blood oaths
Binding crimson promises
Blood oaths are solemn promises sealed by the participants' blood—typically by cutting palms and clasping hands, or mixing blood drops together.
The ritual appears in childhood friendship pacts, fraternal initiations, and fiction depicting secret societies or ancient bonds.
The physical act intensifies the commitment beyond ordinary promises: They swore a blood oath to avenge their father's death.
Also called blood pacts.
- vowSolemn personal commitment
- pledgeBinding promise given
- pinky promiseInterlocking digit oath
- allegianceLoyalty owed to authority
- ritualCeremonial set of actions
sacred · binding · covenant · unholy alliance · secret society · loyalty · sworn · sworn enemy · pact · dagger · cut · wound · brotherhood · secrecy · code of silence · sacrifice · ancient · ceremony
- VikingsViking, longships, longship, raiding, Norse settlers
- clan traditionstradition, burial rites, initiation, elders, chief
- Medieval Bondsfealty, allegiance, vassalage, liege, knighthood
- samuraisamurai, katana, ronin, bushido, shogun
- secret societiesFreemasons, Illuminati, secret society, secret societies, Masons
- clan alliancestreaties, pacts, marriage ties, confederacies, coalitions
blood oathsempty promises
Insincere verbal commitments
lip service · maybes · handshake deals · pinky promises · idle talk
blood oathspinky promises
Oaths sealed by linked digits
casual conversation · gentleman's agreements · small talk · handshake deals · verbal contracts
blood, bloods, bloody, bloodied, bloodying, bloodless, bloodline, bloodlines, bloodshed