containing the substance so highly praised, took a teaspoonful of the magic preserves, raised it to his lips, and savoured it slowly, with his eyes half shut and his head bent backward. Franz did not disturb him while he ate his favourite dish, but when he had finished, he inquired:
‘What, then, is this precious preparation?’
‘Did you ever hear,’ asked his host, ‘of the Old Man of the Mountain, who attempted to assassinate Philip Augustus?’
‘Of course I have.’
‘Well, you know he reigned over a rich valley dominated by the mountain from which he derived his picturesque name. In this valley were magnificent gardens planted by Hasan-ben-Sabah, and in these gardens were isolated pavilions. Into these pavilions he admitted his chosen ones, and there, says Marco Polo, he had them eat a certain herb, which transported them to Paradise to the midst of ever-blooming shrubs, ever-ripe fruit, and ever-fresh virgins. Now, what these happy young men took for reality was only a dream, but it was a dream so soft, voluptuous, and enthralling, that they sold themselves body and soul to him who gave it to them, and obeyed his orders as if they were God’s own. They went to the ends of th earth to strike down their destined victims, and would die under torture without a word, believing that the death they suffered was only a transition to that life of delights of which the holy herb, now served before you, had given them a foretaste.’
‘Then,’ cried Franz, ‘it is hashish! I know it, by name at least.’
1855. From: Tales of Hashish by Andrew C. Kimmens, 1976
George Lane
The Mongols and the Advent of Hashish in Western Asia
L EGENDS MAINTAIN THAT Ḥ asan-i Ṣ abb ā h kidnapped peasant boys while they were in a hashish-drugged sleep, then woke them in an artificial paradise of lithe, dancing horis (Islamic angels), fragrant wine and more slumber-inducing hashis. They would then be thrust back into the harsh reality of their poverty–stricken life with the option of a return to paradise, proffered through murderous service of the Master and martyrdom. This and other legends of Alam ū t and the gardens of paradise and of Ḥ asan-i Ṣ abb ā h and his hashish-crazed followers are the result of medieval disinformation, rumour-mongering, and over–reliance on limited early source material.
The followers of Ḥ asan-i Ṣ abb ā h, or more correctly the N ī z ā r ī Ism ā ᶜ ī l ī s (1009–1256 CE) of Iran and Syria, were, indeed, given the name Hash ī sh ī n . This appellation was picked up by the Crusaders and transmuted into ‘assassin’, a term found in many languages today. However, it is the second label ‘assassin’ which bears closer association with the reality than the first.
The rulers of the N ī z ā r ī Ism ā ᶜ ī l ī s were unassailable in their mountain retreats. Their fanatical followers who were promised their rewards in the afterlife used political assassination and subterfuge rather than heroics on the battlefield as their modus operandi . Although small in number, their fingers stretched far, and the kings and rulers of the medieval Islamic world slept uneasily in fear of these Islamic terrorists from Iran. Hence their infamy, and hence the stories of their exploits reaching the ears of both Marco Polo, who introduced to Europe the stories of the fabulous gardens and drugs, and the Crusaders, who carried back tales of the Assassins’ killing and terror.
The connection between a group of religious fanatics and indolent drug use is not so obvious, for the Ism ā ᶜ ī l ī s were strict in many of their religious observances. The explanation is the use of the term hash ī sh ī n or hash ī shiyya , meaning literally a user of hashish but also used as a general term of abuse for any disreputable person or group – similar to the meaning of ‘vagabond’. The Ism ā ᶜ ī l ī s were secretive, feared, and rumours of their beliefs and practices abounded but were not
‘What, then, is this precious preparation?’
‘Did you ever hear,’ asked his host, ‘of the Old Man of the Mountain, who attempted to assassinate Philip Augustus?’
‘Of course I have.’
‘Well, you know he reigned over a rich valley dominated by the mountain from which he derived his picturesque name. In this valley were magnificent gardens planted by Hasan-ben-Sabah, and in these gardens were isolated pavilions. Into these pavilions he admitted his chosen ones, and there, says Marco Polo, he had them eat a certain herb, which transported them to Paradise to the midst of ever-blooming shrubs, ever-ripe fruit, and ever-fresh virgins. Now, what these happy young men took for reality was only a dream, but it was a dream so soft, voluptuous, and enthralling, that they sold themselves body and soul to him who gave it to them, and obeyed his orders as if they were God’s own. They went to the ends of th earth to strike down their destined victims, and would die under torture without a word, believing that the death they suffered was only a transition to that life of delights of which the holy herb, now served before you, had given them a foretaste.’
‘Then,’ cried Franz, ‘it is hashish! I know it, by name at least.’
1855. From: Tales of Hashish by Andrew C. Kimmens, 1976
George Lane
The Mongols and the Advent of Hashish in Western Asia
L EGENDS MAINTAIN THAT Ḥ asan-i Ṣ abb ā h kidnapped peasant boys while they were in a hashish-drugged sleep, then woke them in an artificial paradise of lithe, dancing horis (Islamic angels), fragrant wine and more slumber-inducing hashis. They would then be thrust back into the harsh reality of their poverty–stricken life with the option of a return to paradise, proffered through murderous service of the Master and martyrdom. This and other legends of Alam ū t and the gardens of paradise and of Ḥ asan-i Ṣ abb ā h and his hashish-crazed followers are the result of medieval disinformation, rumour-mongering, and over–reliance on limited early source material.
The followers of Ḥ asan-i Ṣ abb ā h, or more correctly the N ī z ā r ī Ism ā ᶜ ī l ī s (1009–1256 CE) of Iran and Syria, were, indeed, given the name Hash ī sh ī n . This appellation was picked up by the Crusaders and transmuted into ‘assassin’, a term found in many languages today. However, it is the second label ‘assassin’ which bears closer association with the reality than the first.
The rulers of the N ī z ā r ī Ism ā ᶜ ī l ī s were unassailable in their mountain retreats. Their fanatical followers who were promised their rewards in the afterlife used political assassination and subterfuge rather than heroics on the battlefield as their modus operandi . Although small in number, their fingers stretched far, and the kings and rulers of the medieval Islamic world slept uneasily in fear of these Islamic terrorists from Iran. Hence their infamy, and hence the stories of their exploits reaching the ears of both Marco Polo, who introduced to Europe the stories of the fabulous gardens and drugs, and the Crusaders, who carried back tales of the Assassins’ killing and terror.
The connection between a group of religious fanatics and indolent drug use is not so obvious, for the Ism ā ᶜ ī l ī s were strict in many of their religious observances. The explanation is the use of the term hash ī sh ī n or hash ī shiyya , meaning literally a user of hashish but also used as a general term of abuse for any disreputable person or group – similar to the meaning of ‘vagabond’. The Ism ā ᶜ ī l ī s were secretive, feared, and rumours of their beliefs and practices abounded but were not
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