Secret society

Organization hiding details from non-members

For other uses, see Secret society (disambiguation).

"Secret Society Buildings at Yale College" by Alice Donlevy c. 1880. Pictured are: Psi Upsilon (Beta chapter), 120 High Street. Left center: Skull and Bones (Russell Trust Association), 64 High Street. Right center: Delta Kappa Epsilon (Phi chapter), east side of York Street, south of Elm Street. Bottom: Scroll and Key (Kingsley Trust SSS Nonse Association), 490 College Street.

A secret society is an organization about which the activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence agencies or guerrilla warfare insurgencies, that hide their activities and memberships but maintain a public presence.[1]

Secret societies may be community-based or associated with colleges and universities. These societies exist in countries around the world.

The Brethren of Purity were a secret society[1] of Muslim philosophers in Basra, Iraq, in the 9th or 10th century CE.

## Definitions

[edit]

The exact qualifications for labeling a group a secret society are disputed, but definitions generally rely on the degree to which the organization insists on secrecy and might involve the retention and transmission of secret knowledge, the denial of membership or knowledge of the group, the creation of personal bonds between members of the organization, and the use of secret rites or rituals.

Anthropologically and historically, secret societies have been deeply interlinked with the concept of the Männerbund, the all-male "warrior-band" or "warrior-society" of pre-modern cultures (see H. Schurtz, Alterklassen und Männerbünde, Berlin, 1902; A. Van Gennep, The Rites of Passage, Chicago, 1960).

A purported "family tree of secret societies" has been proposed, although it may not be comprehensive.[2]

Alan Axelrod, author of the International Encyclopedia of Secret Societies and Fraternal Orders,[3] defines a secret society as an organization that:

* is exclusive
* claims to own special secrets
* shows a strong inclination to favor its members.

Historian Richard B. Spence[4] of the University of Idaho offered a similar three-pronged definition:

* The group's existence is usually not kept secret, but some beliefs or practices are concealed from the public and require an oath of secrecy and loyalty to learn.
* The group promises superior status or knowledge to members.
* The group's membership is in some way restrictive, such as by race, sex, religious affiliation, or invitation only.

Spence also proposes a sub-category of "Elite Secret Societies" (composed of high-income or socially influential people) and notes that secret societies have a frequent if not universal tendency towards factionalism, infighting, and claiming origins older than can be reliably documented. Spence's definition includes groups traditionally thought of as secret societies (Freemasons and Rosicrucians) and other groups not so traditionally classified such as certain organized crime cabals (the Mafia), religious groups (Order of Assassins and Thelema) and political movements (Bolsheviks and Black Dragon Society).

Historian Jasper Ridley says that Freemasonry is "the world's most powerful secret Society".[5]

The organization "Opus Dei" (Latin for "Work of God") is portrayed as a "secret society"[6][7][8] of the Catholic Church. Critics such as the Jesuit Wladimir Ledóchowski sometimes refer to Opus Dei as a Catholic (or Christian or "white") form of Freemasonry.[9][10][11][12][13] Other critics label Opus Dei as "Holy Mafia"[14] or "Santa Mafia"[15]

The National Christian Association (1868–1983) is an example of an organization opposed to secret societies.[16]

## Realms

[edit]

### Politics

[edit]

Because some secret societies have political aims, they are illegal in several countries. Italy (Constitution of Italy, Section 2, Articles 13–28) and Poland,[17] for example, ban secret political parties and political organizations in their constitutions.

### Colleges and universities

[edit]

See also: Collegiate secret societies in North America

Many student societies established on university campuses in the United States have been considered secret societies. Perhaps one of the most famous secret collegiate societies is Skull and Bones at Yale University.[18] The influence of undergraduate secret societies at colleges such as Harvard College, Cornell University, Florida State University, Dartmouth College, Emory University, the University of Chicago,[19] the University of Virginia, Georgetown University, New York University,[20] and Wellesley College has been publicly acknowledged, if anonymously and circumspectly, since the 19th century.[21][22]

British universities have a long history of secret societies or quasi-secret clubs, such as The Pitt Club at Cambridge University,[23][24] Bullingdon Club at Oxford University,[24] the Kate Kennedy Club, The Kensington Club and the Praetorian Club at the University of St Andrews, and the 16' Club at St David's College.[25] Another British secret society is the Cambridge Apostles, founded as an essay and debating society in 1820. Not all British universities host solely academic secret societies; both The Night Climbers of Cambridge and The Night Climbers of Oxford require both brains and brawn.

In France, Vandermonde is the secret society of the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers.[26]

Notable examples in Canada include Episkopon at the University of Toronto's Trinity College and the Society of Thoth at the University of British Columbia.[27][28]

Secret societies are disallowed in a few colleges. The Virginia Military Institute has rules that no cadet may join a secret society,[29] and secret societies have been banned at Oberlin College from 1847[30] to the present,[31] and at Princeton University since the beginning of the 20th century.

Confraternities in Nigeria are secret-society-like student groups within higher education, some of which have histories of violence and organized crime. The exact death toll from confraternity activities is unclear. One estimate in 2002 was that 250 people had been killed in campus cult-related murders in the previous decade,[32] while the Exam Ethics Project lobby group estimated that 115 students and teachers had been killed between 1993 and 2003.[33]

The Mandatory Monday Association is thought to operate out of a variety of Australian universities including the Australian Defence Force Academy. The Association has numerous chapters that meet only on Mondays to discuss business and carry out rituals.[34]

The only secret society abolished and then legalized is that of The Philomaths,[35] which is now a legitimate academic association founded on a strict selection of its members.

### Internet

[edit]

While their existence had been speculated for years, Internet-based secret societies first became known to the public in 2012 when Cicada 3301 began recruiting from the public via Internet-based puzzles.[36][37] The goals of the society remain unknown, but it is believed to be involved in cryptography.[38][39]

## Around the world

[edit]

The following contemporary and historic secret societies formed in Africa, by country:

### Africa

[edit]

#### Cameroon

[edit]

* Ekpe

#### Ghana

[edit]

* Simo

#### The Gambia

[edit]

* Ojeh Society

#### Guinea

[edit]

* Poro
* Sande society

#### Ivory Coast

[edit]

* Poro
* Sande society

#### Liberia

[edit]

* Crocodile Society
* Poro
* Sande society

#### Mali

[edit]

* Simo

#### Nigeria

[edit]

* Ekpe
* Nze na Ozo
* Ogboni
* Confraternities in Nigeria

#### Sierra Leone

[edit]

* Crocodile Society
* Leopard Society
* Ojeh Society
* Poro
* Sande society
* Simo

#### South Africa

[edit]

* Afrikaner Broederbond
* Afrikanerbond

#### Zimbabwe

[edit]

* Nyau

### Asia

[edit]

#### China

[edit]

Secret societies played a major role in Chinese affairs for centuries. They were a key aspect of the Anti-Qing sentiments of the 20th century. After the collapse of the Qing Dynasty, they were tacitly supported by and actively collaborated with the Nationalist government. Having played prominent roles in history, they were targeted by the anti-secret society campaigns of the newly established government of the People's Republic of China during the 1950s.[40] Examples of Chinese secret societies include:

* Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists
* Hai San Secret Society
* Red Lanterns
* Red Spear Society
* Tiandihui, Society of the Heaven and the Earth
* Yellow Sand Society
* White Lotus
* Heavenly Kingdom of Everlasting Satisfaction

#### India

[edit]

A group of Thuggees strangling a traveller on a highway in India in the early 19th century.

Secret societies in India include:

* Paramahansa Mandali
* Abhinav Bharti

#### Japan

[edit]

Secret societies in Japan include:

* Black Dragon Society
* Double Leaf Society
* Gen'yōsha
* Green Dragon
* Sakurakai

#### Malaysia

[edit]

Secret societies in Malaysia include:

* Ang Soon Tong
* Ghee Hin Kongsi
* Wah Kee

#### Philippines

[edit]

Secret societies in the Philippines include:

* La Liga Filipina
* Katipunan
* Order of Free Gardeners

#### Singapore

[edit]

Main articles: Secret societies in Singapore and Secret societies in colonial Singapore

* Ang Soon Tong
* Ghee Hin Kongsi
* Salakau
* Wah Kee
* Freemasonary

### Australia

[edit]

Secret societies in Australia include:

* Freemasonry[41]
* Odd Fellows[41]
* Order of Free Gardeners
* Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes[41]
* Tong

### Europe

[edit]

Several secret societies existing across Europe, including:

* Ancient Order of Freesmiths (Freischmiede)
* Freemasonry
* Order of Free Gardeners
* Templars of Honor and Temperance
* Rosicrucianism

Other organizations are listed by country.

#### Albania

[edit]

* Black Society for Salvation
* Secret Committee for the Liberation of Albania

#### Bulgaria

[edit]

* Bulgarian Secret Central Revolutionary Committee
* Bulgarian Secret Revolutionary Brotherhood
* Macedonian Youth Secret Revolutionary Organization

#### Finland

[edit]

* Aurora Society
* Ordo Templi Orientis
* Valhallaorden

#### France

[edit]

* Association of the Polish Youth "Zet"
* Bourbaki group
* La Cagoule
* Carbonari
* Compagnons du Devoir
* Company of the Blessed Sacrament
* Ellinoglosso Xenodocheio
* Hiéron du Val d'Or
* Order of Free Gardeners
* Order of the Solar Temple
* Priory of Sion
* Society of the Rights of Man

#### Germany

[edit]

* Ancient Order of Freesmiths
* Association of the Polish Youth "Zet"
* Germanenorden
* Illuminati
* Order of the New Templars
* Ordo Templi Orientis
* Schnez-Truppe
* Thule Society
* Tugendbund
* United Ancient Order of Druids

#### Greece

[edit]

* Epsilon Team
* Ethniki Etaireia
* Ordo Templi Orientis

#### Ireland

[edit]

* Defenders
* Hellfire Club
* Irish Republican Brotherhood
* Molly Maguires
* Royal Arch Purple
* Whiteboys

#### Italy

[edit]

* Carbonari
* Fascio Operaio
* Knights of the Apocalypse
* Propaganda Due
* Sicilian Mafia

#### Poland

[edit]

* Association of the Polish Youth "Zet"
* Ordo Templi Orientis
* Zarzewie

#### Portugal

[edit]

* Carbonária

#### Russia

[edit]

* Association of the Polish Youth "Zet"
* Lyubomudry
* Ordo Templi Orientis
* Petrashevsky Circle
* Secret Macedonian-Adrianople Circle
* Southern Society of the Decembrists
* Union of Prosperity
* Union of Salvation

#### Serbia

[edit]

* Black Hand
* Main Board for Serb Liberation
* Ordo Templi Orientis
* Serbian secret organization in eastern Bosnia
* White Hand

#### Spain

[edit]

* The Disinherited
* Freemasonry
* Mano Negra (Black Hand)
* Order of Free Gardeners
* Ordo Templi Orientis
* Society of the Exterminating Angel
* Spanish Military Union

#### United Kingdom

[edit]

* A∴A∴
* Bullingdon Club
* Calves' Head Club
* Cambridge Apostles
* Confederacy
* Gormogons
* 5 Hertford Street
* Hellfire Club
* Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
* The Horseman's Word
* Molly Maguires
* National Action
* The Night Climbers of Cambridge
* The Night Climbers of Oxford
* Nordic League
* Odd Fellows
* Odin Brotherhood
* Order of Chaeronea
* Order of Druids
* Order of Free Gardeners
* Ordo Templi Orientis
* Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes
* The 16' Club
* The School of Night
* Scotch Cattle
* Sealed Knot
* Tong
* United Ancient Order of Druids

### North America

[edit]

Main article: Collegiate secret societies in North America

#### Canada

[edit]

Secret societies in Canada that are non-collegiate include:

* Fenians
* Freemasonry
* Hunters' Lodges
* Independent Order of Odd Fellows[42]
* Ku Klux Klan[42]
* Order of Free Gardeners
* Order of the Solar Temple
* Ordre de Jacques-Cartier [fr][42]
* Ordo Templi Orientis
* P.E.O. Sisterhood
* Tong

#### Cuba

[edit]

* Abakuá

#### United States

[edit]

Secret societies in the United States that are non-collegiate include:

* Abakuá
* American Protestant Association
* Brotherhood of American Yeomen
* Fenians
* Freemasonry
* Hunters' Lodges
* Knights of Columbus
* Knights of the Golden Circle
* Knights of Liberty
* Knights of Reciprocity
* Ku Klux Klan
* Molly Maguires
* Odd Fellows
* Order of Free Gardeners
* Order of the Star Spangled Banner
* QAnon
* The Order of the Third Bird
* Tong

#### Mexico

[edit]

* Feminine Brigades of St. Joan of Arc
* El Yunque (organization)

### South America

[edit]

#### Brazil

[edit]

* Shindo Renmei
* Hy-Bráz Society[43][44]

## Opposition

[edit]

See also: Anti-Masonry

The Catholic Church strongly opposed secret societies, especially the Freemasons. It did relent somewhat in the United States and allowed membership in labour unions and the Knights of Columbus, but not the Masons.[45][46] Some Christian denominations continue to forbid their members from joining secret societies in the 21st century, such as the Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection and Seventh-day Adventists.[47][48]

## See also

[edit]

* Collegiate secret societies in North America
* Cult
* High school secret societies
* Magical organization

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Daraul, Arkon (6 November 2015). A History Of Secret Societies. Pickle Partners Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78625-613-3.
2. ^ Stevens (1899), p. vii.
3. ^ Checkmark Books (1998), ISBN 0816038716
4. ^ Spence, Richard B. The Real History of Secret Societies (2019), The Great Courses
5. ^ Jasper Ridley (2011). The Freemasons: A History of the World's Most Powerful Secret Society. Arcade. ISBN 978-1-61145-010-1. see also Jeffers, H. Paul. Freemasons: A History and Exploration of the World's Oldest Secret Society. (Citadel Press, 2005).
6. ^ Walsh, Michael. OPUS DEI: An Investigation into the Secret Society Struggling for Power within the Roman Catholic Church.
7. ^ Secret Society: Opus Dei - Catholicism's Secret Sect.
8. ^ Their Kingdom Come: Inside the Secret World of Opus Dei.
9. ^ "Beyond the Threshold". archive.nytimes.com. Archived from the original on 13 August 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
10. ^ Preston, Paul (1986). The triumph of democracy in Spain. London: Methuen. p. 28\. ISBN 9780416900101. OCLC 14586560.
11. ^ Harding, Nick (2005). Secret societies. Edison, N.J.: Chartwell Books, Inc. p. 107\. ISBN 9780785821700. OCLC 78244509.
12. ^ Hesse, Alexander (2015), Geheimbünde Freimaurer und Illuminaten, Opus Dei und Schwarze Hand (in German), Reinbek: Rowohlt Taschenbuch, p. 54, ISBN 9783499630491
13. ^ Augias, Corrado (2012), Die Geheimnisse des Vatikan : Eine andere Geschichte der Papststadt (in German) (1., neue Ausg ed.), München: Beck, C H, p. 415, ISBN 9783406630927
14. ^ Pilapil, Vicente R. (1971). "Opus Dei in Spain". The World Today. 27 (5): 211–221\. ISSN 0043-9134. JSTOR 40394504. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
15. ^ SPIEGEL, Peter Hertel, DER (7 April 2005). "Vatikan intern: Der Aufstieg der Santa Mafia". Der Spiegel (in German). Archived from the original on 22 July 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2021.`{{cite news}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
16. ^ Fuerbringer, Ludwig (1927). The Concordia Cyclopedia: A Handbook of Religious Information, with Special Reference to the History, Doctrine, Work, and Usages of the Lutheran Church. St. Louis, Missouri: Concordia Publishing House. pp. 532–33. Retrieved 11 October 2024. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
17. ^ "The Constitution of the Republic of Poland". 2 April 1997. Archived from the original on 20 April 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2009. "Article 13: Political parties and other organizations whose programs are based upon totalitarian methods and the modes of activity of nazism, fascism and communism, as well as those whose programs or activities sanction racial or national hatred, the application of violence for the purpose of obtaining power or to influence the State policy, or provide for the secrecy of their own structure or membership, shall be prohibited."
18. ^ "Skull And Bones". The Secret Society Manual. thesecretbookgarden.com. Archived from the original on 19 April 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
19. ^ "To The Members of the University of Chicago". The University of Chicago Magazine. 5 (9): 298. July 1913. Archived from the original on 30 September 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
20. ^ Megan Findling (3 November 2011). "Edgar Allan Poe in Greenwich Village" (article). Researching Greenwich Village History. greenwichvillagehistory.wordpress.com. Archived from the original on 20 February 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
21. ^ "Secret Societies. | News | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Archived from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
22. ^ "Student Government at Wellesley and How It Makes for Loyalty among the College Girls and Faculty". The New York Times. 12 February 1912. Archived from the original on 11 November 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
23. ^ Bowers, Mary (17 November 2006). "Pitt Club under pressure from Council" (PDF). Varsity. p. 5\. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
24. ^ a b Gray, Kirsty (11 February 2011). "Oxford's Bully-ingdon Club faces more scandal". Varsity. Archived from the original on 27 January 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
25. ^ D.T.W. Price. A History of Saint David's University College, Lampeter. University of Wales Press, Cardiff. Volume One, to 1898 (ISBN 0-7083-0606-3)
26. ^ "Naissance de " Alexandre-Théophile Vandermonde ", mathématicien français – Espace " Sciences du Numérique " Alan Turing (LJAD – CNRS/UNS)". www.espace-turing.fr. Archived from the original on 17 October 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
27. ^ "Episkopon Policy". Trinity College. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
28. ^ Ramsay, Bailey (2 May 2017). "The Society of Thoth: How The Ubyssey began as an actual cult". The Ubyssey. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
29. ^ "Regulations for the Virginia Military Institute, Part II, Revised 5 December 2008, 12–16(b)". vmi.edu.
30. ^ Fletcher, Robert Samuel (1943). A History of Oberlin College from Its Foundation Through the Civil War. Oberlin College. Archived from the original on 14 August 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2012. "Revised codes were issued every few years, but not many important changes were made in them. Provisions with regard to the hours of 'athletic exercises and sport' were added in 1847. In the same revision, there appeared for the first time the 'peculiar' Oberlin rule against secret societies. 'No student,' it runs, 'is permitted to join any secret society or military company.'"
31. ^ Student Regulations, Policies, and Procedures, Oberlin College 2011–2012 (PDF). Oberlin College. 2011. p. 34\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 March 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2012. "No secret society is allowed at Oberlin, and no other societies or self-perpetuating organizations are allowed among students, except by permission of the faculty. This is to be understood to include social and rooming-house clubs."
32. ^ "NIGERIA: Focus on the menace of student cults" Archived 11 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine, IRIN, 1 August 2002
33. ^ "Cults of violence" Archived 21 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine, The Economist, 31 July 2008
34. ^ "IV. The Secret Societies", Omaha Secret Societies, Columbia University Press, 31 December 1969, pp. 58–132, doi:10.7312/fort92186-004, ISBN 9780231887458
35. ^ Arthur Morius Francis. Secret Societies. Vol. 3: The Collegiate Secret Societies of America. 2015 (file pdf).
36. ^ Bell, Chris (25 November 2013). "The internet mystery that has the world baffled". Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
37. ^ Ernst, Douglas (26 November 2013). "Secret society seeks world's brightest: Recruits navigate 'darknet' filled with terrorism, drugs". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
38. ^ NPR staff (5 January 2014). "The Internet's Cicada: A Mystery without an Answer". All Things Considered, National Public Radio. Archived from the original on 27 June 2018. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
39. ^ Scott, Sam (16 December 2013). "Cicada 3301: The most elaborate and mysterious puzzle of the internet age". Metro. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
40. ^ Purbrick, Martin (2019). "Patriotic Chinese Triads and Secret Societies: From the Imperial Dynasties, to Nationalism, and Communism". Asian Affairs. 50 (3): 305–322\. doi:10.1080/03068374.2019.1636515. S2CID 199953554.
41. ^ a b c "Mateship & Fraternal Secret Societies in Australia". Fraternal Secrets. Archived from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
42. ^ a b c "Secret Societies in Canada | The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Archived from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
43. ^ Prado, Firmino Vinhas. A Sociedade Hy-Bráz e o Destino do Brazil - via Open Library.
44. ^ "Sociedade Hy-Bráz. Fundada em 1899 no interior de Minas… | by Gabriel Santos - FRENASPAN | Apr, 2025 | Medium". medium.com. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
45. ^ Christopher J. Kauffman, Faith and Fraternalism: The History of the Knights of Columbus, 1882–1982 (1982) p. 8.
46. ^ Simon Sarlin and Dan Rouyer, "The Anti-Masonic Congress of Trento (1896): International Mobilization and the Circulation of Practices against Freemasonry." Contemporanea: Rivista di Storia dell'800 e del '900 (July-Sep 2021, 24#3, pp. 517-536.
47. ^ The Discipline of the Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection (Original Allegheny Conference). Salem: Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection. 2014. pp. 20–21.
48. ^ Ellen G. White, "Selected Messages Book 2", Chapter 13. (1958)

## Further reading

[edit]

* Axelrod, Alan (1997). The International Encyclopedia of Secret Societies and Fraternal Orders. New York: Facts on File. ISBN 0816023077.
* Dickie, John. The Craft: How the Freemasons Made the Modern World (PublicAffairs, 2020). excerpt; scholarly history.
* Dumenil, Lynn. Freemasonry and American Culture: 1880-1930 (Princeton UP, 1984), major scholarly survey. excerpt
* Gist, Noel P. Secret Societies: A Cultural Study of Fraternalism in the United States (1941)
* Harwood, W. S. (May 1897). "Secret Societies in America." The North American Review, vol. 164, no. 486. JSTOR 25118819.
* Heckethorn, Charles William (1886). The Secret Societies of All Ages and Countries, Embracing the Mysteries of Ancient India, China, Japan, Egypt, Mexico, Peru, Greece, and Scandinavia, the Cabbalists, Early Christians, Heretics, Assassins, Thugs, Templars, the Vehm and Inquisition, Mystics, Rosicrucians, Illuminati, Freemasons, Skopzi, Camorristi, Carbonari, Nihilists, and Other Sects (2nd ed.). Forgotten Books.
* Jacob, Frank (2012). Geheimgesellschaften: Kulturhistorische Sozialstudien: Secret Societies: Comparative Studies in Culture, Society and History. Würzburg: Königshausen & Neumann. ISBN 978-3826049088.
* Klimczuk, Stephen, and Gerald Warner (2009). Secret Places, Hidden Sanctuaries: Uncovering Mysterious Sights, Symbols, and Societies. New York: Sterling Publishing Company.
* Kloosterman, Jaap (2013). Secret Societies. Leibniz Institute of European History (IEG).
* Ownby, David, and Mary F. Somers Heidhues, eds. Secret Societies Reconsidered: Perspectives on the Social History of Early Modern South China and Southeast Asia (Routledge, 2016) excerpt
* Ridley, Jasper (2011). The Freemasons: A History of the World's Most Powerful Secret Society. Arcade. ISBN 978-1-61145-010-1.
* Roberts, J. M. (John Morris) (1972). The Mythology of the Secret Societies. New York: Scribner. ISBN 0-684-12904-3.
* Robbins, Alexandra (2004). Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities. New York: Hyperion. ISBN 0-7868-8859-8.
* Simmel, Georg. "The Sociology of Secrecy and of Secret Societies"  The American Journal of Sociology (1906) 11#4 pp. 441–498 a famous classic by Georg Simmel, online
* Stevens, Albert Clark (1899). The Cyclopædia of Fraternities. New York: Hamilton Printing & Publishing Company.
* Whalen, William Joseph (1966). Handbook of Secret Organizations. Milwaukee: Bruce Pub. Co. LCCN 66026658.

## External links

[edit]

Look up secret society in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Secret societies.

* Secret Societies: a very short history – Documents of Freemasons, Jesuits, Illuminati, Carbonari, Burschenschaften and other organizations
* Stevens, The cyclopædia of fraternities (2nd ed.). A dated review of the subject.

* v
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Fraternities and sororities

Active academic fraternities originating from North America

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* ΑΙΟ
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* ΑΔΓ
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Historically Jewish|

* ΑΕΠ
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Multicultural|

* ΔΞΝ
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* ΑΦΩ
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LGBTQ|

* ΑΛΖ
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* ΑΠΩ
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Latino and Puerto Rican|

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* ΑΖ
* ΑΨΛ
* ΑΟΣ
* ΔΤΛ
* ΓΑΩ
* ΓΖΑ
* ΗΓΔ
* ΚΔΧ
* ΛΑΥ
* ΛΠΥ
* ΛΠΧ
* ΛΣΥ
* ΛΘΑ
* ΛΘΝ
* ΛΘΦ
* ΛΥΛ
* ΜΑΦ
* ΝΑΚ
* ΝΣΒ
* ΣΔΑ
* ΣΙ
* ΣΙΑ
* ΣΛΑ
* ΣΛΥ
* ΣΠΑ
* ΦΔΓ
* ΦΗΜ
* ΦΙΑ
* ΦΛΑ
* ΦΣΑ
* ΧΥΣ
* ΨΑΚ
* ΩΦΒ

Major specific|

* ΑΓΡ
* ΑΓΣ
* ΑΚΨ
* ΑΣΚ
* ΑΩΕ
* ΔΣΠ
* ΚΚΨ
* ΣΑΙ
* ΤΒΣ
* ΦΣΓ
* ΦΣΡ
* Ceres
* FarmHouse
* Triangle

Social sororities|

* ΑΓΔ
* ΑΔΠ
* ΑΕΦ
* ΑΞΔ
* ΑΟΠ
* ΑΣΑ
* ΑΣΤ
* ΑΦ
* ΑΧΩ
* ΓΦΒ
* ΔΔΔ
* ΔΓ
* ΔΖ
* ΔΦΕ
* ΖΤΑ
* ΘΦΑ
* ΚΑΘ
* ΚΒΓ
* ΚΔ
* ΚΚΓ
* ΠΒΦ
* ΣΔΤ
* ΣΚ
* ΣΣΣ
* ΣΨ
* ΦΜ
* ΦΣΣ
* ΧΩ
* Clovia

Social fraternities|

* ΑΔΦ (Fraternity/Society)
* ΑΚΛ
* ΑΣΦ
* ΑΤΩ
* ΑΦΔ
* ΑΧΑ
* ΑΧΡ
* ΒΘΠ
* ΔΚΕ
* ΔΣΦ
* ΔΤΔ
* ΔΥ
* ΔΦ
* ΔΧ
* ΔΨ
* ΖΨ
* ΘΔΧ
* ΘΞ
* ΘΧ
* ΚΑ Order
* ΚΑ Society
* ΚΔΡ
* ΚΔΦ
* ΚΛΨ
* ΚΣ
* ΛΧΑ
* ΟΚΕ
* ΠΚΑ
* ΠΚΦ
* ΠΛΦ
* ΣΑΕ
* ΣΔΑ
* ΣΘΠ
* ΣΝ
* ΣΠ
* ΣΤΓ
* ΣΦ
* ΣΦΔ
* ΣΦΕ
* ΣΧ
* ΤΚΕ
* ΦΓΔ
* ΦΔΘ
* ΦΔΨ
* ΦΚΘ
* ΦΚΣ
* ΦΚΤ
* ΦΚΨ
* ΦΛΧ
* ΦΜΑ Sinfonia
* ΦΜΔ
* ΦΣΚ
* ΦΣΦ
* ΧΓΕ
* ΧΦ
* ΧΨ
* ΨΥ
* Acacia

See also|

* Freemasonry
* Odd Fellows
* Gentlemen's club
* Secret society

* v
* t
* e

Odd Fellows

International fraternal orders originating in the United Kingdom in the 18th century

Governing bodies|

* Independent Order of Odd Fellows
* Independent Order of Oddfellows Manchester Unity
* Grand United Order of Oddfellows

Appendant bodies|

* International Association of Rebekah Assemblies
* Household of Ruth
* Ancient Mystic Order of Samaritans
* Ladies of the Orient

People|

* John Wilkes
* Sir George Savile, 8th Baronet
* Thomas Wildey
* Peter Ogden
* Schuyler Colfax
* James L. Ridgely

Buildings|

* List of Odd Fellows buildings

Financial services|

* Insignia Financial
* Manchester Unity Credit Union

Category:Odd Fellowship

* v
* t
* e

Conspiracy theories

List of conspiracy theories

Overview

| Core topics|

* Antiscience
* Cabals
* deep state
* éminence grise
* power behind the throne
* Civil / Criminal / Political conspiracies
* Conspiracy
* Crisis actors
* Deception
* Dystopia
* Espionage
* Global catastrophe scenarios
* Hidden message
* Pseudohistory
* Pseudoscience
* Secrecy
* Secret societies
* Urban legends and myths

|

Psychology|

* Attitude polarization
* Cognitive dissonance
* Communal reinforcement
* Confirmation bias
* Denialism
* Locus of control
* Manipulation
* Mass psychogenic illness
* moral panics
* Paranoia
* Psychological projection

Astronomy and outer space

* 2012 phenomenon
* Nibiru cataclysm
* Ancient astronauts
* Apollo Moon landings
* Flat Earth
* Hollow Earth
* Hollow Moon
* Reptilians

| UFOs|

* Alien abduction
* Area 51
* Black Knight satellite
* Cryptoterrestrial / Extraterrestrial / Interdimensional hypothesis
* Dulce Base
* Estimate of the Situation (1948)
* Lake Michigan Triangle
* MJ-12
* Men in black
* Nazi UFOs
* Die Glocke
* Project Serpo

| Hoaxes|

* Dundy County (1884)
* Maury Island (1947)
* Roswell (1947)
* Twin Falls (1947)
* Aztec, New Mexico (1949)
* Southern England (1967)
* Ilkley Moor (1987)
* Gulf Breeze (1987–88)
* Alien autopsy (1995)
* Morristown (2009)

|

Deaths and disappearances

| Assassination /
suicide theories|

* Zachary Taylor (1850)
* Louis Le Prince (1890)
* Lord Kitchener (1916)
* Tom Thomson (1917)
* Władysław Sikorski (1943)
* Benito Mussolini (1945)
* Adolf Hitler (1945)
* Subhas Chandra Bose (1945)
* Johnny Stompanato (1958)
* Marilyn Monroe (1962)
* John F. Kennedy (1963)
* Lee Harvey Oswald (1963)
* Lal Bahadur Shastri (1966)
* Harold Holt (1967)
* Martin Luther King Jr. (1968)
* Robert F. Kennedy (1968)
* Salvador Allende (1973)
* Aldo Moro (1978)
* Renny Ottolina (1978)
* Pope John Paul I (1978)
* Airey Neave (1979)
* Olof Palme (1986)
* Zia-ul-Haq (1988)
* GEC-Marconi scientists (1980s–90s)
* Turgut Özal (1993)
* Vince Foster (1993)
* Kurt Cobain (1994)
* Yitzhak Rabin (1995)
* Diana, Princess of Wales (1997)
* Vatican murders (1998)
* Nepalese royal family (2001)
* Yasser Arafat (2004)
* Benazir Bhutto (2007)
* Osama bin Laden (2011)
* Hugo Chávez (2013)
* Seth Rich (2016)
* Alejandro Castro (2018)
* Jeffrey Epstein (2019)
* Chan Yin-lam (2019)
* Sushant Singh Rajput (2020)
* John McAfee (2021)

|

Accidents / disasters|

* Mary Celeste (1872)
* RMS Titanic (1912)
* Great Kantō earthquake (1923)
* Lynmouth Flood (1952)
* Dyatlov Pass (1959)
* Lost Cosmonauts (1950s–60s)
* JAT Flight 367 (1972)
* United Air Lines Flight 553 (1972)
* Itavia Flight 870 (1980)
* South African Airways Flight 295 (1987)
* Khamar-Daban (1993)
* MS Estonia (1994)
* TWA Flight 800 (1996)
* EgyptAir Flight 990 (1999)
* Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (2014)

Other cases|

* Joan of Arc (1431)
* Yemenite children (1948–54)
* Elvis Presley (1977)
* Jonestown (1978)

Body double hoax|

* Paul McCartney
* Avril Lavigne
* Vladimir Putin
* Melania Trump

Energy, environment

* Agenda 21

California drought manipulation

* Climate change denial
* false theories
* Free energy suppression
* HAARP
* Red mercury

False flag allegations

* USS Maine (1898)
* RMS Lusitania (1915)
* Reichstag fire (1933)
* Pearl Harbor (1941)
* USS Liberty (1967)
* Lufthansa Flight 615 (1972)
* Widerøe Flight 933 (1982)
* KAL Flight 007 (1983)
* Mozambican presidential jet (1986)
* Pan Am Flight 103 (1988)
* Oklahoma City bombing (1995)
* 9/11 attacks (2001)
* advance knowledge
* WTC collapse
* Madrid train bombing (2004)
* London bombings (2005)
* Smolensk air disaster (2010)
* Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (2014)
* Denial of the 7 October attacks (2023)

Gender and sexuality

* Alpha/beta males
* Anti-LGBTQ
* Anti-gender movement
* Chemicals
* Drag panic
* Gay agenda
* Gay Nazis myth
* HIV/AIDS stigma
* United States
* Homintern
* Lavender Scare
* Recruitment
* Grooming
* Litter box hoax
* Transvestigation
* Finger pinching
* Gamergate
* Ideology in incel communities
* Larries / Gaylors
* Satanic panic
* Soy and masculinity

Health

* 5G misinformation
* Anti-vaccination
* Autism
* MMR
* Thiomersal
* In chiropractic
* Misinformation
* Aspartame
* Big Pharma
* Chemtrails
* COVID-19
* Ivermectin
* Lab leak
* Vaccines
* Turbo cancer
* In Canada / Philippines / United States
* Ebola
* Electronic harassment
* Germ theory denialism
* GMOs
* HIV/AIDS denialism
* Origins theories
* Oral polio AIDS hypothesis
* Lepers' plot
* Medbeds
* SARS (2003)
* Water fluoridation
* Pont-Saint-Esprit mass poisoning

Race, religion and/or ethnicity

* Bhagwa Love Trap
* CERN ritual hoax
* COVID-19 and xenophobia
* Freemasons
* French Revolution
* Gas chambers for Poles in Warsaw (1940s)
* German POWs post-WWII
* Priory of Sion
* Product labeling
* Halal
* Kosher
* Tartarian Empire
* War against Islam
* White genocide

| Antisemitic|

* Andinia Plan
* Blood libel
* Cohen Plan
* Doctors' plot
* During the Black Death
* Epsilon Team
* George Soros
* Holocaust denial
* Trivialization
* International Jewish conspiracy
* Committee of 300
* Cultural Bolshevism / Jewish Bolshevism
* Żydokomuna
* Judeo-Masonic plot
* The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
* World War II
* Z.O.G.
* Judeopolonia
* Killing of Jesus
* Kalergi Plan
* New World Order
* Rothschilds
* Stab-in-the-back myth

|

Christian / Anti-Christian|

* Anti-Catholic
* Jesuits
* Popish Plot
* Vatican
* Bible
* Giuseppe Siri

Islamophobic|

* Counter-jihad
* Bihar human sacrifice
* Eurabia
* Great Replacement
* Love jihad
* Proposed "Islamo-leftism" inquiry
* Trojan Horse scandal

Genocide denial /
Denial of mass killings|

* Armenian
* Assyrian
* Bangladesh
* Bosnian
* Cambodian
* The Holocaust
* Holodomor
* Nanjing
* Rwandan
* Serbs during WWII

Regional

| Asia|

* India
* Cow vigilante violence
* Pakistan
* Jinnahpur
* Philippines
* Tallano gold
* South Korea
* Finger-pinching
* Thailand
* Finland Plot

|

Americas
(outside the United States)|

* Argentina
* Andinia Plan
* Canada
* Avro Arrow cancellation
* Leuchter report
* Peru
* Casa Matusita
* Venezuela
* Daktari Ranch affair
* Golpe Azul

Middle East / North Africa|

* In the Arab world
* 10 agorot
* Cairo fire
* Kissinger Plan in Lebanon
* Israel-related animal theories
* Iran
* Western-backed Iranian Revolution
* Israel
* Pallywood

Russia|

* Alaska payment
* Dulles' Plan
* Golden billion
* Petrograd Military Organization
* Rasputin
* Ukraine bioweapons

Turkey|

* 2016 coup attempt
* Ergenekon
* Operation Sledgehammer
* Gezi Park protests
* Sèvres syndrome
* Üst akıl

Other European|

* Euromyth
* Georgia
* Global War Party
* Ireland
* German Plot
* Lithuania
* Statesmen
* Roman Republic
* First Catilinarian conspiracy
* Spain
* Mano Negra affair
* Sweden
* Lilla Saltsjöbadsavtalet
* UK
* Clockwork Orange plot
* Elm Guest House
* Harold Wilson
* Voting pencil

United States|

* Barack Obama
* Citizenship
* Religion
* Parentage
* "Obamagate" / Spygate
* Biden–Ukraine
* Black helicopters
* CIA and JFK
* CIA assistance to bin Laden
* Clinton body count
* Cultural Marxism
* Election denial movement
* FBI secret society
* FEMA camps
* Georgia Guidestones
* Jade Helm 15
* Montauk Project
* Philadelphia Experiment
* Pizzagate
* The Plan
* Project Azorian
* QAnon
* Pastel
* Incidents
* Saddam–al-Qaeda
* Sandy Hook (2012)
* Springfield pet-eating hoax
* Trump–Ukraine
* "Vast right-wing conspiracy"
* Vietnam War
* POW/MIA issue / Stab-in-the-back myth

| 2020 election|

* Italygate
* "Pence Card"
* Maricopa County ballot audit
* Stop the Steal

|

Other

* Dead Internet theory
* NESARA/GESARA
* New Coke
* Phantom time / New chronology
* Shadow government claims
* Bilderberg
* Illuminati
* synarchism
* Shakespearean authorship

| Pseudolaw|

* Admiralty law
* Freeman on the land movement
* Redemption movement
* Sovereign citizens
* Strawman theory
* Tax protesters

|

Satirical|

* Acre
* Bielefeld
* Birds Aren't Real
* Li's field
* Ted Cruz–Zodiac Killer meme

See also

* Argument from ignorance
* Conspiracy Encyclopedia
* Conspiracy fiction
* Conspirituality
* Dogma
* pseudoskepticism
* Falsifiability
* Fringe science
* Historical negationism
* Online youth radicalization
* Paranormal
* Prejudice
* Hate speech
* Radicalization
* Science by press conference
* Superstition

* v
* t
* e

Phaleristics

Auxiliary science of history and numismatics about orders, decorations, and medals

Distinctions
(Lists)|

| By conferee|

| Founts of honour*|

* States
* and their national/public/official authorities
* Dynasties
* heads of currently or formerly sovereign royal families

|

Private|

* Ecclesiastical
* Organisations
* Commercial
* (Self-styled order)

By type|

| Orders|

* Order of chivalry
* Military order
* Order of merit
* Royal family order

| Titles (Styles,
Post-nominal)|

| By function|

* Grand master
* Chancellor
* Treasurer
* Assessor
* Bailiff
* Prior
* Chaplain
* Master of ceremonies

|

* Grand Cross / Grand Cordon
* Commander
* Officer
* Hospitaller
* Knight/Dame
* Postulant
* Squire
* Page

Jurisdictions|

* Charter
* Bailiwick
* Chapter
* Commandery
* Obedience
* Grand Lodge
* Lodge

Others,
by field|

| Military (List)|

* List of highest
* Campaign medal
* Law enforcement

|

Civilian (List)|

| Society|

* Peace
* Intellectual freedom
* Human rights
* Law
* Humanitarianism
* Politics
* Volunteer

|

Culture|

* Architecture
* Art
* Film
* History
* Literature
* Music
* Philosophy
* Poetry
* Theatre

* Science
* Religion-related
* Ecclesiastical
* Sports
* Scouting
* Beauty

By insignia
(Named after
people)|

| For wearing
(decorations)|

| Formal|

* Chelengk
* Collar
* Livery collar
* Grand Cross / Grand Cordon
* with sash
* Medal
* Necklet
* Medal bar
* Medal ribbon
* Robe of honour
* Tiraz

|

Other|

* Rosette
* Award pin
* Lapel pin
* Collar pin
* Tie pin
* Badge
* Heraldic
* Pilgrim
* Championship belt
* Embroidered patch
* Epaulette
* Ribbon
* Ring
* Championship ring
* Button
* Campaign
* Service
* Shoulder mark
* Tie clip

Prizes|

* Booby prize
* Wooden spoon
* Deal toy
* Plaquette
* Prize book
* Prize money
* Prize of war
* War trophy
* Human trophy
* Rosette
* Trophy
* Acrylic
* Participation
* Prizes known as the Nobel of a field

Ceremonies
and events|

* Accolade
* Vigil
* Feoffment
* Passage fee
* Festival
* Vow
* Collar day

Related
organisations|

* Family history society
* Fraternity
* Confraternity
* Fraternal order
* Fraternities and sororities
* Secret society
* Guild
* Syndicate
* Learned society
* Fellowship
* Honor society
* Hereditary society
* Club
* Gentlemen's club
* International Commission for Orders of Chivalry
* Magical organization
* Religious order

Related
concepts|

* Chivalry
* Numismatics
* Heraldry
* Vexillology
* Service flag
* Battle honour
* Campaign streamer
* Nobility
* Order of precedence
* Taonga
* Honorary degree
* Devotional medal
* Awareness ribbon
* Code of conduct
* Code of honor
* High society

* * = Direct or indirect reference to fount of honour is the accepted criterion for official distinctions
* Category:Orders, decorations, and medals
* Wikipedia:WikiProject Orders, decorations, and medals
* Wikipedia:WikiProject Awards

Authority control databases

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Japan
* Czech Republic
* Israel

Other|

* Yale LUX

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