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Among the many interesting elements in the
Faraway Hill trilogy is the
Brothers of Thebes.
The Brothers of Thebes is a secret society of influential men that dates
back to America’s colonial days. Among the founding members was textile
magnate John Halloran (1750-1823), who began his career as a personal
aid to Josiah Bartlett
(1729-1795), a physician, statesman and New Hampshire’s delegate to the
Continental Congress. |
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The society’s name and mission were inspired by the Sacred Band of Thebes, a troop of elite citizen soldiers consisting of 150 to 300 male couples drawn from the ancient Greek city of Thebes. According to the historian and essayist Plutarch, the band was organized by the Theban commander Gorgidas in 378 BCE who encouraged the men to be sexually intimate as a means of cementing their loyalty to the corps. |
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For decades they were a successful and potent fighting force until they
were destroyed by the Macedonian army. Around 300 BCE, the citizens of
Thebes erected a memorial on the band’s burial site of a giant stone
lion. This memorial was restored in the 20th century and
still stands today.
Like John Halloran, most of the original members were gatekeepers to
powerful men. They realized that their unique positions made it possible
to build and maintain their own family empires. Using the story of
Thebes as a guide, these men created the most restricted club in the new
country. They determined that the best way to secure their members was
to require them to be intimately connected to each other. Therefore,
intense and often shocking sexual acts joined other rituals to create a
unique initiation program.
Brothers consider themselves above the law, often manipulate politicians
and even utilize a group of “enforcers” to deal with people who are
considered dangerous to a Brother or the society. Everything about the
Brothers of Thebes is geared to protecting and promoting the interests
of the Brothers.
When in public or formal rituals, members use a collection of Latin
phrases. Brothers have become very skilled in remaining hidden. The
membership meets at and is governed from a secret lodge located in rural
Massachusetts so cleverly hidden it cannot be found on any print or
online map. It is managed by a nameless major domo and a staff of
carefully selected young men. Most people consider the Brothers to be
nothing more than a legend and those who believe otherwise are merely
dismissed as conspiracy nuts. The Brothers are hinted at in Faraway Hill: Book One and fully introduced in Faraway Hill: Book Two. They play a critical role in the climax in Faraway Hill: Book Three. |
