8 misconceptions about assassins we believe in movies and video games

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Forget about retractable blades, hashish, Gardens of Eden with hourias and showdown with the Templars.

1. Assassins are a sect of assassins

Mysterious assassins living in secret lairs and obeying the orders of their master are extremely popular in modern culture. Spice it up with Japanese flavor - get a ninja, add the mystery of the East - get assassins.

Assassins have gained real popularity thanks to the Assassin's Creed series of games, but in one form or another, these characters are found in many places. They can even be found in completely unhistorical settings. For example, in the universe of Warhammer 40,000 there is a whole secret ministry of assassins.

Most often, Assassins are presented as members of a sect, order or brotherhood, led by a mysterious man nicknamed the Old Man of the Mountain and living in a secret mountain fortress.

But this is not true. The real assassins were fighters of a paramilitary group belonging to the Nizari state - this is not a small sect, but a whole branch of Shiite Islam. It exists to this day: about 15 million Muslims of Syria, India, Iraq, Oman and other countries belong to the Nizari.

The Nizari state was created in 1090 by the preacher Hasan ibn Sabbah, and he also became its first head. It consisted of many fortresses scattered throughout Persia and Syria.

The Nizari had their own currency, among them there were peasants and artisans. Ibn Sabbah, nicknamed the Mountain Elder (his main fortress, Alamut, was located in the mountains), was an ascetic and introduced a kind of communism in his state, banning luxury, feasts, hunting and expensive things, while reducing taxes for the poor. He was an excellent speaker and had no shortage of followers.

The Nizari were surrounded on all sides by enemies, including the Seljuk Empire, so they constantly had to fight for their independence.

With the army, Ibn Sabbah was tense, so he decided instead of open hostilities to use the tactics of terror, political assassinations and intimidation of opponents.

The organization of especially devoted followers created by him, who performed demonstrative massacres of enemies for the benefit of the Nizari state, are the very same assassins.

In English, the word assassin means "assassin". However, the real assassins of Hasan ibn Sabbah are more correctly called suicide bombers, rather than covert liquidators.

2. Assassins used hashish for bravery

Some believe that the name "assassin" has a common root with the word "hashish". Allegedly, the killers, before going on business, took drugs to gain courage and contempt for death. In addition, hashish was supposed to provoke aggression and help the assassins endure the pain of wounds.

It is scary for a sober person to go into battle, but after a healing dose of prohibited substances, somehow by itself, there is a desire to cut off the extra limbs of opponents.

Sounds like logical. But hashish doesn't work that way. Like other cannabis derivatives, it induces relaxation rather than aggression. The one who has consumed hashish will not turn into an unstoppable killing machine - he will rather sit immersed in self-contemplation and laugh stupidly.

Cannabis intoxication also causes impaired coordination and attention. It is unlikely that fanatical fighters will emerge from hippie grass smokers.

In fact, "assassin" comes from the word "hashishiyya", or "hashishi", which has nothing to do with cannabis. This was the nickname of the Nizari historians, their contemporaries, such as Imaduddin Muhammad al-Isfahani (al-Katib), Abu Sham and Ibn Muyassar.

This is a derogatory term meaning "rabble, ragamuffins, lower classes", or "unbeliever, heretic, nonbeliever." In short, "rednecks that have nothing to do with real Islam." Another option is "hasaniyun", that is, "follower of Hasan."

Naturally, the Assassins did not call themselves that. They called themselves fedain, that is, "those who sacrifice themselves for the sake of faith."

3. The Assassins became, having been in the Garden of Eden

There is another opinion why famous killers became associated with hashish. Allegedly, the head of the Assassins, the Mountain Elder Hasan ibn Sabbah, inspired his adherents with unquestioning devotion in the following way.

The youths selected by Hassan were drugged and placed in the courtyard of the Nizari fortress of Alamut, which served as the main base for the Assassins. There, the candidates for murderers were gratified by beautiful girls, they were fed the best dishes and fruits and watered with wine.

After all the entertainment, the sleeping adept was returned back to the fortress, then the Old Man of the Mountain woke the student. He explained that the neophyte had visited paradise with the Hurias and would return there again if he did the will of the sovereign. Naturally, the poor youths, whose lives were very meager for pleasure, were ready to die on the orders of Ibn Sabbah, only to see the Garden of Eden again.

In the valley between the two mountains, he built the largest and most beautiful garden ever seen, adorned with treasures and the likeness of all the finest on earth. He also arranged channels, in some flowing wine, in others honey, in the third - milk, in the fourth - water. There were beautiful wives and maidens, unsurpassed in playing all kinds of instruments, and in songs, and in dances. This garden, the elder explained to his people, is paradise. The sheikh kept his court with great luxury and splendor, lived beautifully and assured the simple mountaineers who surrounded him that he was a prophet; and they believed it to be true.

Marco Polo "The Book of the Diversity of the World"

The legend is beautiful, but it hardly has anything to do with reality. The story of the Garden of Eden was told by the traveler Marco Polo, and he also met people with dog-headed heads, so his words can be safely divided by ten. In addition, he, of course, did not meet with Hasan ibn Sabbah, since they were separated by a couple of centuries.

If you look at the ruins of Alamut, as well as other Nizari castles that have survived to this day, you will see that the fortress is too small to cram a whole Garden of Eden into it.

In addition, there is information that the Mountain Elder Hasan ibn Sabbah appreciated the ascetic lifestyle so much that he allegedly left his cell in Alamut just twice to breathe fresh air on the roof. This, of course, is an exaggeration, but Hassan was still very devout and had a negative attitude towards drinking, women and other worldly joys.

He was so severe that he killed one of his sons for love of wine, and the other for attempted murder. And he sent his wife and daughters, so that they would not flicker before their eyes, to the fortress of Girdkuh, where they had to earn a living spinning. It is unlikely that such a person would use intoxicating potions to subdue new adepts.

By the way, the Elder of the Mountain, Sheikh-al-Jabal, is not a nickname for Hasan, but a title. The heads of the assassins following Hassan were called the same.

So, before taking the story of the Gardens of Eden with hashish and gurias on faith, remember the modern terrorist organizations (banned in the Russian Federation). They quite successfully recruit new martyrs even without imitating the Gardens of Eden, limiting themselves to one of their promises. Most likely, the Elder of the Mountain had the same methods centuries ago.

4. Assassins used advanced weaponry

In Assassin's Creed games, members of the noble order of assassins are always armed with the latest technology of their time. Their signature telescopic blade, which is hidden in the sleeve, has become the hallmark of the series.

To carry the early versions of this weapon, by the way, the adept had to cut off the finger. Later modifications did not require such sacrifices.

In addition to the blade, the characters-assassins at various times were armed with crossbows, bows, muskets, pistols, swords, clubs, various poisons and darts, a Gatling machine gun and other dangerous gizmos.

The reality, unfortunately, is much more boring. Mostly Nizari Ismaili fighters attacked the victims with simple knives.

First, in those days, scientific and technical progress did not reach such heights to rivet spring blades, arrow throwers and other ingenious gizmos that you cannot really assemble now. Secondly, knives could be carried by everyone, even commoners, because they were actively used in the household and in everyday life.

In medieval Europe, even going on a visit without this tool was considered indecent, because cutlery was not supposed to be issued. In the East, forks were already used, but they were common mainly among the rich, and the poor carried a knife with them the old fashioned way.

A ragamuffin with a cheap farm knife in his bosom will clearly arouse less suspicion than a man in a snow-white cape with a hood and a clanking blade instead of a middle finger.

The assassins had only one tactic: pretend that they were not in business, get close to the target, poke something sharp at it, shout out a message from the employer and run away. Or die - as luck would have it.

So, for example, they did with one of their most famous victims - Margrave Konrad of Montferrat. A couple of assassins in rags walked up to him in broad daylight and stabbed him with daggers. The bodyguards then finished off one of the assassins and captured the other. No romance and roof chases.

5. Assassins were perfect warriors

Another myth that makes assassins in common with the same ninjas is their supposedly incredible fighting skills. In the Assassin's Creed series of games, warriors of the brotherhood in hand-to-hand combat single-handedly destroy hundreds of enemy guards (no wonder, because they attack the main character only one at a time).

Getting into the brotherhood of the almighty warriors of the Shadow was not easy. The neophytes had to kneel before the gates of the Alamut fortress for long hours and even days to prove their fortitude to the Elder of the Mountain. Only those who withstood the test of the scorching sun, hunger and thirst, the head of the assassins accepted as a disciple.

Legends say that the assassins studied martial arts, poisons, acting and transformation techniques for years, spoke many languages, merged with the crowd no worse than Agent 47, and generally walked on the ceiling.

Their swordsmanship supposedly was such that all European knights and Japanese samurai could only cry.

However, in reality, the assassins could not boast of outstanding combat training. Their methods of murder, as mentioned above, were simple. And they did not use any parkour, hidden blades, poison darts or camouflage. All that was enough fedain - to lie in wait for the victim, when she has a minimum of protection, rush into a suicidal attack and stab him, shouting slogans.

No information about the thorough training of the assassins has survived. For that matter, she was not needed. Who would dream of spending many years preparing a suicide martyr?

The fedains themselves officially recorded the number of their victims. Among those there were: the potential king of Jerusalem, Margrave Conrad of Montferrat, Count of Tripoli Raimund II, several sultans, six viziers and three caliphs, as well as a bunch of birds of a smaller flight. You can see the full list.

Judging by the data of the Nizari, in 183 years (this is how long their state existed) they have eliminated 93 people. In the process, 118 assassins were expended.

Not a very effective trade for super-killers, is it? Most of the fedains died or were captured after the mission was completed. So, for sure, their preparation and selection was no better than that of modern terrorists.

It is worth noting that Hasan ibn Sabbah had a good library in Alamut, so he cannot be called a thoughtless fanatic. But there were no traces of incredible alchemical laboratories with poisons and explosives attributed to assassins.

And yes, it is not necessary to say that these warriors did not know defeat and always killed their target at any cost. For example, the famous Sultan Salah ad-Din (Saladin), who was in conflict with the Assassins, and specifically with the then Elder of the Mountain Rashid ad-Din Sinan (aka al-Mualim, the Teacher), survived three assassination attempts, successfully ravaged the possessions of the Nizari and died a natural death.

And Edward I Long-legged, nicknamed the Hammer of the Scots, and did distinguished himself by the fact that he beat the assassin with his bare hands. He entered his bedroom and thrust a dagger into the monarch's hand. Out of fright, the English king smacked the fedain on the face so that he killed him with one blow.

6. Assassins fought with the Templars

As any gamer knows, the main enemy of the Assassins is the Templars. The former are fighting for freedom, while the latter are fighting for total control, and this confrontation lasts for centuries.

But in fact, the Assassins did not fight the crusaders. Moreover, they sometimes even helped them to weaken their Muslim enemies like Saladin. Or just make some money. For example, a captive assassin who killed Margrave Konrad of Montferrat, under torture, confessed that the customer was none other than the famous Richard the Lionheart.

The legends of the mysterious order of Muslim assassins were brought to Europe by the Crusaders, and their tales were painstakingly recorded by historians like Burchard of Strasbourg, Arnold of Lubeck and Bishop Jacques de Vitry. But the Templars themselves did not intersect with the assassins very much and information about them was gathered from the main enemies of the Nizari - the Sunnis. Naturally, they described their ideological opponents as fiends of hell and frostbitten drug addicts.

Ultimately, the assassins were destroyed not by the crusaders, but by the Mongols in the 1850s. Genghis Khan's grandson, Hulagu, laid siege to the castles of the Nizari and forced the Elder of the Mountain Ruk-ad-Din to cease hostilities in exchange for pardoning him and his family.

The first victim of the Mongols was the Alamut castle, where the last Ismaili "elder" (pir) Khurshah, a young man who inherited power from his father, lived. He could have been sitting in his castle for a long time, but his nerves have failed. Learning that he was personally promised life, he appeared in 1256 at the headquarters of Hulagu. He sent him to Mongolia, but Mongke could not stand traitors and ordered to kill Khurshah on the way.

Lev Gumilyov "Black Legend"

After the Assassins surrendered, Hulegu razed their fortresses to the ground. And his brother, Mongke, Ruk-ad-Din killed, because he did not like spineless people. Apparently, before capitulating, he did not take into account that the Mongols did not sign the Hague Convention.

7. Assassins had influence around the world

A distinctive feature of the assassins, which has endowed them with the mass consciousness, is their omnipresence. They allegedly carried out their operations throughout the medieval world and beyond. They made a rustle in the Middle East, Europe, China, and India …

Assassins were also found among the ancient Egyptians, and in Italy during the Renaissance, they were found, and in revolutionary Russia, and among the harsh Vikings, and in ancient Greece, and in London - in general, where they were not. Their order spread throughout the world, and many famous people, including Leonardo da Vinci, were friends with them and even sometimes entered into a brotherhood.

But in reality, this is all the fantasy of the Ubisoft writers.

The real Nizari did not leave their territories in Persia and Syria and were not particularly interested in what was happening in other countries. After the Mongols destroyed their fortresses in the 13th century, the assassins ceased to exist.

But the Nizari themselves, as a religious trend, have survived to this day. Their head, Imam Karim Aga Khan IV, is rumored to be a direct descendant of the last Elder of the Mountain. True, he lives in Switzerland and does not seem to gather hordes of fanatical killers around him (or they are very secretive, assassins). He is engaged in air transportation, horse breeding and charity work. In general, a rather boring guy.

eight. Assassins' motto - "Nothing is true, everything is permitted"

This phrase is repeated by the characters of the Assassin's Creed games and the heroes of the film based on them. But this is not at all Eastern wisdom that has come down to us through the darkness of centuries. The phrase was invented by the writer William Burroughs - it is found in his book Cities of the Red Night.

And the creators of Assassin's Creed simply borrowed it to give the order of the killers of mystery. There is no evidence that real assassins say something like that.