Editing Ahamkara

{{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]]:[[Grimoire:Allies|Allies]]/[[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]]:[[Grimoire:Guardian|Guardian]]/[[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]]:[[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 derive sustenance from the act of fulfilling the desires of other beings using "wish-magic", paracausally altering reality in accordance with the requests of other sentient beings and feeding upon the "quantum chaos" that results.<ref name="Queensfoil Censer"/> This mode of feeding is related to the concept known as the [[Anthem Anatheme]], 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]]:[[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; indeed, it has been noted that Ahamkara derive greater nourishment from twisting the parameters of their "contracts" in this way.<ref name="Queensfoil Censer"/> 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"/>

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 name="SAG">'''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.ishtar-collective.net/records/the-hidden-dossier The Hidden Dossier]'''</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]]: [[Patrol/Dialogue#Geode|"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]]:[[Grimoire:Enemies|Enemies]]/[[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]]:[[Grimoire:Enemies|Enemies]]/[[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]]: [[Patrol/Dialogue#Meeting Pillar|"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 [[Awoken]] have had extensive experience with the Ahamkara, with some rumors claiming that the Awoken discovered them living within the rocky planetoid that was used to build the foundations of the [[Dreaming City]]. The [[Techeun]] [[Shuro Chi]], however, suspected that the Ahamkara originally were sent by the [[Nine]].<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]] - [[Shuro Chi]]: [[Patrol/Dialogue#Geode|"I have heard it said that the Awoken brought the Ahamkara into this system – that we found them in the ruins of the planet that we carved into the base of the Dreaming City – but if you ask me, they came from the Nine."]]''</ref>

 

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]]:[[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}}

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 the nature of this terraforming project 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 much 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"/>

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.<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>

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]]:[[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]]:[[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]]:[[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]]:[[Lore:Gifts and Bargains|Gifts and Bargains]], [[Lore:Gifts and Bargains#Last Bargain|Last Bargain]]''</ref>

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]]:[[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]],<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] - [[Grimoire]]:[[Grimoire:Enemies|Enemies]]/[[Grimoire:Enemies#Darkness|Darkness]], [[Grimoire:Enemies/Darkness#Calcified Fragments: Insightg|Calcified Fragments: Insight]]''</ref> and that of [[Nokris, Herald of Xol]], who bequeathed his heart to [[Xol]] in exchange for forbidden knowledge.<ref>'''Bungie (2018/4/30)''', ''[[Weblore]]:[[Weblore:Warmind|Warmind]] - [[Weblore:Warmind#Apocrypha|Apocrypha]]''</ref>

*[[Madhir]] {{C|Presumably deceased}}

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 name="SAG"/><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"/>

*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]]:[[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]]:[[Lore:Unveiling|Unveiling]], [[Lore:Unveiling#Gardener and Winnower|Gardener and Winnower]]''</ref>