Line #14 Main/TheHashshashin


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7	->''"When the Christian crusaders in the Orient came across that unconquered Order of Assassins, that free-spirited order par excellence, whose lowest ranks lived a life of obedience of the sort no order of monks attained, then they received by some means or other a hint about that symbol and motto, which only the highest ranks kept as their secret, '''"Nothing is true. Everything is permitted."''' . . . Well now, that was spiritual freedom. With that the very belief in truth was cancelled. . . Has a European, a Christian free spirit ever wandered by mistake into this proposition and its labyrinthine consequences?"''
8	-->-- '''Creator/FriedrichNietzsche''', ''On the Genealogy of Morals''.
9
10	The Hashshashin were an Islamic community in UsefulNotes/TheMiddleEast [[TheMiddleAges around the time of]] UsefulNotes/TheCrusades, who both [[TropeNamer named]] and [[TropeCodifier codified]] the [[ProfessionalKiller Assassin]] archetype[[note]]Notice the similarity between the words "assassin" and "hashshashin"? [[TropeNamer That's not a coincidence]][[/note]], though only a few know to what extent their image has been {{Flanderized}} since then.
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12	Originally they were an esoteric UsefulNotes/{{Islam}}ic {{cult}} -- usually classified as a radical offshoot of the Isma'ili sect of Shi'a Islam -- founded by Hassan-i Sabbah, who was born of a Twelver Family, who had converted to Isma'ili, and then later broke off from them to form Nizariyya, an Isma'ili offshoot. They were a society of [[TropeNamer assassins]] operating from the mountain fortress [[SupervillainLair Alamut]] and terrorizing the region's rulers with their attacks. Despite their fearsome reputation, the Hashshashin were said to be [[WouldNotShootACivilian quite friendly towards common folk]], since their killings were actually carefully targeted and planned, rather than random acts of violence.
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14	The name "Hashshashin" literally means "grass eaters", which at different points in history was attributed to two things. First is contempt from other Islamic branches, hinting at Nizarites being literally so poor that they are forced to eat grass. The other, according to ''Literature/TheTravelsOfMarcoPolo'', is that Hashshashin recruits were drugged with hashish (in the specific plant sense, not just any grass), led to a paradisical garden [[{{Fanservice}} full of lush greenery and beautiful women]] (supposedly [[MistakenForAfterlife a glimpse of the Islamic paradise]]), and then told that only the "Old Man of the Mountain" had the means to let them return (i.e. if they died as martyrs), which resulted in [[BrainwashedAndCrazy their fanatical devotion]]. There is no historical evidence whatsoever of hashish being used for anything but medicinal purposes (again, not unheard of at the time in those lands), and the connotation of the Assassins being drug addicts was given to them by their enemies and by polemicists who were seeking to discredit the Assassins and the Nizari. Their downfall came when [[MuggingTheMonster one of their strikes reached]] [[AlwaysABiggerFish the Mongols]], who razed Alamut during their conquest of Persia.
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16	In fiction, UsefulNotes/TheKnightsTemplar are often positioned as the {{Rival}}s and [[ArchNemesis Arch-Nemeses]] of the Hashshashin (and the two are often found alongside each other in {{Conspiracy Kitchen Sink}}s); this can be quite frustrating to people who know the region's history, since Crusaders -- though not necessarily the Templars themselves -- were often ''allies'' of the Shia Assassins, since they shared a common enemy (i.e. the Sunni Turkish and to a lesser extent Kurdish and Arab lords who ruled the region, including Zengi and [[UsefulNotes/TheCrusades Saladin]]). Compare {{Ninja}}s, the Japanese counterpart.
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18	For more historical information, see UsefulNotes.TheHashshashin.
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20	----
21	!!References to the Hashshashin in fiction:
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23	[[foldercontrol]]
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25	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
26	* In episode 14 of ''Anime/KiddyGrade'' ("Steel/Heart"), [[spoiler:Tweedledee infects La Muse and Donnerschlag with a virus called "hashish," which, she mentions, is the name of a drug used in ancient times to give one the willpower to kill even a member of their own family.]] AndThatsTerrible.
27	* ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'': when exploring Kuze's background as a [=JSDF=] soldier in World War IV, the Hashashin are directly referenced as a derisive comparison to the soldiers in Kuze's unit, who had gotten a lot of bad press for almost effortlessly defeating a Korean insurgent group that had been weakened by a terrible winter and lack of food and was completely outmatched by the all-cyborg [=JSDF=] unit. It didn't help that a lot of the Japanese soldiers had turned to smoking hashish -- the Assassins' drug of choice -- to deal with the stress afterwards, only strengthening the parallels in the eyes of one reporter. It's this direct comparison which leads to Kuze going [=AWOL=] and eventually becoming the BigBad AntiVillain of the second season.
28	[[/folder]]
29
30	[[folder:Comic Books]]
31	* ComicBook/JonahHex fights a Hashshashin brought to the WildWest as part of a CarnivalOfKillers during the "Six Gun War" storyline.
32	* Creator/DCComics supervillain ComicBook/RasAlGhul leads an expy organization, the ancient League of Assassins.
33	* In one story of the ''ComicBook/ConanTheBarbarian'' comic book, he ran into a cult that was an obvious {{Expy}} of the Assassins, including the [[FanService Garden of Paradise]].
34	* Fahd Alireza is a lesser known ComicBook/XMen villain who is Saudi Arabian and an Asssassins by trade. He also claims to be a Djinn.
35	[[/folder]]
36
37	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
38	* Part of the antagonist force in the ''Film/PrinceOfPersiaTheSandsOfTime'' movie. Curiously, Alamut is featured in the film, but it is not their main hideout.
39	* The origin of the term 'assassin' is discussed in ''Film/JohnWickChapter3Parabellum''. John Wick then has to go out into the desert (in a matter similar to a religious quest) to meet the Elder, described as the man who 'Sits Above the High Table', a fitting descriptor for a modern interpretation of the ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashid_ad-Din_Sinan Old Man of The Mountain.]]'' Given the mystique and implied antiquity of the High Table, they might even date back to the original Assassins. John also gets his ring finger cut off as a sign of his service to the Elder, in a ShoutOut to ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed''.
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41	[[/folder]]
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43	[[folder:Literature]]
44	* ''Literature/TheDestroyer'' series of novels, being about assassins with an ancient heritage, naturally mention the Hashshashin.
45	* In ''Literature/FoucaultsPendulum'', the Templars learned from the Hashshashin during the Crusades to discover the secret of [[spoiler:harnessing the power of telluric currents]].
46	* There were a few {{Flashback}}s featuring the Hashshashin in ''Literature/TheIlluminatusTrilogy''.
47	* TheDragon from ''Literature/AngelsAndDemons'' ''is'' a Hashashin, though the book portrays them as crazed, chaotic assassins.
48	* Parodied in ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' with [[TheStoner the hashishim]], who are "inclined to giggle, groove to interesting patterns of light and shade on their terrible knife blades and, in extreme cases, fall over."
49	* Vladimir Bartol's novel ''Literature/{{Alamut}}'' embraces most of the historical legends of the hashshashin, and was the main inspiration for ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed''.
50	* The Mongols go up against the Hashashin in the third ''Literature/{{Conqueror}}'' book; aghast by the group's cowardly and bloodthirsty ways. Genghis Khan personally kills the Old Man.
51	* Mack Bolan, Literature/TheExecutioner, fought a revitalized cult in ''Assassin's Code''. The Assassins in this one recruited various mercenaries including {{Ninja}}s, Thugee, and a rogue UsefulNotes/{{Mossad}} agent.
52	** One of the Phoenix Force novels also had them, including the faked paradise. It's part of the usual KGB conspiracy, of course.
53	* ''Literature/{{Baudolino}}'': One of Baudolino's TrueCompanions managed to escape the fortress. The assassin's loyalties were secured by chaining them to the ground and feeding them haschich, when the high wore off they were told the only way to go back was to kill for the Old Man.
54	* This forms the backstory to ''The Fraternity of the Stone'' by Creator/DavidMorrell. The eponymous Fraternity is a ChurchMilitant originally formed in response to the Hashshashin. Their first recruit was a Middle Eastern man who had converted to Christianity.
55	* The Assassins were one of the lifelong obsessions of Creator/WilliamSBurroughs. References to them and to Hassan-i-Sabbah appear in his work frequently, beginning with the ''Nova Trilogy''. One scene in ''The Wild Boys'' involves an assassin who has been hired as a gardener by his target, and who waits ten years before killing him.
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57	[[/folder]]
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59	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
60	* They appeared in both ''Series/RobinOfSherwood'' as a dangerous sect and in the BBC's ''Series/RobinHood'' as an AmazonBrigade. In ''Series/RobinOfSherwood'', regular character Nasir is a former member of the group.
61	* ''Series/MacGyver1985'': In "The Legend of the Holy Rose", the Brotherhood of the Hashshasin is one of the villainous groups after the Elixir of Life supposed to be stored in the Temple of the Holy Rose. They betray their partner in crime and shoot him as he is not a true believer and therefore does not deserve eternal life.
62	[[/folder]]
63
64	[[folder:Music]]
65	* Music/{{Hawkwind}}'s song "Hasan i Sahba" links the Hashshashin to modern Islamic fundamentalists.
66	* The song "Garden of Light" by Isis, a post-metal band, refers subtly to the Hashashin recruitment procedure.
67	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sPNoE8LxlA "Wine of Aluqah"]] by Therion. "Know that nothing's true and that everything is permitted,/So read the Old Man of the Mountain in his Book of Lies".
68	[[/folder]]
69
70	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
71	* The ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' ''Al-Qadim'' setting has numerous "Holy Slayer" groups inspired by the Hashshashin. Adventure [=ALQ2=] ''Assassin Mountain'' has the Everlasting, a cult that live in a mountain that are clearly based on them.
72	* In the wargame ''TabletopGame/{{Infinity}}'', Hashashin are special troops that can be fielded by the Haqqislam faction, divided into four distinct types: snipers/poisoners, close-combat specialists, stealth experts who can pretend to be an enemy unit, and [[StuffBlowingUp explosives specialists]].
73	* The ''TabletopGame/LegendOfTheFiveRings'' CCG spin-off ''Legend Of The Burning Sands'' had a group called the Assassins in it, who excelled at killing in duels. While they were led by the "Old Man of the Mountain", most of the other characters in it were [[AmazonBrigade women]].
74	* ''TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade'' has the Banu Haqim (sometimes called the Assamites, whether ignorantly or disparagingly, by other vampires), a vampire clan associated with the Hashshashin (a rogue [[TheRenfield Renfield]] of theirs in the 12th/13th centuries used the cult to help him hunt vampires). The Banu Haqim believe themselves to be protectors of the mortals and "judges" of the vampires, assassinating and "diablerizing" ([[MonstrousCannibalism vampire cannibalism]]) them. The clan is even based in Alamut (albeit not the Hashshashin's Alamut) and hires themselves out as assassins.
75	* In ''TabletopGame/{{Illuminati}}'', the Assassins are one of the player-controlled {{Ancient Conspirac\|y}}ies which compete to take over the world.
76	* ''TabletopGame/HunterTheVigil'':
77	** The Ascending Ones are loosely based upon them, using magical Elixirs which work well for assassinations. In practice though they're a conglomerate of many different groups, many of whom aren't even Islamic.
78	** Ahl al-Jabal, an Islamic hunter compact introduced in ''[[TabletopGame/VampireTheRequiem Ancient Bloodlines]]'', trace their origins back to the historical Hashshashin. They target both mortal and supernatural threats to humanity, preferring to avoid harming bystanders and supernatural slaves. They're also ''very'' aware of how a group of insular Muslims who train in combat and carry weapons come across after 9/11, and so keep other hunters at a distance.
79	[[/folder]]
80
81	[[folder:Video Games]]
82	* The ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' series posits that the Hashshashin order seen in the [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI first game]] was simply one part of the Crusades-era incarnation of a secret society of professional killers who have existed throughout human history, whose primary goal has been to use their skills and methods to preserve peace and protect the innocent from those who would abuse power, which allows the series to cover virtually any era of recorded human history. Their primary enemy are UsefulNotes/TheKnightsTemplar, another secret society with similar reach, but with [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans wildly]] [[TheEvilsOfFreeWill different]] [[TakeOverTheWorld ideals]]. It turns out that the Assassins are the successors to the legacy of [[spoiler:Adam and Eve]], [[spoiler:who were {{Half Human Hybrid}}s created by [[{{Precursors}} the First Civilization]] and who were immune to the effects of the Pieces of Eden, allowing them to lead a rebellion against their masters]]. ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOrigins'' reveals that the organization had previously existed as the Hidden Ones who were established by Bayek and his wife Aya/[[spoiler:Amunet]] during the final years of [[UsefulNotes/CleopatraVII Cleopatra's reign]] over AncientEgypt.
83	* ''VideoGame/CannonDancer'', being set in a futuristic {{cyberpunk}} version of Iran, have the hero Osman being a hashashin killing hordes and hordes of mooks.
84	* ''VideoGame/ConquerorsBlade'' introduced the Hashashin unit during its Assassin-themed ''Season XIV: Scorpio'', along with Hashashin-styled hero and weapon cosmetics.
85	* ''VideoGame/CrusaderKingsII'': Originally the Hashashin were the holy order for Shi'a Muslims, comparable to the Catholics' Knights Templar etc., able to be called on by Shi'a rulers to fight in exchange for Piety after the year 1099. The ''Monks and Mystics'' DLC renamed this group the Fedayeen, and introduced the Assassins as a unique Shi'a secret society that characters within diplomatic range of Muslim lands can join, which greatly expands the effectiveness of assassination plots.
86	* The ''VideoGame/{{Gothic}}'' series features a blatant Expy of them called the Hashishin, whose weapons are assassin-style blades (and often coated with poison). Of course, they are also blatant stereotypes of classic Arabians in that they are very into economics as SeriousBusiness, not to mention a rather cliche habit of giving people [[OverlyLongName Overly Long Nicknames.]]
87	* Bad Guys in ''VideoGame/LionheartLegacyOfTheCrusader''.
88	* ''VideoGame/LostSoulsMUD'' features the Nizari, a hybrid of the Hashashin and the Thuggee. ThisIsWrongOnSoManyLevels.
89	* ''Franchise/FateSeries'': One of the standard classes of Heroic Spirit is directly called Assassin, and in almost all of the Holy Grail Wars (at least [[RetCon originally]])! the Assassin figure was none other than Hassan-i Sabbah, one of the most famous leaders of the historical Hashshashin. (More precisely, it was one of the 19 leaders of the order who in ''Fate'' continuity [[LegacyCharacter all bear the title of Hassan]].)
90	** The original ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' features Hassan of the Cursed Arm, who ascended to the title by grafting the arm of an evil spirit onto his body to gain the Noble Phantasm Zabaniya: Delusional Heartbeat, which allows him to cast a curse that creates a replacement of his target's heart which he can then [[AttackOnTheHeart crush to destroy the real heart]] or he can flat-out eat his victim's heart after replacing it with the fake. In ''Fate/Grand Order'', it is revealed that he originally lived during the time of the Crusades and that his real name is Hanam. He regretted becoming Hassan because in his quest to become one, he alienated his wife and son.
91	** The prequel ''Literature/FateZero'' also features another Hassan-i Sabbah, dubbed "Hassan of the Hundred Faces" and is noted to be the last person to have ever taken up the name. This entity uses Zabaniya: Delusional Illusion to [[LiteralSplitPersonality manifest as multiple separate bodies with different skills/purposes]].
92	** The sequel ''VisualNovel/FateHollowAtaraxia'', features an unnamed Hassan encountered in a vision quest to the Third Holy Grail War. This guy is a dwarf who uses poison needles and the Noble Phantasm Zabaniya: Cyber Phantasy, where with one touch, he converts his victim's brain to gunpowder and blows their head up.
93	** Another AlternateUniverse prequel, ''Anime/FatePrototype: Fragments of Sky Silver'' features another Hassan, named "Hassan of Serenity", who is a female Hassan who exclusively specializes in poisons, using Zabaniya: Delusional Poison Body to make her skin, breath, and body fluids toxic, emulating the Visha Kanya or poison girls from Hindu folklore. However, she cannot turn her ability off, causing her to be starved for love and desperately search for and fall in love with people who can withstand her poison. Author's notes reveal [[WhatCouldHaveBeen the original Assassin was going to be]] Hassan of the Shining Star, who specialized in bombs.
94	** ''Manga/FateKaleidLinerPrismaIllya'': The Assassin Class Card can grant a person the powers of an Assassin Servant. When Illya uses it, she gains the powers of Hassan of the Hundred Faces. When Miyu uses it, she gains the power of Hassan of Serenity. When Shinji Matou uses it, he gains the power of an unnamed Hassan who uses Zabaniya: Dead Heartbeat Melody to somehow instantly [[TorsoWithAView punch three-leaf clover shaped holes in people]].
95	** ''Literature/FateStrangeFake'' has two examples:
96	*** False Assassin, also known as No Name Assassin and Beautiful Assassin, was a member of the Hashshashin who aspired to become Hassan-i Sabbah. She was passed over for Hassan of the Hundred Faces, both because she was a religious zealot, and because, while she could copy the assassination techniques of previous Hassans, she could not come up with an original technique of her own. As a Servant, her Noble Phantasm, Zabaniya: Phantasmal Pedigree, allows her to copy the techniques of the 18 previous Hassans, except for Hassan of the Hundred Faces. Some are stronger and some are weaker than the originals.
97	*** True Assassin is Hassan of the Fathomless Rift, a man outside the 19 known Hassans because he was the First Hassan's "Shadow". He has the power of a ShadowWalker. His Noble Phantasm, Zabaniya: Meditative Sensitivity, only activates when he is about to die. It causes him to become a concept of death and [[TakingYouWithMe drag his opponent to the afterlife]].
98	** ''Videogame/FateGrandOrder'':
99	*** The First Hassan, aka King Hassan, is the original Old Man of the Mountain who far exceeds the capabilities of all of his successors and can even kill ideas or bestow the concept of death upon undying beings. He does this through his Noble Phantasm, Azrael, his sword named after the Angel of Death. He was skilled enough to be granted the title of [[WorldsBestWarrior Grand Assassin]]. He apparently travels through time and space to punish Hassans who lose their way; it was implied back in ''Prototype'' that he killed Hassan of Serenity for falling InLoveWithTheMark and trying to spare him. However, he shows mercy to Hassan of the Cursed Arm and allows him to retire and be with his surviving family. At one point, he hints that his true identity is Ziusudra, a king from Sumerian mythology who survived TheGreatFlood, though it is ambiguous if he is telling the truth.
100	*** The Camelot Singularity introduced Hassan of the Quaking Pipe, Hassan of Shadow Peeling, and Hassan of Intoxicated Smoke. Sadly, the former two were killed before anything could be learned about them. Hassan of Intoxicated Smoke could use Zabaniya: Heretical Reminiscence to turn her body to smoke to avoid attacks.
101	*** Hassan of the Shining Star later appears and is revealed to be Hassan of Serenity's predecessor. Instead of using bombs, this version specializes in LightEmUp attacks and SuperSpeed. He uses Zabaniya: Thoughtless Framework to drastically increase his speed and surround himself in light before ramming the opponent like a shooting star, but if he uses it for more than 10 seconds, he will burn out and die.
102	* ''VideoGame/BrokenSword'' featured a mysterious murderer who turned out to be a Hashshashin trying to foil the plot of the Knights Templar villains. To quote two of those villains:
103	-->"Don't call that Syrian maniac the Hashshashin, he's just ''[[InsistentTerminology an assassin]]'' plain and simple."\
104	"That's not what he believes. He actually thinks..."
105	* In ''VideoGame/MedievalIITotalWar'', Islamic factions can build Hashshashin Guilds in settlements where large numbers of spies and assassins are being recruited. Doing so improves the effectiveness of spies and assassins recruited there subsequently, as well as allowing the faction to produce specialized Hashshashin infanty units, which serve as small, elite heavy infantry capable of ambushing on the battlefield.
106	* Sadler, protagonist of Creator/TelenetJapan's ''VideoGame/{{XZR}}'' (or ''Exile'') series, is a Syrian assassin.
107	* Some Fighting Games feature a middle eastern/south asian inspired Assassin archetype of sorts.
108	** ''VideoGame/BattleArenaToshinden'' features Chaos, though unlike most examples, he is Sri Lankan. [[note]]Sri Lanka is South Asian, not Middle Eastern.[[/note]]
109	** ''VideoGame/KillerInstinct''[='=]s Sadira has an Iranian name, dresses like a BedlahBabe, and is part of an Assassin order with a Spider motif. Though she speaks Thai in game, it mentions she is a refugee.
110	** ''VideoGame/MaceTheDarkAge'' features Al-Rashid, who is generically Arabian and is explicitly an Assassin.
111	** ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'' has the Egyptian Zafina, whose occupation is being part of an Assassin Order.
112	** ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters'' has Kukri, who is believed to be North African (possibly Moroccan) and is identified as an Assassin with sand powers.
113	[[/folder]]

Context Main / TheHashshashin