Blood

Blood is a circulating tissue composed of fluid plasma and cells (red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets). Medical terms related to blood often begin in hemo- or hemato- (BE: haemo- and haemato-) from the Greek word "haima" for "blood".

Mythology and religion

Due to its importance to life, blood is associated with a large number of beliefs. One of the most basic is the use of blood as a symbol for family relationships; to be "related by blood" is to be related by ancestry or descendance, rather than marriage. This bears closely to bloodlines, and sayings such as "blood is thicker than water" and "bad blood", as well as "Blood brother".

Related Topics:
Bloodline - Blood brother

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Indo-European paganism

Among the Germanic tribes (such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings), blood was used during the sacrifices, the Blóts. The blood was considered to have the power of its originator and after the butchering the blood was sprinkled on the walls, on the statues of the gods and on the participants themselves. This act of sprinkling blood was called bleodsian in Old English and the terminology was borrowed by the Catholic Church becoming to bless and blessing. The Hittite word for blood, ishar was a cognate to words for "oath" and "bond", see Ishara.

Related Topics:
Germanic tribe - Anglo-Saxons - Viking - Blót - Old English - Catholic Church - Hittite - Ishara

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Judaism

In Judaism, blood cannot be consumed even in the smallest quantity (Leviticus 3:17 and elsewhere); this is reflected in the dietary laws. Blood is purged from meat by salting and pickling.

Related Topics:
Judaism - Leviticus - Dietary laws - Meat - Salting - Pickling

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Other rituals involving blood are the covering of the blood of fowl and game after slaughtering (Leviticus 17:13); the reason given by the Torah is: "Because the soul of every animal is his blood" (ibid 17:14), although from its context in Leviticus 3:17 it would appear that blood cannot be consumed because it is to be used in the sacrificial service (known as the korbanot), in the Temple in Jerusalem.

Related Topics:
Fowl - Game - Leviticus - Torah - Sacrificial service - Korbanot - Temple in Jerusalem

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Ironically, Judaism has historically been the religion to be most affected by blood libels.

Related Topics:
Judaism - Blood libel

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Christianity

Christians believe that the Eucharist wine is, or represents, the blood of Jesus. This belief is rooted in the Last Supper as written in the four gospels of the Bible, in which Jesus stated to his disciples that the bread which they ate was his body, and the wine his blood. "This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you." (Luke 22:20, KJV)

Related Topics:
Christians - Eucharist - Wine - Is - Represents - Jesus - The Last Supper - Bible - Disciples - KJV

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Christians believe that Jesus' blood, unlike that of animal sacrifices of Jewish ritual, was holy and pure, and therefore would justify the sins of all mankind.

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Jehovah's Witnesses

Jehovah's Witnesses take very literally the injunction in their version of the Bible against deriving benefit from blood ("Because the soul of every animal is his blood", Leviticus 17:14). The religious movement maintains that apart from consuming blood, it is also forbidden to receive blood transfusions. Some Witnesses, though, allow autologous transfusion (own blood removed before surgery).

Related Topics:
Jehovah's Witnesses - Blood transfusion

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Vampire legends

Vampires are fictional beings thought to cheat death by drinking the blood of the living. Porphyrias, a group of inherited or acquired disorders, may have been the source of vampire legends.

Related Topics:
Vampire - Porphyria - Inherited - Disorder

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Chinese and Japanese culture

In Chinese culture, it is often said that if a man's nose produces a small flow of blood, this signifies that he is experiencing sexual desire. This often appears in Chinese-language and Hong Kong films.

Related Topics:
Chinese-language - Hong Kong - Film

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This is also evident in Japanese culture and is parodied in anime and manga. Male characters will often be shown with a nosebleed if they have just seen a female nude or in little clothing, or if they have had an erotic thought or fantasy.

Related Topics:
Japan - Anime - Manga - Nosebleed

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