What are The Real Hidden Blades Used for?

 The concept of a hidden blade is central to many concepts and ideas in the Assassin's Creed franchise. Shrouded in mystery as much as they are hidden by their blades, the three Assassin's Creed games (as well as their associated novels) unveil a little bit more about them. Starting with AssCreed: Legacy, we learn that Ezio Auditore was originally taught how to use these weapons by Leonardo Da Vinci himself, before passing them on to Connor Kenway in Assassin's Creed III (though Connor would forget). 

In Unity and Syndicate, we learn that the Templar-led French Revolution created such an atmosphere of violence which only further honed Ezio's skills at killing without being seen. Real Hidden blades are an essential part of the Assassin's arsenal and have been throughout the series. Yet their origin is tied to one in particular, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, who introduced them to his brother Malik. However, before that point in Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles we see a very different blade that Al Mualim used for dispatching his enemies.

The Hidden Blade was originally the Assassins' bane rather than their friend. The Old Man used it mainly as a means of execution or torture; a very cruel means at that too. He would stab into the back of his victim and twist it around to cut out their heart all while they were still alive. Here are the historical uses and significance of these hidden blades:

1. Silent Killer:

The Assassins were always prepared for the worst; the times when they had to kill someone in order to protect the safety of their friends or even their leader. This was the time that Al Mualim used them. He would use them to engage an enemy who was far away. He would hide in shadows and wait for his prey. 

When he was sure he had found his target, he would come out and perform his silent killing strike with his hidden blade into their back, unseen by everyone else. They were silent in their kills because they did not want their enemies to know they were there; no one saw them coming and no one heard the noises of a battle.

2. Kill Or Capture:

This was the most common way to use a hidden blade. Al Mualim would use them to either execute or capture his enemies. He would ambush his victims in the night and stab them into their back while they were sleeping. If they were caught awake, he would then capture them with his hidden blade (which seems very similar to how Altaïr killed the chieftain).

3. Torture:

This is another way that Altaïr used his real hidden blades to torture people. He would stab into his enemy's back and then move the blade around to make them scream in pain. He was very good at this which had him become a master of interrogation.

4. Fiddler:

This way was only used by Altaïr in Assassin's Creed: Uprising. He used the blade to 'fiddle' with the fiddle of one of the Templar's generals. He would twist and turn the blade into his back in a sadistic way; all while he played a song for him on his fiddle. 

5. Sleeping Poison:

In Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, it was revealed that Ezio had a new method of using his hidden blade. He used it to inject a sleeping poison into people so that he could interrogate them in the comfort of his own home. It seems this was inspired by Leandro and Bartolomeo during the siege of Monteriggioni.

Drawbacks of Real Hidden Blades:

On any given day, hiding knives on your person might seem like a simple security measure. It is an easy way to have the upper hand in a sticky situation. But is it worth the drawbacks that come with carrying these kinds of weapons? There are two major drawbacks of durable blades that makeup enthusiasts and people in law enforcement agree on: they are too easily concealed and their edges get dull very quickly. 

So, even if you feel more confident with your blade hidden in your sleeve or pocket…it’s probably not worth the trouble. The main drawback of real hidden blades is…that they are easily concealed. This means that anyone can walk up to an unsuspecting target and stab them with a hidden blade. Luckily, there are two easy ways of countering this issue. 

The first option is to have a blade so strong it would make you seem like a threat if you carried a blade in public; this would still leave you vulnerable, but it would provide some assurance against a criminal attack. The second way to combat insecurity is to go out and get some custom-made sleeves or pocket liners for your carrying blade.