "Gold relief appliqué 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
4th-century BC depictions of two Scythian warriors drinking from a single [[drinking horn]] (most notably in a gold appliqué from [[Kul-Oba]]) have been associated with the Scythian oath of blood brotherhood.<ref>Caspar Meyer, ''Greco-Scythian Art and the Birth of Eurasia: From Classical Antiquity to Russian Modernity'', OUP (2013), [https://books.google.com/books?id=884TAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA246 246 (fig. 98b)] "Gold relief appliqué 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", [http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/picturedisplay.asp?linkpath=pic\S\C\Scythian%20art_ritual%20of%20brotherhood%20Kul%20Oba%20kurhan.jpg&page=pages\K\U\KulOba.htm&id=6841&pid=6046&tyt=Kul%20Oba Scythian gold statuette depicting the ritual of brotherhood].</ref>
"Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine", [http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/picturedisplay.asp?linkpath=pic\S\C\Scythian%20art_ritual%20of%20brotherhood%20Kul%20Oba%20kurhan.jpg&page=pages\K\U\KulOba.htm&id=6841&pid=6046&tyt=Kul%20Oba Scythian gold statuette depicting the ritual of brotherhood].</ref>


The Hungarian [[hajduk]]s had a similar ceremony, though the wine was often replaced with milk so that the blood would be more visible.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}
The Hungarian [[hajduk]]s had a similar ceremony, but the wine was often replaced with milk so that the blood would be more visible.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}


===East Asia===
===East Asia===
In [[Culture of Asia|Asian cultures]], the act and ceremony of becoming blood brothers is generally seen as a [[tribal]] relationship, that is, to bring about alliance between tribes. It was practiced for this reason most notably among the [[Mongol]]s and [[Chinese history|early Chinese]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2015}}
In [[Asian culture]]s, 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 [[Mongol]]s, [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] and [[Chinese history|early Chinese]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2015}}


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 swearing faith;<ref>{{Cite book |first=Mervyn Llewelyn |last=Wynne |title=Triad Societies: Western Accounts of the History, Sociology and Linguistics of Chinese Secret Societies |volume=5 |page=19 |publisher=Routledge |orig-year=1941 |year=2000 |isbn=9780415243971 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6irEoGgDrm4C&pg=PA19}}</ref> 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 [[triad (organized crime)|triads]] or the pirates of [[Lin Daoqian]], and of non-[[Han Chinese|Han]] ethnic minorities such as the [[Mongols]] or [[Manchu]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ownby |first=David |date=2016-09-16 |chapter=Chinese Hui and the early modern social order: Evidence from eighteenth-century southeast China |title=Secret Societies Reconsidered: Perspectives on the social history of early modern south China and southeast Asia |page=46 |editor1-last=Ownby |editor1-first=David |editor2-first=Mary |editor2-last=Somers Heidhues |isbn=9781315288031 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L48YDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA46}}<br>{{Cite book |last=ter Haar |first=Barend |date=2016-09-16 |chapter=Messianism and the ''Heaven and Earth Society'': Approaches to ''Heaven and Earth Society'' texts |title=Secret Societies Reconsidered: Perspectives on the social history of early modern south China and southeast Asia |page=155 |editor1-last=Ownby |editor1-first=David |editor2-first=Mary |editor2-last=Somers Heidhues |isbn=9781315288031 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L48YDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA155}}</ref> [[Genghis Khan]] had an ''anda'' called [[Jamukha]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/anda |title=Anda {{!}} oath |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=2018-11-29 |language=en}}</ref> The term also exist in [[Old Turkic]]: ''ant ičmek'' ("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''.<ref>{{cite book|title=Nomads and Their Neighbours in the Russian Steppe: Turks, Khazars and Qipchaqs|author=Peter B. Golden|publisher=Ashgate/Variorum|year=2003|page=82}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{Cite book |first=Mervyn Llewelyn |last=Wynne |title=Triad Societies: Western Accounts of the History, Sociology and Linguistics of Chinese Secret Societies |volume=5 |page=19 |publisher=Routledge |orig-year=1941 |year=2000 |isbn=9780415243971 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6irEoGgDrm4C&pg=PA19}}</ref> 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 [[triad (organized crime)|triads]] or the pirates of [[Lin Daoqian]], and other East Asians such as the [[Mongols]] and the [[Manchu]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ownby |first=David |date=2016-09-16 |chapter=Chinese Hui and the early modern social order: Evidence from eighteenth-century southeast China |title=Secret Societies Reconsidered: Perspectives on the social history of early modern south China and southeast Asia |page=46 |publisher=Routledge |editor1-last=Ownby |editor1-first=David |editor2-first=Mary |editor2-last=Somers Heidhues |isbn=9781315288031 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L48YDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA46}}<br>{{Cite book |last=ter Haar |first=Barend |date=2016-09-16 |chapter=Messianism and the ''Heaven and Earth Society'': Approaches to ''Heaven and Earth Society'' texts |title=Secret Societies Reconsidered: Perspectives on the social history of early modern south China and southeast Asia |page=155 |publisher=Routledge |editor1-last=Ownby |editor1-first=David |editor2-first=Mary |editor2-last=Somers Heidhues |isbn=9781315288031 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L48YDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA155}}</ref> [[Genghis Khan]] had an ''anda'' called [[Jamukha]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/anda |title=Anda {{!}} oath |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=2018-11-29 |language=en}}</ref> The term also exist in [[Old Turkic]]: ''ant ičmek'' ("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''.<ref>{{cite book|title=Nomads and Their Neighbours in the Russian Steppe: Turks, Khazars and Qipchaqs|author=Peter B. Golden|publisher=Ashgate/Variorum|year=2003|page=82}}</ref>


===Philippines===
===Philippines===
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{{See also|Sandugo}}
{{See also|Sandugo}}
[[File:The Blood Compact by Juan Luna.jpg|thumb|''[[El Pacto de Sangre]]'', a romanticized painting of the ''[[Sandugo]]'' [[blood compact]] ritual between the [[Spaniards|Spanish]] explorer [[Miguel López de Legazpi]] and [[Datu Sikatuna]] of [[Bohol]], [[Philippines]]; by [[Juan Luna]] (1886)]]
[[File:The Blood Compact by Juan Luna.jpg|thumb|''[[El Pacto de Sangre]]'', a romanticized painting of the ''[[Sandugo]]'' [[blood compact]] ritual between the [[Spaniards|Spanish]] explorer [[Miguel López de Legazpi]] and [[Datu Sikatuna]] of [[Bohol]], [[Philippines]]; by [[Juan Luna]] (1886)]]
In the [[Philippines]], [[blood compact]]s (''sandugo'' or ''sanduguan'', literally "one blood") were ancient rituals intended to seal a friendship or treaty, or to validate an agreement. They are described in the records of 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.<ref>{{cite book|chapter=Primo Viaggio Intorno Al Mondo |last1=Pigafetta |first1=Antonio |title=The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XXXIII, 1519-1522|editor1= Emma Helen Blair|editor2=James Alexander Robertson |date=1906 |publisher=Arthur H. Clark Company |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/42884/42884-h/42884-h.htm#r398}}</ref><ref>[http://www.philippinecountry.com/philippine_festivals/sandugo_festival.html Sandugo Festival Bohol Philippines] www.philippinecountry.com Retrieved December 2006.</ref>
In the [[Philippines]], [[blood compact]]s (''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.<ref>{{cite book|chapter=Primo Viaggio Intorno Al Mondo |last1=Pigafetta |first1=Antonio |title=The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XXXIII, 1519-1522|editor1= Emma Helen Blair|editor2=James Alexander Robertson |date=1906 |publisher=Arthur H. Clark Company |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/42884/42884-h/42884-h.htm#r398}}</ref><ref>[http://www.philippinecountry.com/philippine_festivals/sandugo_festival.html Sandugo Festival Bohol Philippines] www.philippinecountry.com Retrieved December 2006.</ref>


===Africa===
===Sub-Saharan Africa===
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 while in Africa. A powerful blood brother of his was the [[Kikuyu people|Kikuyu]] chieftain [[Waiyaki Wa Hinga]]. [[David Livingstone]] wrote of a similar practice called 'Kasendi'.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Blood Covenant|first=H. Clay|last=Trumbull|date=1885|publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons|edition=Outlook Verlag, Frankfurt am Main, 2018|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s1dRDwAAQBAJ&q=Kasendi+african+blood+brotherhood&pg=PA9|access-date=2019-10-19|location=New York|isbn=9783732636679}}</ref>
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 people|Kikuyu]] chieftain [[Waiyaki Wa Hinga]]. [[David Livingstone]] wrote of a similar practice called 'Kasendi'.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Blood Covenant|first=H. Clay|last=Trumbull|date=1885|publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons|edition=Outlook Verlag, Frankfurt am Main, 2018|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s1dRDwAAQBAJ&q=Kasendi+african+blood+brotherhood&pg=PA9|access-date=2019-10-19|location=New York|isbn=9783732636679}}</ref>


===Southeastern Europe===
===Southeastern Europe===
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 Empire|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]], [[Republic of North Macedonia]]. Christianity also recognized sworn brotherhood in a ceremony (known as {{lang-gr|[[adelphopoiesis]]}}, {{lang-sla|pobratimstvo}} in the [[Eastern Orthodox]] churches; known as {{lang-la|ordo ad fratres faciendum}} in the [[Roman Catholic]] church). The tradition of intertwining arms and drinking wine is also believed to be a representation of becoming blood brothers.{{Citation needed|date=November 2015}}
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 Empire|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 {{lang-gr|[[adelphopoiesis]]}}, {{lang-sla|pobratimstvo}} in the [[Eastern Orthodox]] Churches and as {{lang-la|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|date=November 2015}}


==Famous blood brothers==
==Famous blood brothers==
{{refimprove section|date=November 2018}}
{{refimprove section|date=November 2018}}
=== Historical ===
=== Historical ===
* In the 9th century AD chiefs of the seven [[Hungarian tribes]] formed an alliance [[Blood oath (Hungarians)|drinking from each other's blood]], and chose [[Álmos]] as leader.<ref>{{cite book | author=Anonymus | title = Gesta Hungarorum | year = c. 1200 | url= http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/18975/1/18975.pdf }}</ref>
* In the 9th century AD, chiefs of the seven [[Hungarian tribes]] formed an alliance [[Blood oath (Hungarians)|drinking from each other's blood]], and chose [[Álmos]] as leader.<ref>{{cite book | author=Anonymus | title = Gesta Hungarorum | year = c. 1200 | url= http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/18975/1/18975.pdf }}</ref>
* 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 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 [[Yesükhei]] (father of Temüjin) and [[Toghrul]] (later ally of Temüjin) were blood brothers.
* In the 12th century AD, the Mongol leaders [[Yesükhei]] (father of Temüjin) and [[Toghrul]] (later ally of Temüjin) were blood brothers.
* Temüjin ([[Genghis Khan]]) and [[Jamukha]] were childhood friends and blood brothers, although Jamukha later betrayed Temüjin. Jamukha refused reconciliation and thus was executed at orders of Temüjin.
* Temüjin ([[Genghis Khan]]) and [[Jamukha]] were childhood friends and blood brothers, although Jamukha later betrayed Temüjin. Jamukha refused reconciliation and thus was executed at orders of Temüjin.
* 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.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Bilby|first=Kenneth|date=1997|title=Swearing by the Past, Swearing to the Future: Sacred Oaths, Alliances, and Treaties among the Guianese and Jamaican Maroons|journal=Ethnohistory|volume=44|issue=4|pages=655–689|doi=10.2307/482884|issn=0014-1801|jstor=482884}}</ref>
* In [[Medieval Serbia]], his two blood brothers [[Ivan Kosančić]] and [[Milan Topličanin]] accompanied [[Miloš Obilić]] prior to the [[Battle of Kosovo]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GkBmdCwHuDsC&q=blood+brothers+in+serbia&pg=PA192|title = The Road to War in Serbia: Trauma and Catharsis|date = January 2000|isbn = 9789639116566}}</ref>
* 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.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Bilby|first=Kenneth|date=1997|title=Swearing by the Past, Swearing to the Future: Sacred Oaths, Alliances, and Treaties among the Guianese and Jamaican Maroons|journal=Ethnohistory|volume=44|issue=4|pages=655–689|doi=10.2307/482884|issn=0014-1801|jstor=482884}}</ref>
* Blood brothers in the [[Serbian Revolution]] (1804–17): rebel leader [[Karađorđe]] (1762–1817) and commander [[Milutin Savić]] (1762–1842);<ref>{{cite book|author=Бошко Стрика|title=Српске задужбине Фрушкогорски манастири: Fruškogorski manastiri|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4KixAAAAMAAJ|year=1927|publisher=тисак закладе тискаре "Народних новина"|page=173}}</ref> Karađorđe and Greek volunteer [[Giorgakis Olympios]] (1772–1821);<ref>{{cite book|author=Douglas Dakin|title=The Greek Struggle for Independence, 1821–1833|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rk1iVvOr6RUC&pg=PA36|year=1973|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-02342-0|page=36}}</ref> commander [[Hajduk-Veljko]] (1780–1813) and Giorgakis Olympios;<ref>{{cite book|author1=Béla K. Király|author2=Gunther Erich Rothenberg|title=War and Society in East Central Europe: The first Serbian uprising 1804-1813|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KV_fAAAAMAAJ|year=1982|publisher=Brooklyn College Press|isbn=978-0-930888-15-2|page=382}}</ref> commanders [[Stojan Čupić]] (1765–1815) and [[Bakal-Milosav]];<ref>{{cite book|title=The Slavonic and East European Review|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DJsIAQAAIAAJ|year=1928|publisher=Jonathan Cape Limited|page=183}}</ref> commanders [[Cincar-Janko]] (1779–1833), [[Miloš Pocerac]] (1776–1811) and [[Anta Bogićević]] (1758–1813).<ref>{{cite book|title=The Revolt of the Serbs Against the Turks: (1804–1813)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qklfco35FIgC&pg=PA112|year=2012|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-67606-0|page=112}}</ref>
* Blood brothers in the [[Serbian Revolution]] (1804–17): rebel leader [[Karađorđe]] (1762–1817) and commander [[Milutin Savić]] (1762–1842);<ref>{{cite book|author=Бошко Стрика|title=Српске задужбине Фрушкогорски манастири: Fruškogorski manastiri|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4KixAAAAMAAJ|year=1927|publisher=тисак закладе тискаре "Народних новина"|page=173}}</ref> Karađorđe and Greek volunteer [[Giorgakis Olympios]] (1772–1821);<ref>{{cite book|author=Douglas Dakin|title=The Greek Struggle for Independence, 1821–1833|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rk1iVvOr6RUC&pg=PA36|year=1973|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-02342-0|page=36}}</ref> commander [[Hajduk-Veljko]] (1780–1813) and Giorgakis Olympios;<ref>{{cite book|author1=Béla K. Király|author2=Gunther Erich Rothenberg|title=War and Society in East Central Europe: The first Serbian uprising 1804-1813|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KV_fAAAAMAAJ|year=1982|publisher=Brooklyn College Press|isbn=978-0-930888-15-2|page=382}}</ref> commanders [[Stojan Čupić]] (1765–1815) and [[Bakal-Milosav]];<ref>{{cite book|title=The Slavonic and East European Review|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DJsIAQAAIAAJ|year=1928|publisher=Jonathan Cape Limited|page=183}}</ref> commanders [[Cincar-Janko]] (1779–1833), [[Miloš Pocerac]] (1776–1811) and [[Anta Bogićević]] (1758–1813).<ref>{{cite book|title=The Revolt of the Serbs Against the Turks: (1804–1813)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qklfco35FIgC&pg=PA112|year=2012|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-67606-0|page=112}}</ref>
* Blood brothers in the later [[Principality of Serbia]]: Prince [[Milan I of Serbia|Milan Obrenović]] (1854–1901) and [[Milan Piroćanac]] (1837–1897);<ref>{{cite book|author=Dušan Baranin|title=Milan Obrenović: kralj Srbije|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TJViAAAAMAAJ|year=1977|publisher=V. Karadžić|page=67}}</ref> [[Aćim Čumić]] (1836–1901) and [[Kosta Protić]] (1831–1892);<ref>{{cite book|author=Vukadin Sretenović|title=Kralj Milan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WKEMAAAAIAAJ|year=1990|publisher=NIGP "Glas"|page=55}}</ref> [[Đura Jakšić]] (1832–1878) and [[Stevan Vladislav Kaćanski]] (1829–1890).<ref>{{cite book|author=Gavrilo Kovijanić|title=Tragom čitališta u Srbiji|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rwDhAAAAMAAJ|year=1986|publisher=Narodna knjiga|page=138}}</ref>
* Blood brothers in the later [[Principality of Serbia]]: Prince [[Milan I of Serbia|Milan Obrenović]] (1854–1901) and [[Milan Piroćanac]] (1837–1897);<ref>{{cite book|author=Dušan Baranin|title=Milan Obrenović: kralj Srbije|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TJViAAAAMAAJ|year=1977|publisher=V. Karadžić|page=67}}</ref> [[Aćim Čumić]] (1836–1901) and [[Kosta Protić]] (1831–1892);<ref>{{cite book|author=Vukadin Sretenović|title=Kralj Milan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WKEMAAAAIAAJ|year=1990|publisher=NIGP "Glas"|page=55}}</ref> [[Đura Jakšić]] (1832–1878) and [[Stevan Vladislav Kaćanski]] (1829–1890).<ref>{{cite book|author=Gavrilo Kovijanić|title=Tragom čitališta u Srbiji|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rwDhAAAAMAAJ|year=1986|publisher=Narodna knjiga|page=138}}</ref>
* In the [[Greek War of Independence]] (1821–30), Greek [[Nikolaos Kriezotis]] and Montenegrin [[Vasos Mavrovouniotis|Vaso Brajević]] were said to be blood brothers.
* In the [[Greek War of Independence]] (1821–30), Greek [[Nikolaos Kriezotis]] and Montenegrin [[Vasos Mavrovouniotis|Vaso Brajević]] were said to be blood brothers.
* Samoan [[professional wrestling|wrestler]] [[Peter Maivia|"High Chief" Peter Maivia]] was considered blood brother of Amituanai Anoa'i, father of fellow wrestlers [[Afa Anoaʻi|Afa]] and [[Sika Anoaʻi|Sika]] Anoa'i, renown as [[the Wild Samoans]]. Thus from that time onwards the ''Anoa'i'' family regard the ''Maivia'' line as extension of their own clan.
* Samoan [[professional wrestling|wrestler]] [[Peter Maivia|"High Chief" Peter Maivia]] was considered a blood brother of Amituanai Anoaʻi, father of fellow wrestlers [[Afa Anoaʻi|Afa]] and [[Sika Anoaʻi|Sika]] Anoaʻi, renown as [[the Wild Samoans]], who regard Peter as their uncle. Thus, from that time onwards, the [[Anoaʻi family|''Anoaʻi'' family]] regard the ''Maivia'' line as extension of their own clan.


=== Folklore===
=== Folklore===
* The Norse gods [[Loki]] and [[Odin]] are famously stated to have mixed blood in ''days of old'' in ''Lokasenna''. This has been taken as an explanation why Loki is at all tolerated by the gods.
* The Norse gods [[Loki]] and [[Odin]] are famously stated to have mixed blood in ''days of old'' in ''Lokasenna''. This has been taken as an explanation why Loki is at all tolerated by the gods.
* [[Liu Bei]], [[Guan Yu]] and [[Zhang Fei (Three Kingdoms)|Zhang Fei]]. In the historical novel ''[[Romance of the Three Kingdoms]]'' by [[Luo Guanzhong]], these three men swore in their famous [[Oath of the Peach Garden]] that despite not being born on the same day, their sworn brotherhood would end with them dying on the same day. Histories only mention that the three men were "close like brothers".
* [[Liu Bei]], [[Guan Yu]] and [[Zhang Fei (Three Kingdoms)|Zhang Fei]]. In the historical novel ''[[Romance of the Three Kingdoms]]'' by [[Luo Guanzhong]], these three men swore in their famous [[Oath of the Peach Garden]] that despite not being born on the same day, their sworn brotherhood would end with them dying on the same day. Histories only mention that the three men were "close like brothers".
* In the Chinese tale ''[[Journey to the West]]'', [[Sun Wukong]] (the Monkey King) became blood brothers with [[List of Journey to the West characters#Bull Demon King, Princess Iron Fan and associates|Niu Mowang]] (the Bull Demon King), but later on this brother relationship was forgotten because of a conflict that occurred involving the bull demon's son that caused other problems for Wukong.
* In the Chinese tale ''[[Journey to the West]]'', [[Sun Wukong]] (the Monkey King) became blood brothers with [[List of Journey to the West characters#Bull Demon King, Princess Iron Fan and associates|Niu Mowang]] (the Bull Demon King) and several other demon leaders, but later on this brother relationship was forgotten because of a conflict that occurred involving the bull demon's son that caused other problems for Wukong. Wukong also mentions being sworn brothers with [[Erlang Shen]]. Erlang has six other sworn brothers from Plum Hill.
* In [[Serbian epic poetry]], there are several blood brotherhoods. [[Miloš Obilić]] with [[Milan Toplica]] and Ivan Kosančić,<ref name="Popov2000">{{cite book|author=Nebojša Popov|title=The Road to War in Serbia: Trauma and Catharsis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GkBmdCwHuDsC&pg=PA192|date=January 2000|publisher=Central European University Press|isbn=978-963-9116-56-6|pages=192–}}</ref> Miloš Obilić with [[Prince Marko]],<ref name="Popovic1988">{{cite book|author=Tanya Popovic|title=Prince Marko: The Hero of South Slavic Epics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ok93aZ27r-oC&pg=PA26|year=1988|publisher=Syracuse University Press|isbn=978-0-8156-2444-8|pages=26–}}</ref> Miloš Obilić with the [[Jugović brothers]],<ref name="Segesten2011">{{cite book|author=Anamaria Dutceac Segesten|title=Myth, Identity, and Conflict: A Comparative Analysis of Romanian and Serbian Textbooks|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1SmTBNe0q2sC&pg=PA208|date=16 September 2011|publisher=Lexington Books|isbn=978-0-7391-4865-5|pages=208–}}</ref> Despot [[Vuk Grgurević]] and [[Dmitar Jakšić]].<ref name="SoerensenKleut1999">{{cite book|author1=Asmus Soerensen|author2=Marija Kleut|title=Prilog istoriji razvoja srpskog junačkog pesništva|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qMNiAAAAMAAJ|year=1999|publisher=Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva|page=55}}</ref>
* In [[Serbian epic poetry]], there are several blood brotherhoods. [[Miloš Obilić]] with [[Milan Toplica]] and Ivan Kosančić,<ref name="Popov2000">{{cite book|author=Nebojša Popov|title=The Road to War in Serbia: Trauma and Catharsis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GkBmdCwHuDsC&pg=PA192|date=January 2000|publisher=Central European University Press|isbn=978-963-9116-56-6|pages=192–}}</ref> Miloš Obilić with [[Prince Marko]],<ref name="Popovic1988">{{cite book|author=Tanya Popovic|title=Prince Marko: The Hero of South Slavic Epics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ok93aZ27r-oC&pg=PA26|year=1988|publisher=Syracuse University Press|isbn=978-0-8156-2444-8|pages=26–}}</ref> Miloš Obilić with the [[Jugović brothers]],<ref name="Segesten2011">{{cite book|author=Anamaria Dutceac Segesten|title=Myth, Identity, and Conflict: A Comparative Analysis of Romanian and Serbian Textbooks|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1SmTBNe0q2sC&pg=PA208|date=16 September 2011|publisher=Lexington Books|isbn=978-0-7391-4865-5|pages=208–}}</ref> Despot [[Vuk Grgurević]] and [[Dmitar Jakšić]].<ref name="SoerensenKleut1999">{{cite book|author1=Asmus Soerensen|author2=Marija Kleut|title=Prilog istoriji razvoja srpskog junačkog pesništva|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qMNiAAAAMAAJ|year=1999|publisher=Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva|page=55|isbn=9788617077059}}</ref>


=== Literature ===
=== Literature ===
* [[Winnetou]] and [[Old Shatterhand]] in works of [[Karl May]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=May|first=Karl|title=Winnetou|year=1878|isbn=978-0874221794}}</ref>
* [[Winnetou]] and [[Old Shatterhand]] in works of [[Karl May]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=May|first=Karl|title=Winnetou|year=1878|isbn=978-0874221794}}</ref>
* The characters Edward Lyons and Mickey Johnstone<ref>{{Citation |title=Blood Brothers (musical) |date=2022-11-02 |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Blood_Brothers_(musical)&oldid=1119628173 |work=Wikipedia |language=en |access-date=2022-11-28}}</ref> in [[Willy Russell]]'s Blood Brothers.


== Explanatory notes ==
==See also==
{{Notelist}}
* [[Adelphopoiesis]], Greek Christian brother making.
*[[Blood brothers]]
* [[Blood compact]], an ancient ritual of the Philippines.


==References==
==References==
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[[Category:Ritual]]
[[Category:Ritual]]
[[Category:Blood]]
[[Category:Blood]]
[[Category:Kinship and descent]]
[[Category:Brothers]]
[[Category:Brothers]]
[[Category:Customs involving siblings]]
[[Category:Traditions involving siblings]]
[[Category:Honor]]
[[Category:Honor]]

Latest revision as of 14:27, 10 July 2024

The Norwegian warrior Örvar-Oddr bids a last farewell to his blood brother, the Swedish warrior Hjalmar, by Mårten 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: Fóstbræðralag) 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 Gísla saga.[1][2] In Fóstbræðra saga, the bond of Thorgeir Havarsson (Þorgeir Hávarsson) and Thormod Bersason (Þormóð Bersason) is sealed by such ritual as well, the ritual being called a leikr.[3]

Örvar-Oddr's saga contains another notable account of blood brotherhood. Örvar-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 Högni became the blood brothers of Sigurd when he married their sister Gudrun. In Wagner's opera Götterdämmerung, 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 appliqué 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 ičmek ("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 López 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]

Folklore

[edit]

Literature

[edit]

Explanatory notes

[edit]
  1. ^ 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]
  1. ^ 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
  2. ^ 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)
  3. ^ Gunnell, Terry (1995), The Origins of Drama in Scandinavia, Boydell & Brewer Ltd, p. 27, ISBN 9780859914581
  4. ^ Caspar Meyer, Greco-Scythian Art and the Birth of Eurasia: From Classical Antiquity to Russian Modernity, OUP (2013), 246 (fig. 98b) "Gold relief appliqué 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "Anda | oath". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  8. ^ Peter B. Golden (2003). Nomads and Their Neighbours in the Russian Steppe: Turks, Khazars and Qipchaqs. Ashgate/Variorum. p. 82.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ Sandugo Festival Bohol Philippines www.philippinecountry.com Retrieved December 2006.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ Anonymus (c. 1200). Gesta Hungarorum (PDF).
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ Бошко Стрика (1927). Српске задужбине Фрушкогорски манастири: Fruškogorski manastiri. тисак закладе тискаре "Народних новина". p. 173.
  15. ^ Douglas Dakin (1973). The Greek Struggle for Independence, 1821–1833. University of California Press. p. 36. ISBN 978-0-520-02342-0.
  16. ^ Béla K. Király; 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.
  17. ^ The Slavonic and East European Review. Jonathan Cape Limited. 1928. p. 183.
  18. ^ The Revolt of the Serbs Against the Turks: (1804–1813). Cambridge University Press. 2012. p. 112. ISBN 978-1-107-67606-0.
  19. ^ Dušan Baranin (1977). Milan Obrenović: kralj Srbije. V. Karadžić. p. 67.
  20. ^ Vukadin Sretenović (1990). Kralj Milan. NIGP "Glas". p. 55.
  21. ^ Gavrilo Kovijanić (1986). Tragom čitališta u Srbiji. Narodna knjiga. p. 138.
  22. ^ Nebojša Popov (January 2000). The Road to War in Serbia: Trauma and Catharsis. Central European University Press. pp. 192–. ISBN 978-963-9116-56-6.
  23. ^ Tanya Popovic (1988). Prince Marko: The Hero of South Slavic Epics. Syracuse University Press. pp. 26–. ISBN 978-0-8156-2444-8.
  24. ^ 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.
  25. ^ Asmus Soerensen; Marija Kleut (1999). Prilog istoriji razvoja srpskog junačkog pesništva. Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva. p. 55. ISBN 9788617077059.
  26. ^ May, Karl (1878). Winnetou. ISBN 978-0874221794.
  27. ^ "Blood Brothers (musical)", Wikipedia, 2022-11-02, retrieved 2022-11-28