Initiation into the Assassin Order
The initiation into the Assassin Order is a ceremonial tradition upheld by the Assassins, which marks the transition of an apprentice to a full-fledged member of the Order. Over the centuries of the organization's existence, the ceremony has known several different variations, but has generally consisted of the recital of the Creed's tenets, the symbolic bestowal of a Hidden Blade upon the initiate, and their final rite of passage in the form of a Leap of Faith.
History
Ptolemaic Egypt
Following the formation of the Hidden Ones by Bayek and Aya in 47 BCE, the first members of the organization were close friends and allies of Bayek,[1] all of whom chose to amputate their left ring finger like Bayek had accidentally done when he triggered its early release the first time he used it.[2] This was not only done to prove their commitment to Bayek and Aya's cause, but also to allow them to properly wield the Hidden Blade. The ring finger's removal was thus the only requirement for new members to join the Brotherhood during the first several years of the Hidden Ones' existence.[3]
In 38 BCE, while helping the Hidden Ones in the Sinai fight against the Roman occupation of the peninsula, Bayek met a woman named Shaqilat who was attempting to liberate the slaves at the Klysma Quarry. After Bayek assisted her, he believed that Shaqilat had the potential to be a great Hidden One and so led her to a nearby cliff while informing her about the Brotherhood's cause. Shaqilat was initially hesitant to join the Hidden Ones, as she only trusted herself, but after Bayek demonstrated a Leap of Faith by jumping into a haystack below, Shaqilat followed his example and was welcomed into the Brotherhood by Bayek.[4]
Not long after, Bayek and Aya, the latter now going by "Amunet", decided to develop a proper Creed with strict tenets that all Hidden Ones had to follow, beginning with the prohibition of harming innocent lives.[5] The Creed's second and third tenets, namely, the requirement to always hide in plain sight and to never compromise the Brotherhood, were developed and added within the decade.[6] These tenets would thereafter be recited at every new recruit's initiation.[7]
Abbasid Caliphate
- "Never forget the tenets you have sworn to uphold. Stay your blade from the flesh of an innocent. Hide in plain sight. Never compromise the Brotherhood. Then out of the dark, you will come into the light... And from the light, you will return to the dark."
- ―Roshan during Basim ibn Ishaq's initiation, 860s.[src]-[m]
During the 9th century, the Hidden Ones of Alamut held an initiation ceremony for each apprentice who had completed their training, which was considered a "great honor" by many members of the Brotherhood. On the day of the initiation, the Hidden Ones would gather within a cavern underneath their fortress of Alamut, which secretly coincided with the entrance to an ancient Isu temple. There, the Alamut Council presided over the ceremony, reciting the Creed's tenets, which the initiate swore to uphold before using a heated dagger to amputate their left ring finger and being presented with a Hidden Blade.[7]
In the 860s, Basim ibn Ishaq was inducted into the Brotherhood this way by the Council consisting of Mentor Rayhan, the Master Assassin Roshan, and the Eagle-Master Fuladh Al Haami. After Roshan recited the Creed's tenets and asked Basim if he was ready to renounce his old life and be "reborn" as a Hidden One, Basim responded in the affirmative and used a dagger to sever his finger. Rayhan then offered Basim his Hidden Blade and welcomed him into the Brotherhood, telling him that he was now following in "the eagle's path."[7]
The initiation ceremony was typically followed by the newly-inducted Hidden One and their mentor having a short sparring session, dueling each other as equals.[7] Additionally, the initiate would be entrusted with an eagle companion who could perform reconnaissance on their missions, having been trained in it by the Eagle-Master.[8]
High Middle Ages
Although the full details of the initiation into the Order are unclear following the Hidden Ones' 11th century re-organization as the Assassins, the ceremony still included the left ring finger's amputation as a sign of commitment. This was followed by the bestowal of the Hidden Blade upon the newly-inducted Assassin, allowing them to participate in any assassinations assigned to them.[9]
As noted in his Codex,[10] some time after becoming the Levantine Assassins' Mentor in September 1191,[11] Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad used an Apple of Eden to modify the Hidden Blade's design so that finger amputation was no longer required, which in turn was an additional security measure ensuring that the Assassins' enemies could no longer identify them by their wounds.[10]
News of this change spread quickly and many Assassin guilds followed suit, though some still retained the ritual as part of their ceremony.[12] The British Assassins were the earliest known reformers, adopting it within 20 years of the announcement based on both William of Cassingham and Baron Robert Fitzwalter's lack of amputations in the First Barons' War of the early 1210s.[13] They were followed almost a century later by their neighboring Scottish Assassins, who by 1286 had taken the dramatic step and wholly eschewed traditional observances, instead repurposing a pre-existing Beltane ritual in which the initiate would have to escape confinement from a dolmen.[14]
Renaissance
- Assassin: "Where other men blindly follow the truth, remember..."
- Initiate: "Nothing is true."
- Assassin: "Where other men are limited by morality or law, remember..."
- Initiate: "Everything is permitted."
- Assassin: "We work in the dark to serve the light. We are Assassins."
Based on the Italian Assassins' conduct, the Assassins' Renaissance-era initiation was performed by the local Brotherhood's Mentor alongside several other Assassins. The ceremony came in three parts: the recital of the Creed, the branding of the initiate's left ring finger, and a Leap of Faith. First, the participants stood around a lit brazier, with one Assassin reciting the Creed, which was answered in turn by the initiate. The Creed's maxims were then spoken by all present.[15][16]
Next, the initiate's left ring finger was branded, using tongs that had been heated in the aforementioned brazier.[15][16] This was a modification of finger severing that Mario Auditore once commented on, saying that "In this modern age, we are not so literal as our ancestors, but our seal is no less permanent."[15] Finally, the initiate took a Leap of Faith to signify their trust in the Order and their fellow Assassins, after which the initiate was considered a full-fledged member.[15][17]
The Spanish Brotherhood's ceremony then was nearly identical, though with its own unique changes. During Benedicto's more traditionalist Mentorship, he would ask the subject if they swore to honor the Assassins' fight for freedom and to defend mankind against the Templars' tyranny. Upon answering in the affirmative, the initiate's right ring finger—rather than the typical left one—was severed with a ceremonial amputator device. A fellow Assassin would recite the Creed to their comrade, whom they would arm with dual Hidden Blades[12][12] if they were not among those who were untrained in its usage.[18]
Indeed, despite the Spaniards having retained the amputation practice centuries after it had become obsolete, not every member was required to undergo this procedure if they did not use Hidden Blades. Many conferred Assassins from Aguilar de Nerha's subsequent Mentorship retained their ring fingers, suggesting that Aguilar either later enacted Altaïr's mechanical reforms for Hidden Blades, or that exceptions were made for individuals trained in alternate weapons proficiencies.[19]
Sengoku Japan
During the Sengoku period, the Kakushiba ikki held a formal tradition of inducting members into the league through a tea ceremony. Based in Igan tradition, the ikki's members signed their names in ink on two pieces of paper. One copy was hidden while the other was burned and the ashes placed into a tea bowl with water. Each member would then drink from the bowl, thus initiating them into the ikki.[20]
In 1582, following the decimation of the Kakushiba ikki at the hands of the Shinbakufu,[21] Fujibayashi Naoe decided to revive the league to fight against the Shinbakufu and restore peace and order to Japan. During a meeting at their homestead, Naoe informed her allies Yasuke, Tomiko, and Junjiro of the initiation ceremony performed by the Iga ikki, and organized a similar ritual to mark the official rebirth of the Kakushiba ikki.[22]
American Revolution
During the American Revolution, the Colonial Assassins' former Mentor Achilles Davenport elected to simply grant Ratonhnhaké:ton the full rank of Assassin in lieu of an initiation.[23] Still hurt decades after witnessing his pupil Shay Cormac join the Colonial Templars and aid them in purging the Brotherhood from the colonies,[24] Achilles dismissed the ceremony, saying that it once had significance but suspecting that neither he nor Ratonhnhaké:ton put much faith in such rituals.[23]
French Revolution
In the case of the Parisian Brotherhood during the French Revolution, initiations were performed in an Assassin sanctuary located below the Sainte-Chapelle.[25] In 1789, Arno Dorian decided to join the Order after meeting the Master Assassin Pierre Bellec, who informed him of his late father's Assassin affiliations and encouraged him to follow in his footsteps.[26] After locating and accessing the sanctuary, Arno was greeted by Bellec, who brought him before the French Assassin Council.[25]
The Council's leader, Mentor Mirabeau, asked Arno why he intended to join the Assassins, to which he responded that he wished to make amends for his failure to prevent the deaths of both his father and François de la Serre. Taking notice of Arno's heavy guilt, the Council member Sophie Trenet was unsure if they should proceed with the initiation, but Bellec vouched for the young man. Mirabeau then instructed Arno to take a drink from a ceremonial goblet, as a test to prove his worthiness.[25]
The drink was laced with hallucinogenic drugs, causing Arno to experience several visions, in which he confronted manifestations of the guilt he felt for his perceived failures. When he awoke from the hallucination, Arno found himself in front of the Council members. The Council recited the Creed's tenets, after which Bellec outfitted Arno with a Hidden Blade and he was officially welcomed into the Order as a novice.[25]
Modern times
In modern times, the initiation ceremony has become much less formal and relevant, if it is ever performed at all. In 2000, the Mentor initiated Daniel Cross into the Order by rewarding him with an old Hidden Blade, and verbally welcoming him into the Order.[27] However, certain Assassins still performed portions of the ritual, though the branding of the finger was uncommon. In the early 21st century, Clay Kaczmarek was initiated in the traditional way by William Miles, walking among his soon-to-be Brothers before taking a Leap of Faith.[28]
Behind the scenes
Although Ezio's burn mark that he received during his initiation remains on his skin for the rest of Assassin's Creed II, it is not visible on his finger in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood or Assassin's Creed: Revelations.
In the cinematic trailer for Assassin's Creed: Mirage, Basim's initiation is slightly different from its in-game rendition. Roshan's second question "Are you ready to give up who you once thought you were, ready to sacrifice everything you held close?" is split at the second clause into two separate queries and are instead the first things she asks of him before inquiring if he is prepared to "walk the path of shadows", which is the ceremony's first in-game question. This rearrangement allows for Basim to reply in the affirmative three times before severing and cauterizing his ring finger, completing the ceremony with Roshan's approval of his choice to step into the light of revelation and her recitation of the Creed in full.
Gallery
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Basim's initiation in the Assassin's Creed: Mirage trailer -
Basim preparing to amputate his ring finger -
Concept art of the Spanish Brotherhood's finger amputator -
Prop of the Spanish Brotherhood's finger amputator -
Aguilar's initiation -
Perotto Calderon performing a Leap of Faith at his initiation -
Concept art of apprentices performing Leaps of Faith -
An Italian apprentice receiving the finger brand -
An Italian apprentice preparing to take a Leap of Faith -
Concept art of the Parisian Brotherhood's initiation chalice -
Model of the initiation chalice
Appearances
- Assassin's Creed II (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed: Renaissance
- Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy
- Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
- Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood novel
- Assassin's Creed: The Fall
- Assassin's Creed: Revelations – The Lost Archive
- Assassin's Creed III
- Assassin's Creed: Unity
- Assassin's Creed film
- Assassin's Creed: The Official Movie Novelization
- Assassin's Creed: Origins
- Assassin's Creed: Rebellion
- Assassin's Creed: Fragments – The Highlands Children
- Assassin's Creed: Mirage
- Assassin's Creed: Shadows
References
