Ankh

He who increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow. This article contains spoilers, meaning it has information and facts concerning recent or upcoming releases from the Assassin's Creed series. 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 on 4 October 2023.

Patience, brothers. Soon we will reveal the secrets of Assassin's Creed: The Engine of History – The Resurrection Plot. This article has been identified as being out of date. Please update the article to reflect recent releases and then remove this template once done.

"This cross is like a key which allowed a Traveler to pass through the Gates of Eternity..."

―Lucius talking about the Ankh to his son.

The Ankh is an artifact believed to be a Piece of Eden, though recent research by Abstergo Industries disputes its authenticity. It was said to have the capability of healing the sick, and temporarily resurrecting the dead. It would also act as a recording device, storing the mannerisms of a living person and being able to return those mannerisms to a corpse.

Initially used by the Egyptian goddess Isis to resurrect her husband Osiris and to help Egyptian pharaohs, the Ankh was later transported to Rome after having been looted from a pyramid. There, the Ankh wound up around Lugdunum, in the hands of the Assassins, who held on to it despite Templar attempts to take it.

The Ankh was later rumored to be located in central Europe. In 2014, Juhani Otso Berg traveled to Essen in search of the artifact but, without any reliable evidence of its existence, he and Violet da Costa dismissed the stories of the Ankh as a hoax perpetuated by the Assassins to send them on a wild goose chase.

Owners

• Isu (? – ?)

The enclosed content is of ambiguous canonicity.
Isis (? – ?) Roman looters (1st century) Slave trader (1st century) Lugos (2nd century) Accipiter (259 CE) Aquilus (259 CE) Lucius (259 CE) Caïus Fulvus Vultur (259 CE) Aquilus (259 CE) Valeria (259 CE)

• Armen Kazan (1869)
• Art Hennighan (November 1869–September 1870)
• Lebrun (September 1870)

History

The enclosed content is of ambiguous canonicity.

Egypt The Ankh was originally owned by Isis, who used its mystical powers to protect the kings of Egypt from harm. After Osiris was murdered by his brother Set, Isis used the Ankh to resurrect him for one more night of intimacy; an act that led to the conception of Isis' son, Horus. Roman Empire During the mid-1st century, the Ankh was recovered from a pyramid by Roman looters, who sold it to a slave trader. The Ankh switched hands many times, until it ended up in Lugos' possession, however, Lugos' ship sank in the Mediterranean Sea, not before he could leave a message stored in the Ankh, revealing his position, and that he carried the Scepter of Aset as well. Somehow, the Ankh eventually ended up in Germania. In 259, the Ankh came into the hands of the Aleman Assassin Accipiter. He then passed it on to Aquilus, who brought it back home to his father Lucius. Lucius locked it in a box, but the very same day, he was killed by his associate Caïus Fulvus Vultur, a secret member of the Templar Order, who stole the Ankh for himself. Valeria holding the Ankh Aquilus later retook the Ankh from Vultur when he killed him in Rome. Later, while Aquilus was studying the Ankh with his wife Valeria, they were arrested by Roman soldiers, who took the Ankh from the couple. After an assault on the convoy by Accipiter, Valeria was able to reclaim the Ankh from one of the dead soldiers, though the attack resulted in Aquilus' death. On Accipiter's request, she took the Ankh with her and hid it somewhere, due to Accipiter himself being in the middle of a war.

Germany

During the 14th century, a Templar organization called the Brothers of the Cross traveled across Europe to offer protection from the Black Death. The German Assassin Lukas Zurburg suspected them to be after the Ankh, which was rumored to be located in central Europe at the time. In 1350, the Brothers of the Cross and Lukas both inexplicably disappeared.

Trivia

• The Ankh, also known as the Key of Life or Crux Ansata, was the ancient Egyptian hieroglyph representing "eternal life". It was often worn by Egyptian gods and pharaohs.
• The Ankh was said to carry the Mark of the Messenger inscribed on it.

Gallery

• 
  The Ankh and its powers
• 
  Aquilus speaking with his father
• 
  Lucius speaking through the Ankh
• 
  Vultur attacking Aquilus with the Ankh

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed 2: Aquilus (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed 3: Accipiter
• Assassin's Creed: Rogue (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed: The Engine of History – The Resurrection Plot