Mixing Blood, Money, & Power pt. 2: The Bad

Many cultures have some variation of the saying ‘blood is thicker than water’. However, upon further inspection, one can infer that money and power may actually be the ‘thickest’ substances of them all. While there are cases of blood relatives achieving remarkable things together, history seems to be more often laced with stories of inter-familial tragedy, betrayal, and murder. Some of the most notable case studies include: 

Romulus and Remus (8th Century BCE) 

• The mythical founders of Rome. When deciding where to establish the new city, the twin brothers got into an intense argument, and Romulus killed Remus during the dispute. As the sole founder of the new city, Romulus dedicated his name to it- and ‘Rome’ was born. 

Empress Wu Zetian (624 - 705 CE)

• The sole female emperor in Chinese history did not reach the throne by playing nice. While still an imperial consort of Emperor Gaozong, she is said to have strangled her own newly born daughter in a successful political play to usurp imperial power from the Empress at the time (Empress Wang). 

Empress Irene (752 - 803 CE)

• Irene of Athens was the first female ruler of the Byzantine Empire. She began as a regent for her young son: the child emperor Constantine VI. However, as Constantine grew older, he drifted further and further away from his mother’s control. In order to seize the throne for herself, Irene captured her son and gouged out his eyes- the resulting injuries were so severe that he died a few days later. With her son now deposed, Irene had become the Empress and sole ruler of the Byzantines. 

King Yeongjo of Joseon (1694 - 1776 CE) 

• Yeongjo of Joseon was the 21st king of the Korean Joseon Dynasty. He had a troubled relationship with his son, Crown Prince Sado, whose behavior became increasingly bizarre as the years passed. Things reached a breaking point when Sado decapitated a eunuch in the palace, coupled with a series of rapes of palace maids. Joseon, choosing to prioritize his political reputation, ultimately executed his son by locking him in a tiny rice box, where Sado remained until he starved to death 8 days later. 

The Kellogg Brothers (19th - 20th century CE) 

• The American Dr. John Harvey Kellogg was a pioneer in developing cornflakes as a breakfast food- receiving a patent for his invention in 1895. John worked harmoniously with his brother WK for a few short years, until the two reached irreconcilable differences regarding whether to put sugar on the cereal. WK subsequently founded his own company and created what would eventually become ‘The Kellogg Company’; he also took legal action to prevent John from using the ‘Kellogg’ name in any advertising. The two brothers then went on to engage in a four-decade long feud that would last the rest of their lives, and both went to their graves very sad about how toxic their relationship had become. 

Adolf (Adi) and Rudolf Dassler (20th century CE)

• In the 1920s, German Brothers Adolf (Adi) and Rudolf Dassler launched a shoe company, Gebrüder Dassler Sportschuhfabrik (Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory). The company found great success by the 1930s, with more and more Olympians choosing to wear the Dassler brand (including American superstar Jesse Owens). However, something happened during World War II that caused the brothers to go separate ways (to this day no one knows what happened for sure). In 1948, the Dassler brothers split their company, with Adolf creating a new company called ‘Adidas’ (a combination of his first and last name), and Rudolf going on to found Puma. The brothers never reconciled, and it is said that they never spoke again after their initial split.  

Josef Stalin (1878-1953 CE)

• During World War II, Stalin’s son Yakov Dzhugashvili was captured and taken as a prisoner of war in Nazi Germany. The Germans then proposed to Stalin that they would return his son in exchange for the decorated German Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus (who was a Soviet POW at the time). The Soviet leader gave a cold retort, “I will not trade a marshal for a lieutenant.” In 1943 while still in German captivity, Yakov committed suicide by jumping into the electric fence surrounding the camp. 

As if the examples above were not enough, the legend of Siganda and Sigandana from the Xhosa tradition (a people of southern Africa) further admonishes us against putting too much faith in family when it comes to matters involving coin and clout:

Long ago, there were two brothers: Siganda (the elder) and Sigandana (the younger). They were brothers in the true sense of the word- they loved one another dearly and were hardly ever seen apart. One day, the two set off to find fortune for their family, and promised not to return until their mission was complete. They eventually stumbled across a deserted village, with an odd array of turned over large clay pots. Siganda, who possessed a more cowardly nature, feared the scene and was eager to leave the eerie village. Sigandana however carried no fear, and turned over the pots one by one. Upon turning over the final pot, an old woman crawled out- ecstatic that she had finally been released. 

In order to express her gratitude, the old woman instructed the brothers to follow her to a new location. Sigandana followed her closely, while his older brother cautiously trailed behind. The eclectic trio eventually arrived at a bamboo grove, where the old woman placed several large bamboo stalks in front of the brothers and told them to chop them down one by one. Siganda feared that this may be some type of witchcraft or trickery, so he refused to cut. Sigandana on the other began cutting the bamboo stalks one-by-one, and from each stalk emerged a large herd of robust cattle. When he cut the final and largest stalk, a majestic white cow emerged, and it was more beautiful than anything either of the brothers had ever seen before. The old woman then thanked the brothers one more time for their kindness, and disappeared into the dense bamboo grove. 

With their mission now complete, Siganda and Sigandana made their way back to their home village. During the journey, Siganda repeatedly asked his younger brother to gift him the majestic white cow. Sigandana counter-proposed by offering dozens of the other cattle as a gift (all of the cattle from the bamboo grove belonged to Sigandana since he was the one who had been fearless enough to cut them out of the stalks), but refused to give his older brother the white cow. As the journey continued, the pair eventually reached a large ravine with copious amounts of water at the bottom. Jealous of his brother’s new-found  prosperity and still coveting the precious white cow, Siganda suggested that his brother descend into the ravine to fetch water, and then cut the rope while Sigandana was descending- leaving him helpless and trapped at the bottom of the ravine. Siganda then rushed home with all of the bamboo grove cattle, much to the delight of his family members. When asked about the whereabouts of his younger brother, Siganda feigned ignorance to avoid revealing the truth. 

As the entire village celebrated Siganda’s return, the graceful white cow began walking back in the direction from which it came. Entranced by its beauty, the whole village began to follow, eventually returning to the ravine where Sigandana had been betrayed. The villagers then helped Sigandana out of the ravine, and came to understand the true nature of what had transpired between the two brothers. Sigandana’s mother noted how in a single day, the chance at quick wealth had destroyed a relationship built up through years of fraternal love. When everyone returned to the village, Siganda was nowhere to be seen, and he was in fact never seen again after that day. 

In the story of Siganda and Sigandana, the temptation of wealth and power destroyed in mere minutes a relationship that had taken years to build. Have you ever witnessed or personally experienced the corruption of familial relationships once money and power become involved? Let us know your stories in the comments below!