What does “eingeschworene Gemeinschaft” mean in German?

The pastor admires the fairground workers and calls them “eine eingeschworene Gemeinschaft.” It sounds gentle, but it is strong praise: he means a close, loyal group that sticks together and lets outsiders in slowly. The literal idea is “a sworn-together community” — people bound by their shared life travelling together. That is a far stronger bond than just being good colleagues.

In the clip: “…sind eine eingeschworene Gemeinschaft, sehr bodenständig” — “…are a tight-knit, loyal group, very down-to-earth.” (He is talking about the fairground workers.) “eingeschworen” means people are deeply bonded and stand by each other. A few ways it gets used: - Wir sind eine eingeschworene Gemeinschaft. — We’re a tight, loyal group. - Das Team ist eingeschworen. — The team really sticks together. - eine eingeschworene Gruppe von Freunden — a close, loyal circle of friends It is warm praise, but it also hints that the group is closed and slow to welcome newcomers. “bodenständig” right after means down-to-earth, modest, with both feet on the ground.