Anthem Anatheme

"So it whispered the Anthem Anatheme, the temptation to dominate the objective universe with the subjective will. It said, I shall be an engine to make your desire hegemon over your conditions. It said, WIELD ME, AND USE ME TO TEST YOUR FOE. This was its worship. Aiat."

— Whisper of the Worm Lore tab

The Anthem Anatheme is a concept related to several paracausal entities and their abilities, most notably the Ahamkara. It is defined as "the temptation to dominate the objective universe with the subjective will," or in other words the desire of sentient beings to change reality to better suit their purposes.

Overview

"Wishes: A verbally expressed desire expressed within audible range of any Ahamkara. This wish is granted through invocation of something known as the "Anthem Anatheme," which appears to be a manner of subjecting reality to one's will, similar to a Lightbearer's ability to affect paracausality. However, little is known about how this process unfolds in practice."

— Queensfoil Censer Lore Tab

The Anthem Anatheme is foundational to Ahamkara wish-magic, as the Ahamkara derive sustenance from paracausally fulfilling the desires of other beings. The Worm God Xol also invoked the Anthem Anatheme when he transformed himself into a weapon after his physical death.

The Awoken of the Reef are generally not subject to the Anthem Anatheme, as their desires are aligned almost perfectly with those of their Queen, and the Queen herself has very little desire to change reality for her own purposes. It was this alignment which allowed the Ahamkara Riven to coexist with the Awoken in relative peace for so long, although Prince Uldren Sov was prohibited from interacting with Riven because his desires for himself were less attuned to his reality.

The Cabal were also aware of the Ahamkara and the Anthem Anatheme before coming to the Sol System, with the Cabal Emperor Calus having possessed an Ahamkara bone that originated from the extinct civilization known as the Harmony. The Psions are said to be among those that truly understand the Anthem Anatheme.

The Anthem Anatheme appears to be linked to another concept known as the "Anathematic Arc", which according to Ikora Rey (who once wished upon an Ahamkara to know more about the creatures, and had her wish granted) is the primary goal of the Ahamkara as a species. The Anathematic Arc is described as a path by which the Ahamkara seek to travel to somewhere "more real" than the universe, which Ikora speculated might be a "parent" universe which spawned our current one, in much the same way as the Distributary is a pocket universe which arose within our own. By fulfilling the wishes of Guardians (and possibly other beings as well), the Ahamkara apparently move closer to this objective.

Trivia

• According to the Lore Book Unveiling, in the primordial "garden" which predated the universe, there existed creatures that subsisted on the gradient between "what was and what might be", which subsequently escaped into the universe when the Gardener and Winnower fought with one another in the garden. This may be a reference to the Anthem Anatheme, and may also hint at the origins of beings such as the Worm Gods and Ahamkara.

List of appearances

• Destiny 2: Warmind (First mentioned)
  • Forsaken (Mentioned only)
  • Season of the Deep (Mentioned only)
  • Season of the Wish (Mentioned only)
• The Hidden Dossier (Mentioned only)