Assassin insignia

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"The symbol that you sought and found... It is a mark of courage and honor, yes. But it promises pain and loss as well."

―Oiá:ner, regarding the Assassins' insignia, 1777.

The Assassin insignia

The insignia of the Assassin Order, though varying slightly in design over different time periods and countries, held essentially the same shape and style of an eagle's head. Each of its variations represented the uniqueness of the various sects of the Order, and the insignia was often used to decorate the armor and robes of leading Assassin figures in a number of time periods.

History

The inspiration for the insignia came from the Hidden Ones' co-founder Bayek, who carried an eagle skull necklace in remembrance of his late son Khemu. In 46 BCE, as Bayek and his wife Aya laid the foundations of the Hidden Ones, the former dropped the necklace onto the beach sand of Alexandria, renouncing his past and embracing his new identity as a Hidden One. After Bayek left, Aya picked up the eagle skull and saw the imprint it had left in the sand, which became the basis for the Hidden Ones' insignia.

Following some stylistic changes, a larger version of the symbol was painted in blue on the rooftop of the newly-founded Hidden Ones bureau in Memphis, marking its location and purpose to all who knew what the symbol stood for. By 38 BCE, another bureau was established in the Klysma Quarry in the Sinai Peninsula, also bearing the Hidden Ones' symbol on its walls and rooftop.

This practice continued into the High Middle Ages, as the insignia was used to prominently mark the entrances of Assassin bureaus and could be seen on the banners decorating the fortress of Masyaf. During the Renaissance in Italy, it was used on the mechanisms in the many Assassin Tombs and on the banners and walls of Monteriggioni, and was also displayed on the banners hung in the Tiber Island headquarters.

In order to hide their intention from the Borgia or other forces that were trying to stop them, Leonardo da Vinci invented a special invisible paint that only the Assassins who were able to use Eagle Vision could detect, even at great distances. The paint was mostly used by Assassin scouts, usually drawing the symbol to mark a target house or item. In Constantinople, Assassin Dens and ziplines had a small Assassin insignia atop them, while bomb-crafting stations were all painted with the Ottoman Assassins' own insignia.

Additionally, the insignia was worn openly on the armor and clothing of certain known Assassins, such as Mario Auditore, his nephew Ezio Auditore, Nikolai Orelov, Achilles Davenport, John de la Tour, Ratonhnhaké:ton, Aveline de Grandpré, Saeko Mochizuki, and Lo Sparviero. Certain modern-day Assassins also wore the insignia in the form of a tattoo, such as Daniel Cross and Kiyoshi Takakura.

Trivia

• The Assassin insignia bears some resemblance to the Freemasons' symbol of the square and compasses.
• In the Sanctuary, all of the statues had different variations of the Assassin insignia on their waists.
• The cape worn during the Carnevale in Assassin's Creed II bore an emblem similar to the Assassin insignia.
• In Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Desmond searched for Assassin insignias painted onto the walls in order to guide him to the Colosseum Vault.
• The sigils used by the Levantine and Russian Brotherhoods are vertically asymmetrical, unlike most of variations known.
• The insignia could be seen on the back of the Seusenhofer armor and the Armor of Brutus.
• The coin used in the Mongolian Assassins' symbol resembles currency from the Ming dynasty in China, which occurred much later than the period the insignia originated from.
• As the Mentor of the Levantine Assassins, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad wore a cloak clasp in the shape of the Renaissance Roman Assassins' insignia. His robes were also adorned by multiple symmetrical insignia.
• The outfits of both William Kidd and Alonzo Batilla featured the Assassin insignia; however, it is unknown if either of them possessed knowledge of the Brotherhood.
• Edward Kenway's alternate Jolly Roger for the Jackdaw was a skull encompassed by the Assassin insignia.
• The lifts attached to the main mast of the Aquila had pulley handles shaped like the Assassin's insignia.
• By the Victorian era, the British Brotherhood was quite discreet with their iconography and instead took to signifying their allegiance by the use of a ring.

An image gallery is available for Assassin insignia