While mounting a jihad against the invading Christian Crusaders in the 1300s, Hassan ben Sabah controlled his command of radical killers with a potion that gave them dreams of an eternity in a garden where young women pleased them to their heart’s content.
The potion was from hashish, and these young killers became known as hashish eaters, which in Arabic is hashashin, or as the Crusaders pronounced it, “assassin.”
The assassins were active in the fort of Alamut in Iran from the 8th to the 14th centuries, and killed members of the Arab Abbasid, and crusaders elite for religious and political reasons.
The earliest known literary use of the word assassination is in Macbeth by William Shakespeare written in 1605.
Related Posts
-
Where does the word “Assassin” come from and What does Assassin mean?
In today's underworld slang, an assassin would be a gangster, a gunman, a gorilla, a trigger boy, or, from the murderous qualities ascribed to the tribe, an Apache. But the old term, dating…
-
Where does the word “assassin” come from and What does it mean?
Late in the eleventh century, Hassan ben Sabbah, forced from his studies in Cairo, returned to his home in Persia. He then acquired a mountain fortress in the southern part of the country,…
-
Did Abraham Lincoln ever see his assassin John Booth perform on stage?
Yes, Abraham Lincoln had seen his assassin John Booth perform on stage. John Booth was not quite as celebrated as his brother Edwin, who was the most famous actor in the country at…
-
Where Did the Term “Noon Hour” Come From and What Did the Term For Midday Mean Originally?
The "noon hour" has shifted several times throughout history, and at one time, when Christians prayed twice a day, it meant both midday and midnight. In the original Old English the noon hour…
-
Where Did the Term Jazz Come From and What Did the Word For the Music Genre Mean Originally?
Jazz may be an American art form, but the word predates any application to music or sex. It first appeared in print in 1831 as jazzing, meaning the telling of fun stories. The…
-
Where Did the Term “Geek” Come From and What Did the Word Mean Originally?
Since the fifteenth century, geek or geck has described a low-life fool, or a carnival performer often billed as a wild man. For example, a geek is, in carnival slang, someone who bites…
