blood oath
Binding crimson promise
A blood oath is a solemn promise sealed by the mixing or shedding of blood, traditionally involving participants cutting themselves and pressing wounds together.
The ritual symbolizes bonds deeper than ordinary promises—ties of kinship, loyalty unto death.
The term now often appears figuratively for any intensely serious commitment: They made a blood oath never to reveal the secret.
- solemn vowGrave, binding promise
- vowSolemn personal commitment
- pledgeBinding promise given
- covenantBinding formal pledge
- swornBound by formal promise
loyalty · pact · sworn enemy · ritual · brotherhood · secret society · sacrifice · binding · sacred · knife · cut · palm · allegiance · code of silence · secrecy · betrayal · eternal · till death
- secrecysecrecy, secret, secrets, confidential, classified
- bonding ritualshandshake, hug, toast, gift giving, wedding
- commitmentsvow, pledge, vows, promise, binding promise
- informal agreementsverbal agreement, oral agreement, handshake deal, gentleman's agreement, verbal contract
- Mafiamafia, Cosa Nostra, Sicilian Mafia, Five Families, Colombo
- Viking WorldNorway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Greenland
blood oathempty promise
Pledge without intent
lip service · gentleman's agreement · white lie · pinky swear · pinky promise
blood oathhandshake deal
Unwritten mutual commitment
verbal agreement · tacit agreement · passing comment · oral contract · unspoken agreement
blood, oath, bloods, bloody, bloodied, bloodying, bloodless, bloodline, bloodshed