The Three Links Odd Cast

Appendant Bodies For Odd Fellows

February 21, 2021 Toby Hanson, Ainslie Heilich, Sergio Paredes Season 1 Episode 20
The Three Links Odd Cast
Appendant Bodies For Odd Fellows
Show Notes

Popular culture has linked fraternal orders with the iconic headwear of the Middle East: the fez.  How did that piece of headwear sported by Morocco Mole become emblematic of American fraternalism?  What kinds of side orders are there for Odd Fellows?  How did they develop and what happened to all of them?  In this episode we get some answers from Brother Seth Anthony of Triune Lodge #307 in Middletown, Pennsylvania.  Brother Seth is an avid fraternalist and founder of the Museum of Fezology (www.fezmuseum.com).  He shares the stories of all the various "fun" side orders for Odd Fellows including the Oriental Order of Humility & Perfection, the Imperial Order of Muscovites, the Pilgrim Knights of Oriental Splendor, the Veiled Prophets of Baghdad, the Ancient Mystic Order of Cabiri, and the United Order of Splendor and Perfection.  He also talks about the modern successors of those groups, the Noble Order of Muscovites and the Ancient Mystical Order of Samaritans.  Along the way we learn about the overall cultural influences of the Middle East on American fraternalism, how a bunch of Shriners in Chicago in 1893 brought the fez to fraternal orders, and some of the stories behind unique fezzes in Brother Anthony's collection.  The Shoutout this episode goes to the newly-chartered Themis Lodge #75 in Alexandria, Louisiana.