Cain

Cain in the Bible

According to the Bible, Cain and Abel were the first two sons of Adam and Eve, with Cain being the eldest of the two. In the Bible's story of the two brothers, Abel had pleased God with his sacrificial offering, while Cain had not. Because of that, he envied Abel, and killed him as a result.

God later learned of the event and punished Cain, however, instead of taking his life, God made Cain wander the earth forever. The Bible then states that a cursed mark was placed upon Cain, known as the "Mark of Cain." In the book, how long ago the events occurred is unknown, but as it is described in the Bible, he and Abel were the sons of Adam and Eve, which places the event of Abel's murder a generation later than Adam and Eve.

Cain in Assassin's Creed II

In Assassins Creed, Cain's story differs from the event stated in the Bible. Instead of Cain killing Abel because God was pleased with his brother instead of him, Cain killed Abel to steal the Piece of Eden in his possession.

From there, Cain's mark (that he was given for killing Abel) became the symbol of the Templars, which they work under to collect more Pieces of Eden. Subject 16 also references quotes from the Mormon Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' "Pearl of Great Price" scripture. The semi-hidden message "Templar texts adapted by Mr. Smith" written in Morse code in a glyph sequence (Mr. Smith being an allusion to Joseph Smith, the 19th-century preacher who founded the LDS Church), imply that the Mormon or LDS version of Cain and Abel is more accurate, or at the very least, an accurate reflection of the Templar's version of events. The relatively unique title of "Master Mahan " is mentioned as the title Cain gave himself, for being the master of the great secret. The term "Mahan" is used within the LDS Church.