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He who increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow. This article contains spoilers, meaning it has information and facts concerning Assassin's Creed: Shadows. If you do not want to know about these events, it is recommended to read on with caution, or not at all. |
An Assassin apprentice being inducted into the Order
The initiation into the Assassin Order is a ceremonial tradition upheld by the Assassins, which marks the transition of an apprentice to a full-fledged member of the Order. Over the centuries of the organization's existence, the ceremony has known several different variations, but has generally consisted of the recital of the Creed's tenets, the symbolic bestowal of a Hidden Blade upon the initiate, and their final rite of passage in the form of a Leap of Faith.
History[]
Ptolemaic Egypt[]
Following the formation of the Hidden Ones by Bayek and Aya in 47 BCE, the first members of the organization were close friends and allies of Bayek,[1] all of whom chose to amputate their left ring finger like Bayek had accidentally done.[2] This was not only done to prove their commitment to Bayek and Aya's cause, but also to allow them to properly wield the Hidden Blade. The removal of the ring finger was thus the only requirement for new members to join the brotherhood during the first several years of the Hidden Ones' existence.[3]
Shaqilat performing a Leap of Faith as part of her initiation
In 38 BCE, while helping the Hidden Ones in the Sinai fight against the Roman occupation of the peninsula, Bayek met a woman named Shaqilat who was attempting to liberate the slaves at the Klysma Quarry. After Bayek assisted her, he believed that Shaqilat had the potential to be a great Hidden One and so led her to a nearby cliff while informing her about the brotherhood's cause. Shaqilat was initially hesitant to join the Hidden Ones, as she only trusted herself, but after Bayek demonstrated a Leap of Faith by jumping into a haystack below, Shaqilat followed his example and was welcomed into the brotherhood by Bayek.[4]
Not long after, Bayek and Aya, the latter now going by "Amunet", decided to develop a proper Creed with strict tenets that all Hidden Ones had to follow, beginning with the prohibition of harming innocent lives.[5] A second and third tenet would also be eventually added to the Creed, namely the requirement to always hide in plain sight and to never compromise the brotherhood.[6] These tenets would thereafter be recited at the initiation of every new Hidden One recruit.[7]
Abbasid Caliphate[]
- "Never forget the tenets you have sworn to uphold. Stay your blade from the flesh of an innocent. Hide in plain sight. Never compromise the Brotherhood. Then out of the dark, you will come into the light... And from the light, you will return to the dark."
- ―Roshan during Basim Ibn Ishaq's initiation, 860s.[src]-[m]
During the 9th century CE, the Hidden Ones of Alamut held an initiation ceremony for each apprentice who had completed their training, which was considered a "great honor" by many members of the brotherhood. On the day of the initiation, the Hidden Ones would gather within a cavern underneath their fortress of Alamut, which secretly coincided with the entrance to an ancient Isu temple. There, the Alamut Council presided over the ceremony, reciting the Creed's tenets, which the initiate swore to uphold before using a heated dagger to amputate their left ring finger and being presented with a Hidden Blade.[7]
Basim Ibn Ishaq being inducted into the Hidden Ones
In the 860s, Basim Ibn Ishaq was inducted into the brotherhood this way by the Council consisting of Mentor Rayhan, the Master Assassin Roshan, and the Eagle-Master Fuladh Al Haami. After Roshan recited the Creed's tenets and asked Basim if he was ready to renounce his old life and be "reborn" as a Hidden One, Basim responded in the affirmative and used a dagger to cut off his ring finger. Rayhan then offered Basim his Hidden Blade and welcomed him into the brotherhood, telling him that he was now following in "the eagle's path."[7]
The initiation ceremony was typically followed by the newly-inducted Hidden One and the mentor who had trained them having a sparring session, dueling each other as equals.[7] Additionally, the initiate would be entrusted with an eagle companion trained by the Eagle-Master, who aided them during their missions by performing reconnaissance.[8]
High Middle Ages[]
Although the full details of the initiation into the Order following the Hidden Ones' re-organization as the Assassins in the 11th century are unclear, the ceremony included the amputation of the left ring finger, as a sign of commitment to the Creed. This was followed by the bestowal of the Hidden Blade upon the newly-inducted Assassin, allowing them to participate in assassination missions assigned to them.[9]
As noted in his Codex, some time after becoming Mentor of the Levantine Brotherhood, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad used an Apple of Eden to modify the Hidden Blade's design so that the amputation of the ring finger was no longer necessary. This change was made so that an Assassin could not be so easily identified by their enemies.[10] Despite this, some Brotherhoods around the world retained the practice of the ring finger amputation as part of their initiation ceremony, as was the case of the Spanish Brotherhood.[11]
Renaissance[]
- Assassin: "Where other men blindly follow the truth, remember..."
- Initiate: "Nothing is true."
- Assassin: "Where other men are limited by morality or law, remember..."
- Initiate: "Everything is permitted."
- Assassin: "We work in the dark to serve the light. We are Assassins."
Ezio Auditore being inducted into the Order
During the Renaissance in Italy, the initiation was performed by the Mentor of the Brotherhood, alongside several other Assassins. The ceremony came in three parts: the recital of the Creed, the branding of the initiate's left ring finger, and a Leap of Faith. First, the participants stood around a lit brazier, with one Assassin reciting the Creed, which was answered in turn by the initiate. The final words, the maxim of the Creed, were spoken by all present, including the Mentor and the initiate.[12][13]
Next, the initiate's left ring finger was branded, using tongs that had been heated in the aforementioned brazier.[12][13] This was a modification of the removal of the finger that Mario Auditore once commented on, saying that "In this modern age, we are not so literal as our ancestors, but our seal is no less permanent."[12] Finally, the initiate took a Leap of Faith to signify their trust in the Order and their fellow Assassins – sometimes preceded by the other Assassins present also taking a Leap of Faith – after which the initiate was considered a full-fledged member of the Order.[12][14]
The initiation ceremony was nearly identical in the case of the Spanish Brotherhood during this period. The only notable difference was that the initiate's ring finger was amputated instead of branded, due to the Spanish Assassins being more traditionally-minded and retaining the practice of the finger sacrifice despite it no longer being necessary.[11]
Sengoku Japan[]
During the Sengoku period, the Kakushiba ikki held a formal tradition of inducting members into the league through a tea ceremony. Based in Igan tradition, the ikki's members signed their names in ink on two pieces of paper. One copy was hidden while the other was burned and the ashes placed into a tea bowl with water. Each member would then drink from the bowl, thus initiating them into the ikki.[15]
In 1582, following the decimation of the Kakushiba ikki at the hands of the Shinbakufu,[16] Fujibayashi Naoe set out to revive the league to fight against the Shinbakufu and restore peace and order to Japan. During a meeting at their homestead, Naoe informed her allies Yasuke, Tomiko, and Junjiro of the initiation ceremony performed by the Iga ikki, and organized a similar ritual to mark the official rebirth of the Kakushiba ikki.[17]
American Revolution[]
Achilles Davenport welcoming Ratonhnhaké:ton into the Order
During the American Revolution, the former Mentor of the Colonial Assassins, Achilles Davenport, elected to simply grant Ratonhnhaké:ton the full rank of Assassin in lieu of an initiation.[18] Still hurt after witnessing his former pupil Shay Cormac join the Colonial Templars and aid them in purging the Brotherhood's presence from the colonies,[19] Achilles dismissed the ceremony, saying that it once had significance but suspecting that neither he nor Ratonhnhaké:ton put much faith in such rituals.[18]
French Revolution[]
In the case of the Parisian Brotherhood during the French Revolution, initiations were performed in an Assassin sanctuary located below the Sainte-Chapelle.[20] In 1789, Arno Dorian decided to join the Order after meeting the Master Assassin Pierre Bellec, who informed him of his late father's Assassin affiliations and encouraged him to follow in his footsteps.[21] After locating and accessing the sanctuary, Arno was greeted by Bellec, who brought him before the French Assassin Council.[20]
Arno Dorian being inducted into the Order
The Council's leader, Mentor Mirabeau, asked Arno why he intended to join the Assassins, to which he responded that he wished to make amends for his failure to prevent the deaths of both his father and François de la Serre. Taking notice of Arno's heavy guilt, the Council member Sophie Trenet was unsure if they should proceed with the initiation, but Bellec vouched for the young man. Mirabeau then instructed Arno to take a drink from a ceremonial goblet, as a test to prove he was worthy to join the Order.[20]
The drink was laced with hallucinogenic drugs, causing Arno to experience several visions, in which he confronted the guilt he felt for his perceived failures. When he awoke from the hallucination, Arno found himself in front of the Council members. The Council recited the tenets of the Creed, after which Bellec outfitted Arno with a Hidden Blade and he was officially welcomed into the Order as a novice.[20]
Modern times[]
A rendition of Clay Kaczmarek's initiation, as experienced by Desmond Miles in the Black Room
In modern times, the initiation ceremony has become much less formal and relevant. In 2000, the Mentor initiated Daniel Cross into the Order by rewarding him with an old Hidden Blade, and verbally welcoming him into the Order.[22] However, certain Assassins still performed portions of the ritual, though the branding of the finger was uncommon. In the early 21st century, Clay Kaczmarek was initiated in the traditional way by William Miles, walking among his soon-to-be Brothers before taking a Leap of Faith.[23]
Behind the scenes[]
Although Ezio's burn mark that he received during his initiation remains on his skin for the rest of Assassin's Creed II, it is not visible on his finger in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood or Assassin's Creed: Revelations.
In the Assassin's Creed film, Aguilar de Nerha undergoes a slightly different initiation into the Spanish Brotherhood. The Mentor Benedicto asks him if he swears to honor their order in the fight for freedom and to defend mankind against the Templars' tyranny. Upon answering that he swears, his right ring finger is ceremonially amputated and María recites the tenets of the Creed whilst arming Aguilar with his dual Hidden Blades.
In the cinematic trailer for Assassin's Creed: Mirage, Basim's initiation is slightly different from its in-game rendition. Roshan starts the ceremony by asking Basim if he is ready to give up everything he once was and held dear in his past to "walk the path of shadows", as Basim takes a heated knife from a brazier. Upon Basim replying in the affirmative three times, he severs and cauterizes his ring finger, to which Roshan says that he will step out from the metaphorical dark of ignorance into the light of revelation, only to retreat to the literal shadows with his new knowledge. Roshan then concludes the initiation by reciting the Creed in full.
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
- Assassin's Creed II (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed: Renaissance
- Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy
- Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
- Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood novel
- Assassin's Creed: The Fall
- Assassin's Creed: Revelations – The Lost Archive
- Assassin's Creed III
- Assassin's Creed: Unity
- Assassin's Creed film
- Assassin's Creed: Origins
- Assassin's Creed: Rebellion
- Assassin's Creed: Mirage
- Assassin's Creed: Shadows
References[]
