Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Proverb ·261 of 348
"The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb."
They never said that.
What people say
"The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb."
What was actually said
"Bluet is dicker than wazzer." Heinrich der Glîchezære — Reinhart Fuchs (c. 1180, Middle High German)
Why it stuck
The "covenant"/"womb" extended version has no historical source — it's a 1994 invention by Albert Jack Nunberg (widely republished) intended as a corrective and mistaken for an original. The original 12th-century proverb was about literal blood and water, no covenants.
The myth of the "full" form is now so widespread that dictionaries note it explicitly.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.