“Nothing is true, everything is permitted”
-William S. Burroughs interpretation from Hassan I Sabbah, circa 11th century
X #6 – Dark Horse 1994 (comic)
Origin of Assassin’s
I always loved the term Assassin for toker’s even though rooted in falsehoods and negative connotations. Here is a brief history from erowid.
“In the early 11th century, al-Hassan became the head of the Persian sect of the Ismailians, a rather obscure party of fanatics which gained local power under his guidance. In 1090, al-Hassan and his followers seized the castle of Alamut, in the province of Rudbar, which lies in the mountainous region south of the Caspian Sea. It was from this mountain home that he obtained evil celebrity among the Crusaders as “the old man of the mountains”, and spread terror through the Mohammedan world.”
Painting of Alamut Castle, Iran. Home of the Assassin’s
But where did the original story of the Assassins come from? Our story of “the old man of the mountains” comes from a 1273 account by Marco Polo. Written below…
From ‘The Travels of Marco Polo/Book 1/Chapter 23, circa 1300’
“Mulehet is a country in which the Old Man of the Mountain dwelt in former days; and the name means “Place of the Aram.” I will tell you his whole history as related by Messer Marco Polo, who heard it from several natives of that region.
The Old Man was called in their language ALOADIN. He had caused a certain valley between two mountains to be enclosed, and had turned it into a garden, the largest and most beautiful that ever was seen, filled with every variety of fruit. In it were erected pavilions and palaces the most elegant that can be imagined, all covered with gilding and exquisite painting. And there were runnels too, flowing freely with wine and milk and honey and water; and numbers of ladies and of the most beautiful damsels in the world, who could play on all manner of instruments, and sung most sweetly, and danced in a manner that it was charming to behold. For the Old Man desired to make his people believe that this was actually Paradise. So he had fashioned it after the description that Mohammad gave of his Paradise, to wit, that it should be a beautiful garden running with conduits of wine and milk and honey and water, and full of lovely women for the delectation of all its inmates. And sure enough the Saracens of those parts believed that it was Paradise!
Now no man was allowed to enter the Garden save those whom he intended to be his ASHISHIN. There was a Fortress at the entrance to the Garden, strong enough to resist all the world, and there was no other way to get in. He kept at his Court a number of the youths of the country, from 12 to 20 years of age, such as had a taste for soldiering, and to these he used to tell tales about Paradise, just as Mohammad had been wont to do, and they believed in him just as the Saracens believe in Mohammad. Then he would introduce them into his garden, some four, or six, or ten at a time, having first made them drink a certain potion which cast them into a deep sleep, and then causing them to be lifted and carried in. So when they awoke, they found themselves in the Garden.”
An agent of the Order of Assassins (left, in white turban) fatally stabs Nizam al-Mulk, a Seljuk vizier, in 1092, the first of many political murders by the sect. The faces in this depiction, which was contained in an illustrated 14th-century manuscript, were later scratched out.
How does Hashish get wrapped up in this tale and intertwined in history?
THE KILLERS #2 :”Assassins! Mad Slayers of the East!” 1948 comic
So in Marco Polo’s tale the ‘ASHISHIN’ turned to ‘aschishin’ which later changed to ‘Hassassin’ all of who’s meaning was “follower of Hassan”. When the persian Hassassin was translated into arabic it was understood to be ‘haschishin’ or hashish smoker, this mistranslation eventually turned to the slang “assassin” with the weight of time.
The haschishin translation between the persian “Hassassin” and the Arabic “haschishin” is where the hash gets thrown into the story replacing the most likely narcotic opium. While the drink and narcotic used by Hassan well could have been hashish, the root of their name was not…
Assassin of Youth (1937) film poster
The term Assassin’s has been used widely for hundreds of years as a term for Hashish smokers. Early in American newspapers the story was retold in a article titled “origin of assassin’s”. I’ve found it dated as early as 1910 from Ouray, Co but best I can find myself is a 1916 Arizona newspaper.
1910 from Ouray, Co newspaper
Repeated throughout history a retold story sticks as truth,…
“Nothing is true, everything is permitted”