‘Requiescat in Pace’. Initiation and Assassination Rituals in the Assassin’s Creed Game Series

Journal Title: Religions - Year 2018, Vol 9, Issue 5

Abstract

The Assassin’s Creed game series (Ubisoft 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013a, 2013b, 2014, 2015, 2017) revolves around an alternative interpretation of human history as an ongoing battle between two rival factions: the Assassin Brotherhood (modelled on the historical Nizar Isma’ilis) and the Templar Order (inspired by the historical Order of the Knights Templar). Both factions compete over the possession of mythical artefacts, called the ‘Apples of Eden’, which once belonged to a now extinct proto-human race. The possession of these artefacts gives the owner incredible knowledge and the ability to manipulate large numbers of people. The Templars strive for world domination, while the Assassins want to prevent this; their aim is to develop human consciousness and individual freedom. Considering games as ‘playable texts’, I make an inventory of three in-game rituals, two of the Assassin Brotherhood and one of the Templar Order. Both initiation and assassination rituals are quite elaborate given the context of the games in which they are displayed. Progression and regression can be observed in terms of ritual practices within the primary series of the game series, which stretches from ancient Egypt to modernity. This article describes the three ritual practices mentioned within the Assassin’s Creed series, and links them to the larger metanarrative of the series.

Authors and Affiliations

F. (Frank) G. Bosman

Keywords

Related Articles

Are Spiritual Experiences through Music Seen as Intrinsic or Extrinsic?

Music has a great capacity to afford spiritual experiences, but are those experiences intrinsic or extrinsic to the music? This paper reports the results of research aimed at answering that research question. One hundr...

Black Buddhists and the Body: New Approaches to Socially Engaged Buddhism

This article deconstructs how Buddhist practitioners of African descent acknowledge racism and challenge predominantly white, affluent Buddhist sanghas that embrace the tenets of Socially Engaged Buddhism. It argues th...

Geoffrey Hill’s “Hard-Won Affirmation”: The Mystery of the Charity of Charles Péguy

Sir Geoffrey Hill, long hailed as Britain’s greatest living poet, was devoted to remembering the deceased, those forgotten in the debased din of mass culture—some of them worthy of our emulation, others edifying by the...

The Global Consequences of Mistranslation: The Adoption of the “Black but …” Formulation in Europe, 1440–1650

This article investigates the genesis of a linguistic model occasioned by a mistranslation that was taken up in the Renaissance, and had an enduring global impact. I call this model the ―black but…‖ formulation, and it...

The Resurgence of Religion in America’s Prisons

This article discusses the growing prominence of “faith-based” programs in American corrections and the historical context of penal regime change during periods of economic crisis. The article traces areas of overlap a...

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP26029
  • DOI https://doi.org/10.3390/rel9050167
  • Views 298
  • Downloads 18

How To Cite

F. (Frank) G. Bosman (2018). ‘Requiescat in Pace’. Initiation and Assassination Rituals in the Assassin’s Creed Game Series. Religions, 9(5), -. https://europub.co.uk/articles/-A-26029