Medjay
- "The first Medjay was the protector of the pharaoh. But now, it means we must protect all the people of Egypt. Not just protect them, but work for their well-being."
- ―The Medjay, Bayek, to his son, Khemu, 49 BCE.[src]
The Medjay were an elite Egyptian paramilitary police force who served and acted as desert scouts and protectors of areas of Pharaonic interest throughout the Old, Middle, and New kingdom periods of Egypt. The ultimate sworn guardians of the pharaoh and the nation. At their peak, the Medjay were highly esteemed and perceived as the very symbol of true honor, courage, and duty. For this reason, their badge was emblazoned with the Eye of Horus, an emblem representing the protection of the Egyptian people.
History
The Medjay were originally established during the Old Kingdom and were tasked with the protection of the pharaoh's people. As the most trusted guards to the pharaoh, they were considered as the ultimate protector of the gods and the people.[1]
By the time of the Ptolemaic dynasty, however, the role had faded away, with Bayek of Siwa being one of the few remaining Medjay, acting as a sheriff of sorts for his community. His wife, Aya, also served as a Medjay. Despite police duties being taken over by the Phylakitai, Egyptians throughout the land still recognized the symbol of the Medjay, hailing Bayek as a "protector".[1]
In 48 BCE, Cleopatra appealed to Bayek's sense of duty by making him "Egypt's Medjay", granting him a golden badge to replace his original leather one. Bayek's closest friend, Hepzefa, was also noted as a Medjay in Siwa, having taken on Bayek's duties after he left on his journey of vengeance against the Order of the Ancients.[2] After Hepzefa's death, Bayek and Aya were the last of the Medjay, a title they eventually cast away as they became the first of the Hidden Ones.[1]
Prayer of The Medjay
- "Every morning of my childhood, my father and I spoke the Prayer of the Medjay, a promise to those in need. "I am a Medjay. I am a feather in the eagle's wing... a living dagger, plunged from the sky into the heart of chaos. I am a truth unknown... a scabbard unfilled... a son of the Nile... and a defender of the people. You cannot kill me, for I walk among the dead. Come forth by day, and I will guide you home." My son should have learned this prayer from me."
- ―Bayek's thoughts at the end of Taimhotep's Song
Like their eventual successors, the Medjay had their own guiding principles that dictated their way of life. Like the Creed of the Assassins, the Prayer of the Medjay was passed down orally; Bayek reminisced about it, his own childhood, when reflecting upon a protection ritual performed by Taimhotep and her maidservant Mara for Taimhotep's unborn child, and how he should have taught it to his son before his untimely death.[3]
Members
Ptolemaic Egypt
Trivia
- In Assassin's Creed: Desert Oath, the Medjay are mentioned as having their own bloodlines, much like the Assassin Brotherhood (more specifically, like how Desmond Miles is descended from noteworthy Assassins like Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad and Ezio Auditore da Firenze). This is possibly due to the fact that Medjay originally referred to an ethnic group employeed as a paramilitary force instead of the occupation itself.
- As demonstrated by Bayek and Hepzefa, the Medjay badge is worn on the left shoulder.
- Historically, there is no attestation for the Medjay's continued existence past the Twentieth Dynasty.[4]
Gallery
-
The simple Medjay Badge owned by Bayek and Hepzefa -
The ornate Medjay Badge given to Bayek by Cleopatra
Appearances
- Assassin's Creed: Desert Oath (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed: Origins
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Assassin's Creed: Origins
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Origins – Egypt's Medjay
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Origins – Taimhotep's Song
- ↑ Wilkinson, Toby (2005). Dictionary of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson.
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