[expand]The participants prepared through purification—bathing, wearing clean clothing, abstaining from food or alcohol before ceremony, sometimes undergoing ritual fumigation with sacred herbs. This purification ensured that bodies entering blood covenant were spiritually clean, that no contamination would pollute the shared blood, that participants approached ceremony in appropriate mental state. The purification also served as transition ritual, marking movement from ordinary life into sacred space where permanent transformation would occur.
The invocation began ceremony, calling divine witness and stating oath’s purpose. The senior participant or presiding shaman would speak formal words acknowledging gods’ presence, requesting blessing on ceremony, outlining terms of agreement being sealed. These invocations were not casual prayers but legally precise statements—the terms needed clarity because ambiguity could cause disputes later, the divine witness needed proper protocol because offending gods through sloppy ritual brought disaster. The invocation was simultaneously religious prayer and legal contract articulation.
The cutting occurred with deliberation and dramatic restraint. Each participant extended arm over vessel, the blade opened vein (usually on forearm or base of thumb), the blood flowed into container until adequate quantity accumulated. The witnesses watched silently, their attention confirming proper execution. The pain was not suppressed but embraced—some warriors maintained stoic expression, others grimaced or grunted, but none pulled away or showed weakness. The ability to endure cutting without complaint demonstrated courage and commitment, proving oath-taker possessed strength of character worthy of trust.
The mixing was performed by neutral party or senior participant, swirling vessel to combine blood thoroughly, ensuring no separation between contributions, creating unified liquid from two sources. The mixing transformed individual blood into shared substance, the separate streams becoming single flow, the distinct identities merging partially while maintaining individual existence. The visual drama—red swirls combining, distinct colors becoming uniform—provided powerful image reinforcing ceremony’s purpose.
The drinking was climactic moment. Each participant raised vessel to lips, spoke oath words while holding it, then drank substantial amount of mixed blood. The taste was metallic, slightly warm if blood was fresh, viscous and challenging to swallow. Some accounts mention adding wine, kumis, or other liquids to make mixture more palatable, though purist traditions insisted on undiluted blood. The act of consuming partner’s blood was intimate and slightly transgressive—violating usual prohibition against consuming human substances, crossing boundary between self and other, internalizing foreign essence.
The oath declaration followed drinking, each participant stating specific commitments while other held vessel or maintained physical contact. The words varied by oath’s purpose: military alliance promised mutual defense, trade partnership guaranteed fair dealing and protection, personal brotherhood pledged loyalty and support. The specific terms mattered—vague promises were worthless, precise commitments allowed enforcement. The best oaths were conditional and measurable: “I will bring one hundred warriors if you are attacked,” or “I will share half my profits from trade routes,” or “I will avenge your death if you are murdered.”
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