Editing Ahamkara

|focalworld(s)= [[Earth]] <br> [[Venus]] <br> [[Jupiter]]<ref name="Long Tomorrow">'''Bungie (2014/5/19)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[House of Wolves (expansion)|House of Wolves]] - Item Description: [[Long Tomorrow 9G#Helm|Long Tomorrow 9G Helm]]''</ref> <br> [[Reef]] <br> [[Ascendant Realm]]<br>[[Mars]]<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]] - Item Description: [[Age-Old Bond#Lore|Age-Old Bond]]''</ref>

|distinctions= Draconic <br> Idiosyncratic speech patterns <br> Shapeshifting abilities

|notable-person= [[Eao]] <br> [[Azirim]] <br> [[Riven]] <br> [[Hefnd]] <br> [[Huginn]] <br> [[Muninn]] <br> [[Madadh]] <br> [[Taranis]]

{{quote|And thus the Ahamkara were made extinct, their call silenced, their solipsistic flatteries erased, their great design - if it ever existed - broken. Of this you can be assured, oh reader mine. |[[Grimoire]] description}}<ref name="Legends3">'''Bungie (2014/9/9)''', ''[[Destiny]] - [[Grimoire:Allies/Legends & Mysteries|Legends & Mysteries]]: [[Grimoire:Allies/Legends & Mysteries#Ghost Fragment: Legends 3|Ghost Fragment: Legends 3]]''</ref>

The '''Ahamkara''' are a mysterious and powerful species of shapeshifting, wish-granting creatures that first appeared in the [[Sol System]] after [[the Traveler]] arrived.<ref name="Warlock">'''Bungie (2014/9/9)''', ''[[Destiny]] - [[Grimoire:Guardian/Classes|Classes]]: [[Grimoire:Guardian/Classes#Ghost Fragment: Warlock|Ghost Fragment: Warlock]]''</ref><ref name = "Cayde Book">'''[[Cayde's Treasure Island Book]]'''</ref>  

{{quote|Behold, Sister, the lie that makes itself true.|[[Uldren Sov]]}}<ref name = "Telic I">'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]] - [[Lore:The Awoken of the Reef|The Awoken of the Reef]]: [[Lore:The Awoken of the Reef#Telic I|Telic I]]''</ref>

Ahamkara are powerful, shape-shifting [[Paracausality|paracausal]] creatures capable of granting the wishes of other intelligent beings. They can appear in any form they wish, but they frequently choose shapes that exhibit draconic or reptilian attributes, hence their alternative name "wish-dragons".

Ahamkara derive sustenance from the act of paracausally fulfilling the desires of other beings using "wish-magic"; this mode of feeding is related to the concept known as the [[Anthem Anatheme]], which is defined as the desire to change reality to suit one's purposes. Ahamkara regard the process of wish-granting as "bargaining", and refer to the recipients of their boons as "partners";<ref name="First Gift">'''Bungie (2023/11/28)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Wish]] - [[Lore:Gifts and Bargains|Gifts and Bargains]]: [[Lore:Gifts and Bargains#First Gift|First Gift]]''</ref> in this way, Ahamkara may be seen as parasitic, living off of the wishes of their partners.

Very often, Ahamkara will intentionally twist or misinterpret the meaning behind the words or thoughts of their interlocutors as they formulate a wish, resulting in adverse consequences for the unfortunate individual making the wish. In keeping with this, they are known for their love of wordplay and double-meanings, as this is intimately tied to the process by which they feed.{{Citation needed}} The Ahamkara known as [[Taranis]] was a notable exception in this regard, being regarded as "plain-spoken" and known for granting the wishes of other beings without making any effort to do them harm in the process.<ref name="First Gift"/>

Perhaps related to the above, Ahamkara are known to use a characteristic phrase when addressing other beings, taking the form of "O/Oh (subject) mine". This phrase is apparently a curse, invoking paracausal powers of ownership over the addressee. The [[Worm|Worm Gods]], the Cabal Emperor [[Emperor Calus|Calus]], and the Witch Queen [[Savathûn, the Witch Queen|Savathûn]] have also been recorded as using this phrase, suggesting either a relationship between them or universal applicability of this phrase.{{Citation needed}}

 

According to [[Ikora Rey]], who once wished to know more about the Ahamkara and had her wish granted, the primary desire of the Ahamkara is to become "more real," or to transcend their current reality in some way. They refer to this path by which they seek to attain their goal, as the "Anathematic Arc." Ikora speculates that this goal may entail escaping their universe into one that is either subordinate or superordinate [i.e. a universe that exists within theirs (such as the distributary) or the universe that the Destiny Universe exists inside of (such as our universe)]. By granting the wishes of Guardians and other beings, they apparently move closer to this objective.<ref>https://www.bungie.net/en/explore/detail/news/51148?fbclid=IwAR0VpyHyrvhUYr6_-PGbaWGvvRj3O9NeSox6cG6Ln1wRk3YEHb5nXqfWMg8</ref>

 

Ahamkara bones are often incorporated into charms and new varieties of armor. These were known to cause auditory hallucinations in their bearers as if the bones were speaking to them.<ref name="Activision">'''Bungie (2014/9/9)''', ''[[Destiny]]''</ref>

 

In the course of their dealings with Ahamkara, the Awoken learned that mirrors and other reflective surfaces can be used to see through an Ahamkara's illusions, leading them to strategically place polished, reflective geodes as countermeasures in certain areas of the Dreaming City.<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]] - [[Shuro Chi]]: [[List of Shuro Chi quotes#Harbinger's Seclude|"The Ahamkara always came and went from the Dreaming City by way of this platform, which meant they always passed by these geodes. We used them as protective measures. Shiny surfaces can reveal some of the Ahamkara's secrets – if you know what to look for."]]''</ref>

{{quote|THE DRAGONS. Our gods should be ours alone. Their smug freedom is an insult to me. I'd shut them all in cells. Bring them to me! |[[Xivu Arath, God of War|Xivu Arath]]}}

References to the Ahamkara are found in the Hive's [[Books of Sorrow]]; the [[Harmony]] are described as having "wishful bishops" that make use of "dragon-wishes." Xivu Arath noted the Harmony's relationship with "the dragons" with outrage and demanded their imprisonment. Notably, the Harmony had previously been visited by the Traveler.

 

These "dragons" were confirmed by [[Empress Caiatl]] to have been Ahamkara during her recounting of her upbringing on [[Torobatl]]; her father, Emperor Calus, kept an Ahamkara bone that originated from the Harmony's system.

The Ahamkara first appeared in the Sol System following the Traveler's arrival; several sources describe them as being part of the "neolife" that was generated by the Traveler's actions, but their exact origins are unclear. Whilst [[Cayde's Treasure Island Book]] indicates they were studied by the Ishtar Academy during the Golden Age; the Awoken claim they were first to discover the Ahamkara after the Collapse, well before they ever came to Guardian attention.{{Citation needed}}

 

The first Ahamkara to be found by the Awoken was a young [[Riven]], brought to the Queen by her brother, in search of a power that would secure the safety of the nascent Awoken society in the Sol System.<ref name = "Telic I"/> Riven's wish-granting abilities, along with those of other Ahamkara, played an integral role in the construction of the Dreaming City.<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]] - Item Description: [[Armor of the Great Hunt (Titan)#Gauntlets of the Great Hunt|Gauntlets of the Great Hunt]]''</ref> While most of the Ahamkara preferred the worlds of the inner system, they passed freely through the Dreaming City, coexisting with the Awoken. Riven was the city's only permanently residing Ahamkara.<ref name="Riven">'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]] - [[Lore:The Dreaming City|The Dreaming City]]: [[Lore:The Dreaming City#Riven|Riven]]''</ref> Though the Awoken and the Ahamkara enjoyed a constructive relationship, the former soon learned to be wary and careful when dealing with the latter -- all Ahamkara were tricksters, and fundamentally self-interested.{{Citation needed}}

The Ahamkara were known to the Guardians during the City Age, and many made bargains with the creatures to reach greater power and fulfil other desires. It was ultimately decided that the price of these bargains was too great, and after much debate among the City's Consensus and Vanguard members, they ordered that the Ahamkara be exterminated in an event that came to be known as the [[Great Ahamkara Hunt]].<ref name="Legends3"/><ref>'''Bungie (2014/9/9)''', ''[[Destiny]] - Item Description: [[Salicin Fen#Gauntlets|Salicin Fen Gauntlets]]''</ref><ref name="Knuckles">'''Bungie (2017/28/3)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[Age of Triumph]] - Item Description: [[Knuckles of Eao]]''</ref>

During this time, the Ahamkara had congregated on Venus, where they appeared to be engaged in some form of terraforming endeavor. According to [[Eris Morn]], no two eyewitnesses could agree on what the nature of this terraforming project was, or in what order the relevant events had occurred. A paracausal phenomenon was observed to have manifested over the site of the Ishtar Academy and induced suicidal actions in at least one observing Guardian.<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]] - Item Description: [[Armor of the Great Hunt (Hunter)#Mask of the_Great_Hunt|Mask of the Great Hunt]]''</ref><ref name = "Plate">'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]] - Item Description: [[Armor of the Great Hunt (Titan)#Plate of the Great Hunt|Plate of the Great Hunt]]''</ref>

In response to the growing chaos, the City asked the Reef for assistance and received a great deal of weaponry on loan. Mara Sov's generosity had ulterior motives: having trapped Riven in the Dreaming City,<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]] - Item Description: [[Armor of the Great Hunt (Warlock)#Hood of the Great Hunt|Hood of the Great Hunt]]''</ref> she saw a powerful advantage in possessing the only living Ahamkara.<ref name = "Greaves">'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]] - Item Description: [[Armor of the Great Hunt (Titan)#Greaves of the Great Hunt|Greaves of the Great Hunt]]''</ref><ref name = "Plate"/>

 

Eventually, the Ahamkara were hunted down and seemingly rendered extinct in the Sol system. Whilst Riven is the only confirmed survivor, rumors have been spread of more Ahamkhara spotted as far out as [[Jupiter]].<ref name="Long Tomorrow"/>

At the onset of the [[Taken War]], [[Oryx, the Taken King]] invaded the Dreaming City, [[Taken|Taking]] Riven in the process. This event drove the [[Nine]] into a frenzy, as they feared that Oryx's power would become too great to face with an Ahamkara to serve him. Communications between the Nine during this time seem to suggest that the Nine knew of additional Ahamkara within the Sol System and that they killed them to prevent them from falling into Oryx's hands as well.<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]] - [[Lore:The Dreaming City|The Dreaming City]]: [[Lore:The Dreaming City#Reextinction|Reextinction]]''</ref>

After Oryx's death, Riven was left directionless, until she was visited by [[Savathûn, the Witch Queen]], who took up her Taken reins as her brother had done.

Riven, desiring to escape from the Dreaming City, manipulated [[Uldren Sov]] into unsealing the only known gateway to the Dreaming City from the [[Tangled Shore]]. The Ahamkhara sent a Taken [[Voice of Riven|Chimera]] through this gateway to finally kill the Awoken Prince and force upon the portal. Instead, the abomination was slain by the [[Young Wolf]], denying Riven any chance of leaving the Dreaming City. Entering the Dreaming City themselves, the Young Wolf was greeted by the orders of Mara Sov who demanded they slay Riven and tear out her heart.

Six Guardians would launch a [[Last Wish|raid]] into the [[Keep of Voices]] at the heart of the Dreaming City, where Riven was trapped. Throughout the incursion, Riven's siren would whisper to the Guardians in different familiar voices, including [[Mara Sov]], [[Ikora]], [[Uldren]] and [[Zavala]]. After a fierce battle, Riven was slain and her heart was cleansed of Taken essence by the Techeuns [[Kalli]] and [[Shuro Chi]]. Feeding off of the power of a powerful wish granted to six elite guardians, Riven was able to grant one last wish, manipulating the laws of Ascendancy and causing the Dreaming City to be cursed in an endless three-week time loop.

With the defeat of Riven, there were no known Ahamkara present in the Sol system. Whether they are truly extinct or not remains to be seen.

 

 

 

 

During the Vanguard's incursion into the Pale Heart in pursuit of the Witness, they discovered a mountain containing caverns full of Ahamkara bones, along with living Ahamkara tissue embedded in the walls. There they faced [[Kataxiia, Tormentor of the Ahamkara]], a massive [[Tormentor]] who attempted to block their passage.

<!--Based on their remains, the Ahamkara were believed to be avian or draconic in appearance, possessing scales, feathers, and sharp beaks.<ref name="Activision"/> Various armor pieces adorned with supposed Ahamkara bones suggest that they had skulls with fanged jaws, with the lower jawbone being split down the middle, not unlike a pair of arthropod mandibles. Notable differences in bone structure can be observed between the skulls of young and Dire Ahamkara, suggesting significant developmental changes throughout their lifecycle. [[Lord Shaxx]] has a gigantic skull hanging above his station in the Tower following the Red War, which has the split jaw and reptilian characteristics associated with other Ahamkara skulls, but otherwise looks quite different again.-->

 

Ahamkara vary greatly in size, an effect caused both by growth and their shape-shifting nature. When Riven was young, she was small enough to fit in one of Uldren's hands;<ref name = "Telic I"/> as time passed, she grew so large her head alone was sometimes the size of a [[Pike]].<ref name="Riven"/> The Ahamkara [[Azirim]] grew in size after influencing and leading a large number of Awoken to their deaths, perhaps a result of having fed upon their desires. Ahamkara can die when they grant their own wishes, as was the case with [[Taranis]] when he scattered Riven's clutch.

Perhaps as a result of their shapeshifting abilities, Ahamkara skeletal remains display great diversity in size and form. Ahamkara skulls, for example, may feature two, four, or no eye sockets, may or may not have horns, and exhibit a range of different tooth shapes. A consistent feature appears to be a split lower jaw, not unlike a pair of arthropod mandibles.

Ahamkara reproduction involves two or more individuals, who each perform the role of either a "sire" or "dam"; an Ahamkara dam acts as an "initiator", providing their own biological material to create embryos, while a sire "kindles" the embryos and grants some of their own strength to the dam as they craft eggs around the embryos.<ref name="First Gift"/><ref>'''Bungie (2023/11/28)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Wish]] - [[Lore:Gifts and Bargains|Gifts and Bargains]]: [[Lore:Gifts and Bargains#Second Gift|Second Gift]]''</ref> These roles appear to be independent of biological sex or gender, with both males and females being capable of acting as either a sire or dam. Baby Ahamkara are called "whims.'

Ahamkara appear to have a central core, referred to as their "heart", that may be extracted upon their death. In the case of Riven, this heart took the form of a spherical "bubble" enclosing a compressed pocket of space, which can be entered by [[Guardian]]s. During the process of extracting Riven's heart, a Guardian within the heart may observe a pair of massive hands in the distance, presumably belonging to the Guardian who is holding the heart. The existence of this "heart" curiously parallels the "ravenous heart" of [[Oryx, the Taken King]], which persisted beyond his death and lives on within the weapon [[Touch of Malice]], and that of [[Nokris, Herald of Xol]], who bequeathed his heart to [[Xol]] in exchange for forbidden knowledge.

Ahamkara were studied on [[Venus]] by the [[Ishtar Academy]] because of their unique genome, which contained unknown new proteins.<ref name = "Cayde Book" /> They were described as "parasitic"<ref name = "Cayde Book" />, likely a reference to their hunting strategy of feeding off of the fulfilled desires of other beings.

*[[Huginn]] {{C|Incapacitated}}

*[[Madhir]] {{C|Deceased-presumed}}

*[[Muninn]] {{C|Incapacitated}}

*[[Riven]] {{C|Deceased}}

*[[Taranis]] {{c|Deceased as a result of granting his own wish}}

{{quote|Reality is the finest flesh, oh bearer mine. And are you not...hungry?|Skull of Dire Ahamkara}}

The fossilized remains of the Ahamkara are of continued interest to [[Warlock]]s, who adorn their armor with them and thereby acquire unique powers. Some [[Hunter]]s and certain [[Titan (class)|Titan]]s also wear armor with Ahamkara bones, but have less of an understanding of the risks involved. The bones seem to retain a will of their own, flattering and urging their owners to recklessness.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] - Item Description: [[Sealed Ahamkara Grasps]]''</ref><ref>'''Bungie (2015/5/19)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[House of Wolves (expansion)|House of Wolves]] - Item Description: [[Bones of Eao]]''</ref><ref>'''Bungie (2014/12/9)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Dark Below]] - Item Description: [[Claws of Ahamkara]]''</ref><ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] - Item Description: [[Scales of Eao]]''</ref><ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] - Item Description: [[Ahamkara Scale]]''</ref><ref>'''Bungie (2014/9/9)''', ''[[Destiny]] - Item Description: [[Skull of Dire Ahamkara]]''</ref><ref>'''Bungie (2014/9/9)''', ''[[Destiny]] - Item Description: [[Young Ahamkara's Spine]]''</ref><ref name="Knuckles"/>

*[[Knuckles of Eao]]—Consumables which enhance rewards from Weekly Featured Raids

<gallery>

File:Guardians_Hunting_Ahamkara.jpg|Concept art depicting Guardians hunting an Ahamkara.

</gallery>

*Some players believed that the winged, flying creatures seen in the skies above [[Venus]] may have been living Ahamkara. According to Bungie, these creatures are "[[batadactyl]]s". They got their informal name during an argument between members of Bungie's environment team over what animal the creatures most resembled.<ref name="RAV">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTXb7eBoCJ8 '''Ride Along - Venus''' - ''Bungie Commentary'']</ref>

*It is implied in several lore entries that the Ahamkara are aware of Destiny being a video game.  In Destiny 2, the lore tab for [[Skull of Dire Ahamkara]] suggests that it speaks directly to the player of the game, and the [[Claws of Ahamkara]] suggests that they are trapped in a prison behind a screen.

** An [[Lore:Truth to Power#Unnamed entry|intentionally unused lore entry]] strongly suggests that Ahamkara can view the actual development of Destiny through concepts relating to the [[Anthem Anatheme]], and tell when the player of the game finds things that are not intended to be available in-game. However, its canonicity cannot be verified.

*It has been speculated that Ahamkara are closely related to, if not the same species as, the [[Worm God]]s, given their similar attributes and use of the phrase "O___mine". This was later suggested not to be the case by the craftmind [[Medusa]] in a lore entry, who hypothesized that this is due to the [[Wikipedia:Convergent evolution|both species separately evolved to harness the underlying power within the phrase]].<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]] - [[Lore:Truth to Power|Truth to Power]]: [[Lore:Truth to Power#asudeM|asudeM]]''</ref> However, since this lore series changes the stated identity of the person delivering the information, its validity is suspect.

**The "Unveiling" Lore Book mentions two groups of entities that escaped the primordial "garden" that gave rise to the universe, the "insects" and the "worms". This would seem to further suggest that the Worms and Ahamkara are distinct, albeit fundamentally similar, creatures and may hint to their origins.<ref>'''Bungie (2019/10/1)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Shadowkeep]] - [[Lore:Unveiling|Unveiling]]: [[Lore:Unveiling#Gardener and Winnower|Gardener and Winnower]]''</ref>

**''[[The Taken King]]'' {{Mo}}

*''[[Destiny 2]]'' {{Mo}}

 

[[Category:Ahamkara|*]]