Samson
Samson (11th century BCE – 12th century BCE) is a legendary figure in Abrahamic religions. One of the ancient Israelites' last "judges", or community leaders, he rebuked the Twelve Tribes of Israel for their lack of faith in God before they united to became a monarchy.[1]
Biography
Born at a time of regular conflict with the Philistines, he was prophesized to save the Israelites only if his parents Manoah and his wife raised him as a Nazirite, abstaining from alcohol and unclean foods, and never cutting his hair. This they did, and in reward for their faith, he was granted immense strength, which he used to perform great feats. As an adult, he fell in love with the Philistine Delilah, who was bribed to uncover his weakness.[1]
After her repeated entreaties, he finally told her how cutting his hair would break his divine vows and render him like a regular man. Satisfied, she seduced him to sleep and had a servant cut his hair before releasing him to the Philistines, who captured him, gouged out his eyes, and used him for manual labor, though all the while, his hair began to regrow. When the Philistines summoned him to a temple to perform at a feast for 3,000 guests in honor of their deity Dagon, he requested to lean against a pillar to rest. Praying to God for strength, he breaks the pillars and collapses the temple, killing himself and everyone inside.[1]
Legacy
Around 1609, the story of Samson and Delilah inspired the Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens to paint Samson and Delilah.
In 2012, the Assassin Clay Kaczmarek collected details on Samson's life while Abstergo Industries held him captive at their Animus Project laboratory in Rome. He then hid the information within the Animus 1.28 in Glyph puzzles for his successor, Desmond Miles, to find.[2] Sometime in early September,[3] Desmond solved the puzzle set titled "Instruments of Power", in which Samson was excluded from a list of historic individuals who wielded a Sword of Eden.[2]
Appearances
- Assassin's Creed II (Glyphs only)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2
Samson on Wikipedia
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Assassin's Creed II – Glyph #5: "Instruments of Power"
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Initiates – The Desmond Files