Blood Brothers?

Tweet

Back when I was a kid, before the blood of other people was such a scary thing, there were a lot of Hollywood movies where the heroes, always men, would, in a time of battle or preparing for battle or surviving battle, would slice each others fingers or arms and press them together. The idea was that the blood would mingle and the men, from that time on, would be "brothers." I have a vague recollection of being inspired, at the around the age of 13 to become a "blood brother" with another boy who shared many adventures with me in the drought-stricken 1950s of west Texas. We hunted and fished, and played endless games of Monopoly and poker in the company of of other guys. We lost contact after I moved to California at age 15. Jimmy Ray, his name was, went on to be married, fathered twins, never left that little town in Texas and committed suicide before he was 40. A book I am reading mentioned blood brothers and made me wonder about that silly ritual.