Hood
A hood is a type of headwear that covers the top and sides of the head but leaves the face open. Often an extension of a wider apparel, it is normally draped around the neck, hanging to the back, and worn by being pulled up and around the head from behind. The simple garment has an extensive history across human civilization owing to its basic utility in protection against the elements.[1]
Although the hood leaves the face largely exposed, it can also serve as a means of shrouding one's identity to an extent. The Assassins, known for their unparalleled expertise in stealth operations, had a long tradition of donning hoods to lessen their profile in public, typically worn alongside a robe or cloak.
The hood was so central to Assassin attire that it quickly became a signature feature of their uniform, a recurring element that persisted throughout the ages and across disparate cultures even as fashion trends evolved continuously. The universal design standard of the Assassin hood was for it to be shaped into a beak at the top in homage to their mascot, the eagle. While not as common, some Templars also donned hoods to hide their identities, such as Rodrigo Borgia, Shay Cormac, and François-Thomas Germain.
History[edit | edit source]
Isu Era[edit | edit source]
During his adventures in Svartálfaheimr, the Æsir Odin wore the All-Father Cloak, which would adjust to the jötunn or Muspel disguises that he would use via the Hugr-Rip. The Muspel Throttigr also donned a hood as she patrolled Svaldal.[2]
Peloponnesian War[edit | edit source]
During the Peloponnesian War, the mercenary Kassandra acquired various hoods that oftentimes accompanied other pieces of armor, one of which was the iconic Mercenary Hood.[3] Kassandra also obtained hoods from allies and enemies, such as the Shroud of Penelope from Elpenor,[4] the Viper's Hood from The Master,[5] and Demosthenes' Hood.[6]
Kassandra was not the only one who made use of hoods during this time. Her friend Herodotos also wore a hood as he traveled alongside her through the Greek world.[3] Artaxerxes I of Persia, living in exile after a failed attempt on his life, wore a hood to conceal his identity.[7] Meanwhile, the Cult of Kosmos, the shrouded society that controlled the Greek world at the time, also wore hoods as part of their Cultist costumes, alongside a theatre mask to conceal their identities. The Cultist Iokaste wore a hood on a normal basis. Similarly, many members of the Followers of Ares and Daughters of Artemis also fashioned the hood.[3]
Ptolemaic Egypt[edit | edit source]
The Medjay of Egypt typically wore hoods with their outfits, an aspect that was carried over to the Hidden Ones when Bayek, Amunet, Tahira, and others founded the organization.[8] Bayek's original robes had a simple hood made of loose fabric, though four years after founding the Hidden Ones, he had crafted an improved outfit, with the hood's center resembling an eagle's beak.[9]
Golden Age of Baghdad[edit | edit source]
The trend of beaked hoods carried on as the Hidden Ones developed over the centuries, eventually reaching the Alamut Hidden Ones in the Abbasid Caliphate, where Basim Ibn Ishaq and his master Roshan both wore beaked hoods during the 9th century.[10] At this point in time, the height of a hood's beak symbolized a Hidden One's status, with a higher beak meant for Apprentice robes and a lower beak reserved for Master Assassins and Mentors.[11]
Viking Age[edit | edit source]
During the Viking Age, the Raven Clan shieldmaiden Eivor Varinsdottir met Basim and his acolyte Hytham, who had migrated to Norway after befriending Eivor's adoptive brother Sigurd Styrbjornsson. Eivor did not share any interest in joining the Hidden Ones, but did adapt some of their methods, such as the usage of hoods to gain a stealth advantage.[12]
In England, Christian monks often wandered towns and monasteries, and Eivor made use of her Raven Clan Cloak to blend in with these monks and bypass guards. Eivor never used her hood in combat, however.[13] Upon eliminating all members of the Order of the Ancients in England, Hytham gave Eivor Thor's Cape as a gift.[14] During her final years in her settlement, Eivor became the jarl of Ravensthorpe and thus donned the Jarl of the Raven Clan Cloak.[15]
Various other people wore hoods during this period. The mysterious Hildiran always wore a hood. The jarl Guthrum also wore a hood at times, notably as the Great Heathen Army invaded Hamptunshire. In Eivor's visions in the Memory Corridor, Odin wore a hood at all times.[13] In 878, the witch-warrior working for the Women of the Mist, Niamh of Argyll, used a hood as she infiltrated the Hidden Ones.[16]
Middle Ages[edit | edit source]
By the late 11th century, following the Hidden Ones' transformation into the Assassins, hoods remained a staple headpiece for the now-public organization. During the Third Crusade, the hood saw use by Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, Al Mualim, and other Assassins. Scholars were also present in the Holy Land, allowing Assassins to blend in with them similarly to Eivor centuries earlier.[17] During the 14th century, the Assassin Thomas de Carneillon wore a dark brown hood, which was unusual compared to the lighter colored Assassin hoods of the Middle Ages.[18]
Renaissance[edit | edit source]
In the 15th century, the Assassin Giovanni Auditore wore an Assassin cloak with a hood, which was passed down to his son Ezio following his death. During the Renaissance, Ezio could dye his hood alongside the rest of his outfit at various tailors. Other notable hood users during this time included La Volpe, Paola, and Teodora Contanto.[19]
Monks and nuns also continued to wear hoods during this time, allowing Ezio to blend with them like Eivor and Altaïr had, a skill he used to assassinate the Templar Stefano da Bagnone.[20] Templars such as Grand Master Rodrigo Borgia and Silvio Barbarigo also wore hoods in public as a way of protecting their identities.[19][21]
Golden Age of Piracy[edit | edit source]
During the Golden Age of Piracy, most Assassins in the West Indies wore hoods, including the Mentor Ah Tabai and the Master Assassin Duncan Walpole,[22] whose outfit became Edward Kenway's signature attire after Walpole's death.[23] Notably, the West Indies Assassins' hoods at this time were not beaked, but they still conferred the same advantages.[22]
Due to his initial status as a pirate, as well as the hot climate of the West Indies, Edward rarely put his hood up, only doing so when infiltrating restricted areas to conceal his identity.[22] Even after joining the Brotherhood years later, Edward still preferred not to wear his hood unnecessarily, only donning it during missions which required a stealth approach.[22][24]
Seven Years' War[edit | edit source]
During the Seven Years' War, most Colonial Assassins wore hoods, though in terms of color, the common theme of grey/white that appeared with Bayek, Altaïr, and Ezio began to fade. The Assassins Kesegowaase, Hope Jensen, and Louis-Joseph Gaultier, Chevalier de la Vérendrye, donned green, pink, and black hoods, respectively. Throughout New York City, only leaders of Hope's gang wore a hood. The Assassin turncoat Shay Cormac did not wear a hood on his main outfit following his departure from the Brotherhood, though some of his other attires, such as his Dark Assassin outfit, included one.[25]
American Revolution[edit | edit source]
Following the purge of the Colonial Brotherhood, few Assassins wore hoods. By the time of the American Revolutionary War, Ratonhnhaké:ton and one of his recruits, Deborah Carter, were the only ones to wear traditional Assassin hoods.[26] Ratonhnhaké:ton's robes were a modified version of the outfit worn by grandfather Edward Kenway, and the hood now featured the signature Assassin beak.[27]
In an alternate reality brought on by an Apple of Eden, Ratonhnhaké:ton wore a spirit animal hood shaped like a wolf during his campaign against the mad King George Washington.[28]
French Revolution[edit | edit source]
During the French Revolution, nearly all Assassins throughout Paris used hoods, including the Assassin Council. During inductions of new Assassins, all members of the Council, save for Pierre Bellec, wore the traditional beaked hoods.[29] The Assassin Arno Dorian had a variety of hoods that could be dyed a plethora of colors. His collection included his own, as well as nine other hoods, each with different levels of protection.[30]
The Templars François-Thomas Germain and Chrétien Lafrenière also commonly wore hoods during this time to conceal their identities.[30]
Victorian era[edit | edit source]
During the Victorian era, most British Assassins wore hoods, including Jacob and Evie Frye, George Westhouse, and Henry Green. Due to the evolution of clothing, hoods were no longer viable for blending, though they still offered the advantage of anonymity. Both Jacob and Evie would wear their hoods while infiltrating restricted areas, but would take them off in public spaces to allow them to blend in with civilians.[31]
Modern times[edit | edit source]
In the 21st century, the usage of hoods among the Assassins became far less common, especially after the Great Purge, as they made them easily recognizable to the Templars.[32] Still, certain Assassins elected to wear hoods during their field missions, such as Desmond Miles, Galina Voronina, and Charlotte de la Cruz, all three of whom wore hoods from their sweatshirts.[26][33]
Other Assassins who preferred to retain their anonymity would wear hoods at all times, such as the members of an Assassin cell operating throughout Southeast Asia.[24]
