Eagle

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Eagles are large birds of prey primarily found across the globe and are classified under the bird family Accipitridae.

Eagles play an important role to the Assassin Brotherhood, in that many of the Order's outfits and weapons bear resemblance to eagles in their details, and the birds tend to perch on the Viewpoints which the Assassins use to navigate their surroundings and perform Leaps of Faith from. In this regard, the Assassins dubbed the sixth sense that belonged to some of their members as "Eagle Vision".

History

Mythology

According to a story, Ajax, a legendary Greek hero, had a golden eagle feather, gifted to him by the god Zeus.^[1]

Jupiter, a member of the Isu, wore a helmet that resembled an eagle.^[2] When he was later worshipped by the Romans, this connection remained, with eagle becoming one of the god's sacred animals. This was also true for Zeus, the Greek equivalent of Jupiter.^[3]

5th century BCE

During the Peloponnesian War, in Ancient Greece, the legendary Spartan misthios Kassandra had an eagle companion named Ikaros, and the bird could perform reconnaissance for her. Due to their relationship, Kassandra gained the epithet "the Eagle Bearer".^[3] This epithet was also claimed by an impostor.^[4]

1st century BCE

The Medjay who later became the founder of the Hidden Ones, Bayek of Siwa, used his eagle companion Senu to scout enemy camps before attacking.^[5]

Middle Ages

Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad was named after the brightest star in the constellation Aquila; he acknowledged this by designing the door to his library to resemble the constellation. Only by placing the Memory Seal keys in the etchings of the constellation would the door to his treasure room open.^[2]

Renaissance

Ezio Auditore da Firenze collected eagle feathers for his younger brother, Petruccio. Following Petruccio's death in 1476, Ezio continued to collect feathers in memory of his brother, placing them in a box in his mother's room at the Villa Auditore;^[6] he continued this tradition following the Siege of Monteriggioni, gathering the feathers into a box at the Tiber Island headquarters.^[7]

18th century

The Kanien'kehá:ka revere eagles, and use their feathers in coming-of-age rites. During his coming-of-age, Ratonhnhaké:ton communed with Juno with a Crystal Ball, and the two spoke in the form of eagles. This conversation led Ratonhnhaké:ton to depart from his village and join the Assassins, though he would still collect feathers in remembrance of his home. Achilles Davenport, Mentor of the Colonial Assassins, had a stuffed eagle preserved in his room on the Davenport Homestead.^[8]

In an alternate reality, Ratonhnhaké:ton underwent a vision journey where he communed with the spirit of the eagle, gaining the power to turn into one and fly short distances.^[9]

Trivia

• According to Jade Raymond, the series' eagle symbolism came about when the Assassin's Creed creative team realized the Assassin's predatory nature was akin to a bird-of-prey. Following this idea, they designed the character's robes to resemble an eagle and named him Altaïr.^[10]
• The franchise subsequently adopted a tradition of giving certain characters names associated with eagles such as Aquilus, Ezio, Haytham, Arno, Arbaaz, Orelov and Griffin.
• Desmond Miles possessed a tattoo on his left forearm, the top part of which resembled an eagle with its wings spread.
• The eagle's cry heard throughout the series prior to Assassin's Creed III sounds closer to the cry of a red-tailed hawk. ^{[citation needed]}
• Connor's ship's name, Aquila, means 'eagle' in Latin and Italian; also, the name Jackdaw is related to eagles, being a reference to the fable of the Eagle and the Jackdaw.
• An eagle appears at the beginning and the end of Assassin's Creed: Rogue, when Shay narrates the events of his life.
• The eagle motif is also present in the Assassin's Creed film, with Benedicto telling Aguilar de Nerha that "The spirit of the Eagle will watch over the future."
• In some cultures, eagles are considered to be spiritual messengers between the gods and humanity.

Gallery

Concept art of Altaïr emphasizing the eagle silhouette of his robes

Bayek with Senu

Ikaros with Kassandra

Add a photo to this gallery

References