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The Assassins fromAssassin’s Creedare a group steeped in history. Their organization has been around for many years and has operated in plenty of different eras. That is something that you witness in the games, as you control Assassins from all sorts of different time periods throughout the series.
While doing so, you probably recognize some similarities between the different members of the Brotherhood. For instance, they usually wearfancy hooded robes, wield hidden blades, and are experts at parkour. Something else you may notice is that some of the Assassins have a missing finger. If you’re not sure why that is the case, here is the answer.
Why Assassins Cut Their Fingers Off?
The Assassins’preferred weapon of choice has always been the hidden blade.
This inconspicuous weapon is placed on the wrist and forearm. It has a spring-loaded mechanism that allows it to extend quickly beyond the hand. This enables the wearer to eliminate targets quickly and stealthily.
However,Bayek Of Siwa found a flaw in the original design of the weapon. When he went to strike with a closed fist,the blade pieced through his ring fingeras it extended from his wrist.
At this point, the average person would alter the design of the weapon so their fingers could stay intact or opt for a different blade entirely. Yet,the Hidden Ones and later Assassins made the loss of a finger a part of their tradition.
New members wouldwillingly cut their ring fingers off to show their dedication to the Brotherhood.
Why Did The Assassins Stop Cutting Their Fingers Off?
The tradition of removing fingers didn’t stick around forever.It was one of many things the famousAltair changed about the Brotherhood.
Once the Templars started to work more from the shadows,the Assassin felt they had to change, too.
Heno longer believed Assassins could be so open about their activities. They had to be more subtle. So, they stopped having Assassin fortresses and lessened the number of public assassinations they committed.
The finger removal tradition was another thing he wanted to stop. After all,a missing ring finger is an easy way to identify an Assassin.
Therefore, they altered the design of the hidden blade,allowing people to use it without cutting off their fingers.This was likely a great relief to the newer initiates.
