The Apple of Eden is the recurring Isu artifact that often grants control or influence over minds in the Assassin's Creed series.
The Apples are Pieces of Eden, advanced devices created by the Isu, the technologically sophisticated precursor civilization in the series' mythology. Their effects commonly include manipulating perception, compelling obedience, and projecting powerful energy.
The artifact is not always a single unique object. Multiple Apples appear across the games and related stories, and different historical characters possess or seek them. This helps explain why the Apple repeatedly returns even when one particular artifact is lost or destroyed.
Players sometimes group every Piece of Eden under the name Apple of Eden. Other artifacts, including the Swords, Staves, Shrouds, and the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus, have different identities and functions. The Apple is the series' most recognizable mind-influencing Piece of Eden.