Editing Ahamkara

|othernames= "Dragons" <br> "Wish-Dragons"

|image= [[File:Ahamkarapic.jpeg|355px]]

|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>

|goals= Prey upon and gain power through granting wishes to other beings

|height= Variable

|weight= Variable

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

|lifespan= Indefinite

|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, whether animate or inanimate;<ref name="Queensfoil Censer">'''Bungie (2023/11/28)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Wish]] - Item Description: [[Queensfoil Censer#Lore|Queensfoil Censer]]''</ref> however, they frequently choose animalistic shapes that exhibit draconic or reptilian attributes, hence their alternative name "wish-dragons".

 

 

 

Ahamkara are also notable for their ability to survive beyond their physical death. If they are killed, their consciousness will persist as an incorporeal "spirit" tied to their bones or other physical remains. In light of this, it has been speculated that the physical form of an Ahamkara is more of a "representation", distinct from their actual being.<ref name="Queensfoil Censer"/> In this form, they are capable of telepathically communicating with nearby intelligent beings; this became apparent to the Guardians during and after the Great Ahamkara Hunt, as they discovered that the bones of slain Ahamkara continued to whisper to them.<ref name = "Greaves"/> Despite this, Ahamkara bones are often incorporated into charms and pieces of armor; some claim that plating Ahamkara bones with silver prevents the "auditory hallucinations" associated with their use, but it is unclear whether this is effective or not.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] - Item Description: [[Sealed Ahamkara Grasps]]''</ref> Ahamkara are still capable of granting wishes when existing as bones, but they are noted to be seemingly less potent and more difficult to initiate.<ref name="Queensfoil Censer"/>

 

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 or the universe that the Destiny Universe exists inside of]. 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>

 

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>

 

 

References to the Ahamkara are found in the Hive's [[Books of Sorrow]]; the [[Harmony]] were 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.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] -  [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books of Sorrow|Books of Sorrow]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books of Sorrow#XLV: I'd shut them all in cells.|XLV: I'd shut them all in cells.]]''</ref><ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] -  [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books of Sorrow|Books of Sorrow]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books of Sorrow#XLVI: The Gift Mast|XLVI: The Gift Mast]]''</ref>

 

 

The Ahamkara first appeared in the Sol System following the Traveler's arrival;<ref name="Warlock"/> several sources describe them as being part of the "neolife" that was generated by the Traveler's actions, but their exact origins are unclear.<ref name="YAS">'''Bungie (2017/9/8)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - Item Description: [[Young Ahamkara's Spine#Lore|Young Ahamkara's Spine]]''</ref> 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.<ref name = "Cayde Book"/><ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]] - [[Shuro Chi]]: [[List of Shuro Chi quotes#Harbinger's Seclude|"The Awoken knew the Ahamkara long before the Guardians ever noticed them. We made our alliances and cut our deals at this pillar - and for the most part, we lived alongside each other."]]''</ref>

 

 

 

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>

 

 

 

 

 

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.<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]] - Item Description: [[Armor_of_the_Great_Hunt_(Warlock)#Boots of the Great Hunt|Boots of the Great Hunt]]''</ref>

 

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.<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]] - [[Nothing Left to Say]]''</ref> 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.<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]] - [[Awakening (mission)|Awakening]]''</ref>

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.<ref>'''Bungie (2024/6/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[The Final Shape]] - [[Liminality]]''</ref>

<!--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 are shape-shifters, seemingly capable of taking on any form they desire<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]] - Item Description: [[One Thousand Voices#Lore|One Thousand Voices]]''</ref>. Most often, they seem to prefer dragon-like or serpentine forms, hence the name "wish-dragons". They have also been recorded as having adopted the forms of other species, such as humans or Vex, in the course of fulfilling various Guardians' wishes. They are known to alter their forms in response to the expectations of their viewers; when [[Riven]] encountered the [[Guardian]] [[Savin]], for example, she responded to his preconceptions by shifting into a more monstrous form.<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]] - [[Lore:Ghost Stories|Ghost Stories]]: [[Lore:Ghost Stories#Savin|Savin]]''</ref> At various points, Riven was also known to adopt the shapes of a winged and crested beast, a "needle-nosed basilisk," or an "antlered creature with tiger's paws".<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]] - [[Lore:The Dreaming City|The Dreaming City]]: [[Lore:The Dreaming City#Throne|Throne]]''</ref> After her [[Taken|Taking]] and corruption of the Dreaming City, Riven manifested to the Young Wolf as an enormous serpentine, clawed and tentacled creature, with a fanged head covered in numerous eyes and protected by folding bone plates.<ref name="Last Wish"/>

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.<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]] - [[Lore:The Dreaming City|The Dreaming City]]: [[Lore:The Dreaming City#Azirim|Azirim]]''</ref> Ahamkara can die when they grant their own wishes, as was the case with [[Taranis]] when he scattered Riven's clutch.<ref>'''Bungie (2023/11/28)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Wish]] - [[Lore:Gifts and Bargains|Gifts and Bargains]]: [[Lore:Gifts and Bargains#Last Bargain|Last Bargain]]''</ref>

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. 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.'<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>

 

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.<ref name="Last Wish"/> 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.{{Citation needed}}

 

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.

 

{{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 name="COA">'''Bungie (2018/5/8)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Warmind (expansion)|Warmind]] - Item Description: [[Claws of Ahamkara#Lore|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 name="SODA">'''Bungie (2017/9/8)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - Item Description: [[Skull of Dire Ahamkara#Lore|Skull of Dire Ahamkara]]''</ref><ref name="YAS"/><ref name="Knuckles"/>

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

*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.<ref name="SODA"/><ref name="COA"/>

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

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

 

[[Category:Ahamkara|*]]