Eagle

Senu, Bayek's eagle companion

Eagles are large birds of prey primarily found across the globe and are classified under the bird family Accipitridae.

Throughout history, eagles have played an important role to the Assassins, in that their insignia is modeled after an eagle's skull and many of the Order's outfits and weapons bear resemblance to eagles in their details. Eagle Vision, the sixth sense possessed by a number of notable Assassins, also takes its name from the bird.

History

Mythology

According to legend, the Greek hero Ajax had a golden eagle feather gifted to him by the god Zeus. Jupiter, a member of the Isu, wore a helmet that resembled an eagle. When he was later worshipped by the Romans, this connection remained, with eagle becoming one of the god's sacred animals. This was also true for Zeus, his Greek equivalent.

Antiquity

Classical Greece

During the Peloponnesian War, the famed misthios Kassandra had an eagle companion named Ikaros, and the bird could perform reconnaissance for her. Due to their relationship, Kassandra gained the epithet "the Eagle Bearer", although this epithet was also claimed by an impostor.

Ptolemaic Egypt

During the 1st century BCE, the Medjay who became a co-founder of the Hidden Ones, Bayek of Siwa, used his eagle companion Senu to scout enemy camps before attacking. Following the death of his son Khemu, Bayek began carrying his eagle skull necklace as a memento, which later served as the inspiration for the Hidden Ones' insignia.

Middle Ages

9th century

Fuladh introducing Basim to Enkidu

During the 9th century, the Hidden Ones of Alamut used eagles to perform reconnaissance during their missions. These eagles were typically raised and trained by an Eagle Master, such as Fuladh Al Haami, and were assigned to novice Hidden Ones once they had completed their initiation into the brotherhood. During his early years as a Hidden One, Basim ibn Ishaq had an eagle companion named Enkidu.

Whilst on her travels in Vinland, the Viking shieldmaiden Eivor Varinsdottir encountered bald eagles in the wild.

Crusades

Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, the Mentor of the Levantine Assassins, was named after the brightest star in the constellation Aquila; he acknowledged this by designing the door to his library to resemble the constellation. Only by placing the Memory Seal keys in the etchings of the constellation would the door open.

Renaissance

In the late 15th century, Ezio Auditore da Firenze collected eagle feathers for his younger brother, Petruccio. Following Petruccio's death in 1476, Ezio continued to collect feathers in memory of his brother, placing them in a box in his mother's room at the Villa Auditore. He continued this tradition following the Siege of Monteriggioni, gathering the feathers into a box at the Tiber Island headquarters.

American Revolution

Ratonhnhaké:ton collecting feathers from an eagle's nest

The Kanien'kehá:ka revered eagles and used their feathers in coming-of-age rites. During his coming-of-age, Ratonhnhaké:ton communed with Juno with a Crystal Ball, and the two spoke in the form of eagles. This conversation led Ratonhnhaké:ton to depart from his village and join the Assassins, though he would still collect feathers in remembrance of his home. Achilles Davenport, the Mentor of the Colonial Assassins, had a stuffed eagle preserved in his room on the Davenport Homestead.

In an alternate reality he witnessed through an Apple of Eden, Ratonhnhaké:ton underwent a vision journey where he communed with the spirit of the eagle, gaining the power to turn into one and fly short distances.

Trivia

• According to Jade Raymond, the series' eagle symbolism came about when the Assassin's Creed creative team realized the Assassin's predatory nature was akin to a bird-of-prey. Following this idea, they designed the character's robes to resemble an eagle and named him Altaïr.
  • The franchise subsequently adopted a tradition of giving certain characters names associated with eagles such as Altaïr, Ezio, Aquilus, Haytham, Arno, Arbaaz, Orelov, and Griffin.
• In most games of the series, eagles are used to mark viewpoints, as they will be perched atop various landmarks and fly away when the player climbs towards the viewpoint to synchronize with it.
• Desmond Miles possessed a tattoo on his left forearm, the top part of which resembled an eagle with its wings spread.
• The eagle's cry heard throughout the series prior to Assassin's Creed III sounds closer to the cry of a red-tailed hawk.
• The name of Ratonhnhaké:ton's ship, Aquila, means 'eagle' in Latin and Italian; also, the name Jackdaw is related to eagles, being a reference to the fable of the Eagle and the Jackdaw.
• The eagle motif is also present in the Assassin's Creed film, with Benedicto telling Aguilar de Nerha that "The spirit of the Eagle will watch over the future."
• In some cultures, eagles are considered to be spiritual messengers between the gods and humanity.

Gallery

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  Concept art of Altaïr emphasizing the eagle silhouette of his robes
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  Bayek with Senu
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  Kassandra with Ikaros
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  Bald eagle Animus mod for Sýnin
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  Basim with Enkidu