Is Blood Really Thicker Than Water?

I was thinking about the phrase, “Blood is Thicker Than Water,” yesterday. I’ve thought of it often over the years, because so many of my cherished family members are not related to me by blood: my dad, my beloved Papa, the aunts and uncles I feel closest to, most of my cousins, and two of my sisters share no blood or name with me. Even my other three siblings are technically, “half” siblings because we have different fathers, and I shared the last name of only one of my siblings because he and I were given our mother’s last name.

So this saying has bothered me. What does I mean, anyway? Surely friendship couldn’t be discounted as thin, simply because we don’t share blood.

And what about married couples? They’re not related by blood. They’re related by commitment and love.

So, like our beloved Hermione of the Wizarding World, I went to the 2020 version of the library, The Google. Here’s what I learned:

NOBODY FREAKING KNOWS where the phrase originated. There are several theories and each one claims to be the true origin. Pfffft!

But the best part is that almost all of them have a meaning completely contrary to how we use the phrase today.

My favorite explanation came from several different sources, none of them verifiable. It claims that the phrase was originally, “The blood of the battlefield is thicker than the water of the womb.” This meant that the bonds formed by fighting battles together are stronger than the bonds formed by being born of the same mother.

So I think about the relationships I have with all of these non-blood-related family members: we have, each one of us, bonded over battles. Many of those I’m closest to have traversed something close to hell with me. Tammy. Sharry. Angel. And of course, Ed, Charles (Ira), and Audra. It was ugly, and we weren’t always a unit. But here we are, 37 years later, and my family is one of my most precious treasures.

The Mikesell Aunts, Uncles, and cousins, have been around since I was barely old enough to remember a time before them. But it wasn’t until the Internet came along that we really got the opportunity to get to know each other.

And then my health began to crumble. Aunt Linda made a gorgeous quilt for me that I keep on my chair. Uncles Burl, Larry, and Randy all kept checking in on me via Facebook.

And then there are my kids. Laura and Kaia, and those former students who still allow me the privilege of peeking into their lives and sharing in their special moments.

Recently, a group that I follow on Facebook posed the question, “For Father’s Day, what is one thing you learned from your dad?” I answered that I learned that family isn’t about blood or names. Family is about loving someone enough to put their needs first.

Jodie

I found this but the way I asked the question is much simpler and I think this is right on…

.https://www.google.com/search?q=what+does+blood+is+thicker+then+water+really+mean&oq=what+does+blood+is+thicker+then+water+really+mean&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l2.13680j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

The question I asked google was “what does blood is thicker then water really mean. I find the more simple the question I ask the more of the right answer I get….But I think it’s just a Canadian thing.

TheSpiritWithinMe

Sometimes it 8s hard to find a really good friend that you would consider family. It is a special thing once you do.

Inwould consider my bff my sister. Blood doesnt alwayd have to be the same. She would do more for me than anyone in my family.

Heffay

I agree with you, I really like the blood of the battlefield one. And it is easy to see how it could become just blood is thicker than water.

I never liked the saying. Now we treat it as family comes first. Like we owe people something because there’s a blood connection. I don’t care what relation someone has to you, if they are making your life miserable, I would want you to get away from them.

Family can be whatever we want it to be.

thebusinessanalyst

June 24, 2020

I never knew that saying meant something so powerful that doesn’t define blood relations, but rather the way that strong relationships are formed.