What Word Did William Shakespeare Coin From The Warriors Of The Old Man Of The Mountain?

The Old Man of the Mountain was a term used to refer to the leader of the Hashshashin sect that existed from around 1090 to 1272. The followers of the sect used to gat themselves drugged with "Hashish" and then murdered their enemies. Shakespeare is believed to have coined the word assassin or assassination from the word Hashshashin.

The Hashshashin comprised of members of the Ismaili sect of Muslims. Accounts suggest that they held political power by way of acting as hit-men of that age. The assassinations carried out by them used to be public and the assassins who perpetrated the act were under the influence of hashish, a narcotic drug. They were bound to get caught but their leader had promised them heaven. Their base was at Alamut in the Elborz Mountains of Persia. They were powerful enough to dissuade Saladin from offences against them. It is believed that three attempts were made on his life. It was Hulagu Khan who annihilated them after news reached him that assassins had set out against the Great Khan.