Greek fire

He who increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow. This article contains spoilers, meaning it has information and facts concerning Assassin's Creed: Mirage – A Soar of Eagles. If you do not want to know about these events, it is recommended to read on with caution, or not at all. This template should be removed from the article 7 August 2025.

"Tales from the West tell of a substance called Greek fire, whose flames cannot be doused with any volume of water, only serving to intensify its fury instead!"

―Yun Pyeong-Gyu, 1725.

Ezio using Greek fire

Greek fire was a powerful Byzantine incendiary weapon that was a closely guarded military secret. Its true composition remains unknown to this day, despite multiple theories. Famously, it was reputed to burn more fiercely on contact with water, making it particularly valuable in naval warfare.

Greek fire was both used by ships, and in the struggles for control of Assassin Dens in Constantinople during the Ottoman Civil War.

History

Antiquity

Bayek discovering Agrippa's stockpiles of Greek fire

At some point prior to 47 BCE, a precursor to Greek fire was developed by the Roman architect Vitruvius. After realizing its potential for mass destruction, Vitruvius hid the formala away to prevent the weapon from ever being produced, but Agrippa, a general serving under Flavius Metellus, eventually discovered it and began mass producing the weapon for the Roman army. Vitruvius sought the help of the Medjay Bayek of Siwa to recover the formula and destroy the stockpiles of Greek fire already produced by the Romans, which he did.

Middle Ages

Greek fire was first used by the Byzantine Emperor Leon III's army, when enemy vessels laid siege to Constantinople in the year 717. In the battle, the napalm-like substance burned through the enemy fleet, forcing them to call off their attack and flee west.

In the 9th century, Endubis, a former general of the Aksumite Kingdom-turned-cult leader, lined the walls of the Church of Abuna Yemata with Greek fire. When his stronghold came under attack by the Hidden Ones Fuladh Al Haami and Roshan and their allies, Endubis ignited the substance, opting to destroy the church rather than let it fall to the invaders.

In 1507, during the Siege of Viana, the defenders used Greek fire against the attacking forces led by Cesare Borgia. Four years later, the Italian Assassin Ezio Auditore used Greek fire in order to destroy several ships preventing him from leaving Constantinople. The Ottoman Assassins also mounted Greek fire weapons along the barricades they used to defend their dens from Templar attacks.

18th century

Yun producing Greek fire

In 1725, the Chinese Assassins Xiao Han, Liu Qing, and Xue Yan carried bombs filled with Greek fire, which they used while boarding the Zhang Wei Union's flagship Fenghuang. The engineer Yun Pyeong-Gyu recognized the substance from the stories he had heard about it and instructed the ship's crew to use sand instead of water to extinguish the flames.

After repelling the Chinese Assassins' attack, Yun was able to reproduce the formula for Greek fire inside his laboratory, which the British Assasasin Edward Kenway recognized from the Brotherhood's records. He then suggested making a stop at Java to acquire petroleum, which would allow them to produce larger quantities of the substance.

Fortunately for the Zhang Wei Union, the trip to Java became unnecessary after Yun stumbled upon a warehouse filled with barrels of petroleum during the crew's imprisonment in Manila. Following the crew's escape, Yun had these barrels loaded onto the Fenghuang, allowing the engineer to resume production of Greek fire. Xialun Qing used her knowledge of alchemy to assist Yun, remaking that the process was similar to the distillation of alcohol.

The two inventors later used Greek fire to fuel one of their creations, the Celestial Chariot, a prototype hot air balloon. However, the substance's highly flammable nature proved to be a drawback in this case, when the Greek fire spilled into the balloon mid-flight, causing it to catch fire and resulting in its destruction. Later, Yun built a second Celestial Chariot which had its burner installed above the balloon's basket to prevent a similar accident from occuring again.

Greek fire being used against Jeong's fleet

While in Cebu, Yun found another application for the substance and invented Greek fire bombs, which upon being fired from a cannon, created thick flames on the water's surface, preventing ships from passing through. The Fenghuang's crew used these bombs to repel an attack by Admiral Jeong's fleet, allowing them to sail to safety and escape Cebu.

Later, Yun also invented Greek fire flamethrowers, which the Zhang Wei Union made use of during a battle against the Rattan Shield Company and Shimazu clan ninja; trapping the ninja by creating a wall of fire around them and allowing the Union members to eliminate them.

Trivia

• Historically, the secret of Greek fire was already lost by the Ottoman era and was never used by them.
• In Assassin's Creed: Odyssey's downloadable expansion Legacy of the First Blade: Shadow Heritage, a flamethrower weapon akin to Greek fire called Chimera's Breath was introduced.
• The Greek fire flamethrowers built by Yun Pyeong-Gyu are modeled after the Fierce-fire Oil Cabinet, an incendiary weapon first utilized in China in the 10th century CE.

Gallery

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  Concept art of the Greek fire cannon
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  Concept art of the Greek fire mechanism
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  A Greek fire cannon
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  Greek fire used during a Den Defense
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  A Greek fire bomb
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  The Zhang Wei Union using Greek fire flamethrowers

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood novel (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Revelations
• Assassin's Creed: Origins
• Assassin's Creed: The Golden City
• Assassin's Creed: Mirage
• Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple
• Assassin's Creed: Mirage – A Soar of Eagles