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Holier Than Thou – The Isu Heavenly Host
Written by Sorrosyss, April 20th, 2022
“No. Not gods. We simply came... before. Even when we walked the world, your kind struggled to understand our existence.” Over the years of covering the Assassin's Creed franchise, it has been fascinating to watch the development of the precursor race, which we nowadays refer to as the Isu. From the outset, they were painted along the lines of being very similar to the extra terrestrial beings depicted in the ancient astronauts theory, save for the difference that (as far as we know) they solely existed on Earth. The basic premise has always been that ancient legends and myths as we know them were in fact actually explained away by human perception not being able to comprehend the technology of the Isu. This is especially apparent in the more recent games, for example specifically in Valhalla we witness memories of Odin's time through a mythological filter, applied through Eivor's own preconceptions and Viking storytelling which would have resulted from her own upbringing. Traditionally, most of the Isu we have seen in the games are inspired from famously known gods from human traditions, often from specific pantheons. We have had the likes of Juno and Minerva from the Roman pantheon, but also Thor and Loki from the Norse pantheon. I found it most interesting then, to note that over the last few games there has subtly been an increase in shall we say... more holy introductions.
Let’s go over some of these heavenly examples then. If we look at Valhalla, there are some very strong hints and evidence present that the Isu are in fact also angels. You need only look at the angel like wings that are clearly visible on the Isu settlement items, the ship decorations, the Valkyries, and even the Isu Knight armor set. As you are probably aware, angels are depicted across a multitude of religions, and are typically shown to be messengers or agents of a deity figure – both in monotheistic and polytheistic belief systems. They are almost always presented as entities that are beyond the capabilities of humanity, but also usually looking to guide us to a brighter future. By all rights, this could quite easily describe most of the Isu. As always though, there are exceptions to the rule, and angels too do not always agree. SAMAEL
Moving to the real world, the trio of Yaldabaoth, Saklas, and Samael are often attributed in religious texts as being the Demiurge, an artisan like entity that would fashion and mould reality yet not actually the “creator” themselves. This of course fits with them being the ultimate creators of humanity within the Assassin's Creed universe. The three are sometimes identified as being one and the same individual, but primarily the three are separate. Crucially though, within Gnostic and Jewish texts, they are also recognised as being angels. Samael especially, is recognised as an archangel, the angel of death, and is associated with evil in many religious accounts. There is another name that is more widely associated with him as well...
“Hello Detective.” For those of you who haven't watched the famous TV show, Samael was indeed the given name for none other than Satan himself, Lucifer. Naturally the story of Lucifer is one that I imagine most of you readers are familiar with by now. By all religious accounts, he led a rebellion amongst the angels, and was cast out of heaven. He was also the one that allegedly provided the temptation of the forbidden fruit to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Admittedly we never did find out in the Assassin's Creed universe who provided the Apple of Eden to Eve, but if it does follow the religious texts of the real world, then Samael was indeed the one that supported Eve in her crusade for freedom, and that of humanity itself. This act of betrayal would no doubt have angered many within the Isu hierarchy, and may well have led to the “angel” rebellion that is associated with the Fallen One himself.
Naturally, where you have the Devil, you have the Fallen Angels who followed him. As such, you also have demons. It is very telling then that within The Siege of Paris expansion, we see Charles The Fat apparently arguing within his mind with a devil or demon. He apparently has also painted an image of Baphomet, a goat like deity with strong links to the belief system of none other than the Knights Templar. Baphomet and pentagrams have also been associated with both Samael and Lilith, therefore it was quite interesting to see this further link presented to us. Of course, in real history, Charles was reputedly suffering with a form of epilepsy, but his mental battle with another voice makes me wonder if some of the Fallen Angels, or even Samael himself, had escaped the Toba Catastrophe in a Sage like fashion akin to Odin and Eivor. EVE As mentioned above, I cannot really talk about Samael without bringing up one of my favourite topics in the franchise, that of the hybrid Eve.
I found it fascinating then that after years of theories and general stagnation on the topic, the Atlantis DLC to Assassin's Creed Odyssey gave us some new lore to the character. Unsurprisingly we discovered that she was the child to human and Isu parents, but we also found out that she was actually born within Atlantis. The majority of the Atlantis simulation shown to Kassandra was a creation from the memories of Aletheia, from her time as Dikastes to Atlantis. However, it's also possible that part of the story had merged with that of Eve's, such as the way that Juno refers to her as “hybrid”, as well as the room full of hybrid clones. Assassin's Creed Valhalla gives mention to Ask and Embla, which are the first man and woman within Norse mythology, and were created
Of course, the majority of fan speculation surrounding the character is that she has to some degree survived to the modern era, given various hints across the years. Within the recent games we've seen some Isu (such as Reda), who have led extremely long life cycles. It could well be possible that her Isu DNA has given her near immortality in that regard. I would certainly love for Ubisoft to pick up this narrative thread in future games, as her story is one that truly fascinates me. LILITH
Of course, how we interpret this story into Isu lore could be interesting. To date, she has not yet appeared in the franchise. However, one could easily see that she could have been a prototype human/Isu hybrid, perhaps one that came out of the machinations of Aita from his weaponising efforts within the Olympos Project, which desired to create powerful creatures by splicing human DNA with other species. Given we saw lycanthropy and the like come out of this project, it would not be too far of a stretch to extend to vampirism, given the long standing association of Lilith to being a vampire. As with Eve, it's entirely possible that Lilith could have been granted longevity of life from her Isu DNA, or perhaps granted further Isu technology from her apparent romance with Samael. One could quite easily see her becoming an adversary to Eve, given that whilst Eve would seek to remove Isu technology from the world to maintain freedom (much like the Assassins), Lilith would probably be the polar opposite – craving the same technology for more power and revenge on those who created her. In that regard, you could quite easily see her being associated with or even running Abstergo or the Templars in the modern day. In present culture, Lilith has been viewed as a bit of a feminist icon, often times depicted as an advocate for equality. Given the widely reported issues within Ubisoft over female representation within their games, it would be quite interesting to see such a character being formally introduced to the franchise. Certainly she is one that I would love to see, as she formed the basis of my one and only attempt at Assassin's Creed fanfiction. (also expertly narrated by my good friend Leo K if you're interested) JESUS CHRIST
Fast forward to more recent games, and we find Jesus popping in a few more places. According to Assassin's Creed Unity, Jesus encountered a Sage whilst on his way to crucifixion which is kind of interesting. Separately, within Assassin's Creed Origins, the dream interpreter Besa makes a clear reference to Jesus as well: “One will come from the land of the Gazelle. Two fathers born of earth and air. Like Osiris he will die and live again, enshrouded in ancients.” Finally, within a cinematic of Assassin's Creed Odyssey we see a flash of a passage apparently from the new testament of the Bible: “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
CONCLUSIONS Over the more recent games, we have definitely seen a more purposeful shift in the Isu storytelling to incorporate more of a mythological side to matters. Certainly if Ubisoft intends to build upon this apparent incorporation of the likes of angels and demons to the wider Isu narrative, the depictions to come could be very interesting to follow. Whilst I prefer the technologicalised style and reality viewpoint of the Isu era, I would definitely be interested in seeing the story of Eve and the fall of Eden played out within one of the upcoming games in any capacity. Obviously, the potential for such massive religious icons such as Samael and Eve to enter the wider narrative in a larger fashion could certainly provide an interesting story focus applied all the way up to the modern day itself. Of course some religious groups might take issue with the Isu depictions, but at this point most of the entertainment world has captured these icons in one way or another. I suppose Ubisoft's ultimate exemption is that the Assassin's Creed world is ultimately fictional, and not intended to be a true reflection of our own. At least, I certainly didn't witness a global aurora borealis in 2012 and 2020.
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