Day 28: Blood Brothers

I know I read several friendship stories that had this event, often friendships of boys, but I'm not sure which ones: I'm thinking Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn might have? And I think this happened in The Indian in the Cupboard. But anyway, there is a ritual of bonding or friendship that sometimes people used to do, to declare their unity or love or loyalty or something. Two people would each cut a gash somewhere in their body, we'll say arms. Once the blood was flowing, they would tie the two arms together and the idea was that blood of one person would get into the bloodstream of the other and vice-versa. Now when I think about that as an adult, it seems unlikely that blood would flow into a body at a place where the wound was trying to cleanse and clot up. But obviously it is a symbolic ritual to try to express unity and brotherhood using blood.