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[[File:HiveWorm.jpg|thumb|A Worm.|350px]]
{{Tabbed infobox
The '''Worms''' are an ancient, parasitic worm-like species that dwelled deep under the oceans of the gas giant [[Fundament]]. They are disciples of the [[Darkness]] and draw their god-like power directly from it. It is through a pact with the Worms that the ancestors of the [[Hive]] became the Hive and launched their conquest of the universe. The Worms are revered as the Hive's highest deities, beyond even [[Oryx, the Taken King]] and his sisters [[Savathûn]] and [[Xivu Arath]]. All Hive are infested with a larvae from one of the five Worm Gods, which drives them to feed off constant conquest and destruction lest the Worm grow unsatisfied and consume them instead.<ref>[http://db.destinytracker.com/grimoire/enemies/books-of-sorrow '''Planet Destiny''' - ''Grimoire: Book of Sorrows'']</ref>
|width= 360px
|title1 = Symbiote
|content1 =
{{Race infobox
|variant= Hive
|name= Hive Worm
|othernames= Worm
|image= [[File:WormLarvaInfo.png|360px]]
|homeworld= [[Fundament]] (formerly) <br> [[Savathûn's Throne World]]
|focalworld(s)= [[Moon]] <br> [[Dreadnaught]] <br> [[Titan (moon)|Titan]] <br> [[Dreaming City]] <br> [[Mars]]
|goals= Grow in power
|war= [[Light|The Sky]] <br> The [[Traveler]]
|ally= [[The Witness]] {{c|[[Rhulk, Disciple of the Witness]]}} <br> Most Hive [[Hive#Sects and broods|Broods]] <br> [[Scorn]]
|distinctions= Small plump body <br> Spikes along the back <br> Two large spikes protruding from the rear <br> At least eight sets of legs <br> Three green glowing eyes
|lifespan= Indefinite
|notable-person= [[Savathûn's Worm]]
}}
|title2 = Worm God
|content2 =
{{Race infobox
|variant= Hive
|name= Worm God
|image= [[File:Wormgodocean.png|360px]]
|homeworld= [[Fundament]]
|focalworld(s)= [[Mars]] <br> Unknown Space
|goals= Serve the [[Witness]] <br> Destroy the [[Traveler]]
|war= [[Light|The Sky]] <br> The [[Traveler]]
|ally= [[The Witness]] {{c|[[Rhulk, Disciple of the Witness]]}} <br> [[Taken]]
|height= Hundreds to thousands of meters
|lifespan= Indefinite
|notable-person= [[Akka, the Worm of Secrets]] (incapacitated)  <br> [[Eir, the Keeper of Order]] <br> [[Ur, the Ever-Hunger]] <br> [[Xol, Will of the Thousands]] (incapacitated) <br> [[Yul, the Honest Worm]] <br> [[Xita, the Nurturing Worm]] (incapacitated)
}}
}}
{{quote|Take into your bodies our children, our newborn larvae. From them you shall obtain eternal life. From them you shall gain power over your own fragile flesh: the power to make of it as you will. And should you find an imperfection in the world, an injustice or an inconvenience — you will have the power to repair it. Let no mere law bind you.|[[Yul]]<ref name="Bargain">'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#IX:_The_Bargain|IX: The Bargain]]''</ref>}}


Despite calling themselves worms, the Worm Gods describe themselves as having jaws and wings, and that they are of massive size and strength.
The '''Worms''' are an ancient, parasitic worm-like species aligned with [[The Witness|the Witness]] and its [[Disciples of the Witness|Disciple]], [[Rhulk, Disciple of the Witness|Rhulk]].


==Worm Gods==
==Overview==
*[[Akka, the Worm of Secrets]] (deceased)
The Worms are servants of the Witness who draw their Darkness powers directly from the [[Sword Logic]] that it had introduced to its progenitors. It is through a pact with the Worms that the proto-[[Hive]] or "Krill" became what they are today and launched their conquest of the universe. The Worms are worshipped and revered as the Hive's highest deities, beyond even [[Oryx, the Taken King]] and his sisters [[Savathûn, the Witch-Queen]] and [[Xivu Arath, God of War]]. All Hive are bound symbiotically with a larva farmed from [[Xita, the Nurturing Worm|a mother Worm]], which drives them to feed off constant conquest and destruction lest the Worm grow unsatisfied and consume them instead.<ref name="Bargain"/>
*[[Eir]]
 
*[[Ur]]
==History==
*[[Xol]]
===The Ancient Past===
*[[Yul, the Honest Worm]]
As revealed by [[Ahsa]] to Deputy Commander [[Sloane]], the Worm Gods originated from a "proto-Worm" species that lived on the gas giant planet [[Fundament]] eons ago; it is unknown whether they were native to the planet, or whether, like the proto-Hive species known as the Krill, they arrived there from elsewhere.<ref name= "Siocháin's Scuba Shell">'''Bungie (2022/5/22)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Deep]] - Ghost Shell lore: [[Síocháin's Scuba Shell]]''</ref>
 
===Subjugation to the Witness===
At some point the [[Disciples of the Witness|Disciple]] known as [[Rhulk, Disciple of the Witness|Rhulk]] desired the power of the worms on behalf of his master, the [[The Witness|Witness]], which he would delve into the depths of the gas giant to find them; meeting and grievously injuring the Leviathan in the process.<ref>'''Bungie (2022/2/22)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[The Witch Queen]] - Armor lore: [[Resonant Fury Suit (Titan)#Resonant Fury Gauntlets|Resonant Fury Gauntlets]]''</ref> Upon meeting the emaciated Xita and her kin, Rhulk offered her kind a deal to serve as chattel for his master in exchange for providing a [[Hive|race]] of hosts for her spawn to feed as sustenance; giving their kind a purpose in aid of their [[Final Shape|righteous cause]]. The Worm mother capitulated to his demands as he abducts her out of their prison; earning him the respect of all the worms addressing him as "Subjugator"<ref>'''Bungie (2022/2/22)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[The Witch Queen]] - Armor lore: [[Resonant Fury Suit (Titan)#Resonant Fury Helm|Resonant Fury Helm]]''</ref> and "Worm father".<ref>'''Bungie (2022/2/22)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[The Witch Queen]] - [[Preservation]]''</ref>
 
Despite the Subjugator's earlier claims to be on his master's behalf, it was apparent to Xita that Rhulk had only sought the worms out of his own personal desire for domination and was constantly chided by the Witness for stepping out of line. The Disciple would fulfill his earlier deal to the Worm mother and engineered from her body a parasitic strain of living worm segments, their so-called "larvae", which could be implanted into a host and give them access to the Sword Logic. He would then set those parasitic larvae adrift on Fundament's ocean, eager to reach the shores of the [[Osmium Court|Osmium Kingdom]].<ref>'''Bungie (2022/2/22)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[The Witch Queen]] - Armor lore: [[Resonant Fury Suit (Titan)#Resonant Fury Greaves|Resonant Fury Greaves]]''</ref>
 
As a result of this deal they became seduced by temptation of the killing logic; their kind began slaughtering each other to achieve apotheosis through its tenets. As they warred amongst themselves, the strongest of their kind became paracausally bound to the Sword Logic and its forbidden magics linked to the [[Darkness]], or as they termed it "the Deep". Many of these proto-Worms died in the planet-wide bloodbath that ensued, with Ahsa being the only known individual known to have successfully escaped Fundament and traveled to a different star system.<ref name= "Siocháin's Scuba Shell"/> Of all the proto-Worms left after the species-wide genocide [[Xita, the Nurturing Worm]] and her five kin survived, evolving into even stronger lifeforms known as the Worm Gods, having mastered the Sword Logic. However, they would be left imprisoned by the [[Leviathan (Fundament)|Leviathan]], a massive creature that served as an later ally of the [[Light]]-wielding [[Ammonite]]s and acolyte to the [[The Traveler|Traveler]], in the core of Fundament for an unknown amount of time beneath its watchful eye.{{Citation needed}}
 
===Ascension of the Hive===
One of their larvae eventually washed up on the shore of the Osmium Court, where it was found by the Krill [[Osmium King]] and taken as his familiar. From the white dead worm, the Witness echoed whispers to the king of a syzygy that would end all life on Fundament. Larvae in hand, the king gradually descended into madness in apocalyptic fear of the Traveler, which only escalated upon sighting of the actual entity as [[Taox]] and the other Krill conspired to end the insane king.<ref name="Resonant Fury Plate">'''Bungie (2022/2/22)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[The Witch Queen]] - Armor lore: [[Resonant Fury Suit (Titan)#Resonant Fury Plate|Resonant Fury Plate]]''</ref>
 
Following the Osmium King's murder by the [[Helium Drinkers]], his daughters Sathona, Aurash, and Xi Ro fled the court out of fear for their lives; taking with them their father's worm familiar. From the dead worm, the Witness spoke to Sathona, and through her guided the three sisters in their quest for vengeance.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#IV:_Syzygy|IV: Syzygy]]''</ref><ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#V:Needle_and_Worm|V: Needle and Worm]]''</ref> <ref name="Resonant Fury Plate"/>
 
Eventually, the worm led the sisters into the depths of Fundament, to the domain of the Worm Gods, who tempted them with power and immortality in exchange for becoming parasitized by their larvae.<ref name="Bargain"/> The sisters accepted, taking on the names Auryx, Savathûn, and Xivu Arath. Acting in concert with the Worm Gods, they took more larvae back to the surface in order to offer the rest of their species the same bargain.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#X:_Immortals|X: Immortals]]''</ref> Those who refused to accept were killed by the emergent Hive.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XII:_Out_of_the_Deep|XII: Out of the Deep]]''</ref>
 
The Worm Gods oversaw the Hive's conquest of Fundament, providing knowledge, orders, and censure to their leaders as necessary. When the war freed the Worm Gods from Fundament's core, they responded by opening a wormhole into geostationary orbit, allowing the Hive to invade Fundament's moons and the [[Ammonite]] civilization that dwelled there.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XIII:_Into_the_Sky|XIII: Into the Sky]]''</ref> The Hive eventually exterminated the Ammonite and slew the Leviathan. Eir and Yul consumed their captor's corpse.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XIX:_Crusaders|XIX: Crusaders]]''</ref> After this, the Worm Gods withdrew to the [[Ascendant Realm]] and generally left the Hive alone.
 
Auryx would later seek out and slay Akka for the knowledge to commune directly with the Darkness. He returned as Oryx, the Taken King. <ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XXVIII:_King_of_Shapes|XXVIII: King of Shapes]]''</ref> However, Akka remained active in some fashion and battled Oryx following the events of the [[Golden Amputation]].<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XXXVI:_Eater_of_Hope|XXXVI: Eater of Hope]]''</ref> At some point Oryx recovered a fragment of Akka's shell and used it to craft his [[Dreadnaught]].<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XLI:_Dreadnaught|XLI: Dreadnaught]]''</ref>
 
Sometime after the death of Akka, Yul began to contemplate taking the power from the weakest of the four remaining Worms, in order to withstand any future attacks by Oryx. Knowing himself to be vulnerable, Xol made a pact with Oryx's abandoned son, [[Nokris, Supplicant to Savathûn|Nokris]], to flee Fundament and seek new worlds to conquer together.<ref>[https://www.bungie.net/en/News/Article/46779 '''Bungie''': ''Destiny 2 Narrative Preview'']</ref>
 
A long-standing [[Vex]] incursion in Oryx's throne world eventually drew the attention of the Worm Gods. Eir commanded him to ''"SET YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER"''.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]], [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books_of_Sorrow#XXXIX:_open_your_eye:_go_into_it|XXXIX: open your eye: go into it]]''</ref>
 
===The Collapse===
At least one of the Worm Gods, Xol, was present in the Sol System during the Collapse, having traveled to [[Mars]] alongside Nokris and [[Grasp of Nokris|his followers]] with the intent of conquering the planet for themselves. They would engage in battle with [[Rasputin]] at [[Hellas Basin]], which had ended when the [[Warmind]] invoked his SIBERIAN ENTROPY protocol and flash-froze Xol, Nokris and their entire army in a layer of ice.
 
===''Warmind''===
Centuries after the Collapse, Xol's physical form would perish on Mars at the hands of the Guardians, along with his herald. As with Akka before him, Xol transcended death and would go on to present himself to a group of Taken on Io, who offered him worship and service. After [[The Guardian|the Guardian]] proved themselves to Xol, he drew upon his power through the Sword Logic, transforming himself into the [[Whisper of the Worm]].
 
===''The Witch Queen''===
During Rhulk's battle against a team of six Guardians who had invaded his Pyramid, he drew upon Xita's power to charge the Upended, seeking to activate the weapon and destroy [[Court of Savathûn|Savathûn's Throne World]]. After he was defeated, Xita remained motionless underneath the Upended, seemingly dead or catatonic.
 
After it was removed from her body, Savathûn's [[Savathûn's Worm|Worm symbiote]] was kept by Mara Sov, who promised it a new host in exchange for information about Savathûn's role in the Collapse. The Worm assumed Mara herself would become its new host, but instead Mara placed the Worm inside a [[Parasite|weapon]] that would keep it alive and allow it to feast on the destruction generated by the Guardian.
 
===''Season of the Deep''===
Following Titan's reappearance after previously having been Taken by the Witness, the Vanguard made contact with Ahsa, an ancient proto-Worm who had been hiding on Titan since the Golden Age.
 
==Biology==
Worms exist in two forms: massive, serpentine beings known as Worm Gods, and smaller parasitic "larvae" that can live within the bodies of other beings. It is not clear whether Worm larvae are in fact immature Worms, with Worm Gods being the adult form, or if they are wholly separate from the Worm Gods' life cycle; Xita states that "larvae" is a term used by Rhulk, and describes her larvae as "segments" of herself.<ref>https://www.ishtar-collective.net/entries/resonant-fury-greaves#resonant-fury-suit-titan</ref>
 
The Worms are a parasitic species, entering into symbiotic relationships with other sentient races in order to amass greater power for themselves. Their larvae can inhabit the bodies of other beings, such as those of their servant race the Hive, and feed off the power acquired by their hosts through following the Sword Logic. Worm larvae are pale and about a meter in length, with rounded heads, six short spines on their back, and two spines at the end of their tail. Larger variants of Worm larvae can be found within the [[Harvest|Worm breeding facility]] located within the Witch Queen's Throne World, possibly a result of experimentation by Rhulk.
 
Worm Gods are vastly larger in size than larvae and live outside of a host. They appear to vary greatly in size, with Xol, the first of the five Worm Gods encountered by the Guardians, being hundreds of meters in length, Xita being kilometers in length and hundreds of meters in height, and Akka having seemingly been the size of a small celestial body based on the size of the Dreadnaught Oryx had made from a piece of his body. All Worm Gods seen thus far are covered with segmented plates and numerous spines and have heads with six barbed mandibles surrounding glowing eye-like structures. Notably, the Worm God Yul describes himself as having wings, while Xol and Xita were not seen to possess wings.
 
Ahsa, a "proto-Worm" encountered on [[Titan (moon)|Titan]], differs greatly in appearance from the Worm Gods, having smooth bluish-grey skin rather than armor plates, and normal-looking eyes on the side of her head as opposed to the glowing green "eyes" within the mouths of the Worm Gods. These differences are likely accounted for by the transformation undergone by the Worm Gods after they became seduced by the Witness.
 
==Known Worms==
*"Proto-Worm"
**[[Ahsa]]
*Worm larvae
**[[Savathûn's Worm]]
*Worm Gods
**[[Xita, the Nurturing Worm]] {{C|Incapacitated}}
**[[Akka, the Worm of Secrets]] {{C|Incapacitated}}
**[[Eir, the Keeper of Order]]
**[[Ur, the Ever-Hunger]]
**[[Xol, Will of the Thousands]] {{C|Incapacitated}}
**[[Yul, the Honest Worm]]
*Ahsa's Sisters - Names spoken by [[Eris Morn]] alongside Akka and Xita during a ritual, implying they may also be Proto-Worms.
**Sel {{C|Deceased or Missing}}
**Leis {{C|Deceased or Missing}}
**Ora {{C|Deceased or Missing}}
*Potential Worms
**[[Leviathan (Fundament)|The Leviathan of Fundament]] - Descriptions of it are similar to that of Ahsa, implying it may have also belonged to the species that later became the Worm Gods.


==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*The Worms have very similar speech patterns to the [[Ahamkara]]. Note the below table.
*The Worms have very similar speech patterns to the [[Ahamkara]]. As a result, it was theorized that Ahamkara are closely related to, if not the same species as, the Worm Gods, given the similar language used to describe the two, and the use of the phrase "O [subject] mine". The craftmind Medusa (who may in fact be Eris Morn) suggested in a lore entry that this theory was not true, instead [[Wikipedia:Convergent evolution|hypothesizing that both species separately evolved to harness the underlying power within the phrase]].<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]], [[Lore:Truth to Power]]: [[Lore:Truth_to_Power#asudeM|asudeM]]''</ref> The similarities in the phrases used by the two species can be noted in the table below.


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
Line 18: Line 115:
! Worm Text!! Source !! Ahamkara Text !! Source
! Worm Text!! Source !! Ahamkara Text !! Source
|-
|-
| Reality is a fine flesh, oh general ours. Let us feast of it. || Book XII - Out of the Deep || Reality is the finest flesh, oh bearer mine. And are you not… hungry?|| [[Skull of Dire Ahamkara]]
| reality is a fine flesh, oh general ours. let us feast of it. || Book XII - Out of the Deep || Reality is the finest flesh, oh bearer mine. And are you not… hungry?|| [[Skull of Dire Ahamkara]]
|-
| it's dead, but it still speaks to me. it says: listen closely, oh vengeance mine… || Book V - Needle and Worm || Give me your arm, oh bearer mine. Let me help you fill the world with teeth. || [[Young Ahamkara's Spine]]
|-
|-
| It’s dead, but it still speaks to me. It says: listen closely, oh vengeance mine… || Book V - Needle and Worm || Give me your arm, oh bearer mine. Let me help you fill the world with teeth. || [[Young Ahamkara's Spine]]
|}
|}
*Based on Xita's sentences (such as "Akka yearned for nurture. It did so through secrets."), it is possible that the Worm Gods gain tribute and nourishment through particular metaphysical domains such as "secrets" or "order", in the same way, that the Hive Gods gain it from discovery, war or deception.
*In ''Destiny 2'', worms occasionally fall out of the bodies of dead Hive when killed with a precision shot.
*In the lore of the [[A Thousand Wings]] Jumpship in Destiny 2, the Worm gods are called the Hive's demiurge.
**The term Demiurge in Gnosticism and other theological systems is a heavenly being, subordinate to the Supreme Being, that is considered to be the controller of the material world and antagonistic to all that is purely spiritual.
*Artwork of the Worm gods suggests inspiration was taken from the [https://dune.fandom.com/wiki/Sandworm sandworms] of ''[https://dune.fandom.com/wiki/Dune_(novel) Dune]''.
*In the mission [[Utopia]] while the player was crawling through the vents to find the generator, worms could be seen in the ventilation which had a red coloration and was much wider than the normal versions.
*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>
==Non-canon appearances==
===Rising Timeline===
{{Main|Worm/Rising}}
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:HiveWorm.jpg|A Hive Worm seen in-game.
File:Destiny2-worms.png|Worms in ''Destiny 2''.
File:WormGod.jpg|The massive body of [[Xol, Will of the Thousands]]
File:Akka.jpg|[[Akka, the Worm of Secrets]]
File:Xita large.jpg|[[Xita, the Nurturing Worm]]
</gallery>


==List of appearances==
==List of appearances==
*''[[Destiny]]''
*''[[Destiny]]''
**''[[The Taken King]]'' {{First mentioned}}
**''[[The Taken King]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Cabal Booklet]]'' {{mo}}
*''[[Destiny 2]]''
**''[[Curse of Osiris]]''
**''[[Warmind]]''
**''[[Forsaken]]''
**''[[Shadowkeep]]''
**''[[Season of Arrivals]]''
**''[[The Witch Queen]]''
**''[[Season of the Deep]]''
**''[[Season of the Witch]]''
**''[[The Final Shape]]''
**''[[Episode: Echoes]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Episode: Revenant]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Hidden Dossier]]'' {{Mo}}


==References==
==References==
<references/>
<references/>


{{Hive}}
{{Species}}
{{Darkness}}
[[Category:Worms|*]]
[[Category:Hive]]
[[Category:Hive]]
[[Category:Races]]
[[Category:Paracausal entities]]
[[Category:Species]]

Latest revision as of 09:28, November 19, 2024

Symbiote
Hive Worm
WormLarvaInfo.png
Overview

Other name(s):

Worm

Homeworld:

Fundament (formerly)
Savathûn's Throne World

Focal world(s):

Moon
Dreadnaught
Titan
Dreaming City
Mars

Goals:

Grow in power

At war with:

The Sky
The Traveler

Allied with:

The Witness (Rhulk, Disciple of the Witness)
Most Hive Broods
Scorn

Distinctions:

Small plump body
Spikes along the back
Two large spikes protruding from the rear
At least eight sets of legs
Three green glowing eyes

Average lifespan:

Indefinite

Notable individual(s):

Savathûn's Worm

 
Worm God
Worm God
Wormgodocean.png
Overview

Homeworld:

Fundament

Focal world(s):

Mars
Unknown Space

Goals:

Serve the Witness
Destroy the Traveler

At war with:

The Sky
The Traveler

Allied with:

The Witness (Rhulk, Disciple of the Witness)
Taken

Average height:

Hundreds to thousands of meters

Average lifespan:

Indefinite

Notable individual(s):

Akka, the Worm of Secrets (incapacitated)
Eir, the Keeper of Order
Ur, the Ever-Hunger
Xol, Will of the Thousands (incapacitated)
Yul, the Honest Worm
Xita, the Nurturing Worm (incapacitated)

 

"Take into your bodies our children, our newborn larvae. From them you shall obtain eternal life. From them you shall gain power over your own fragile flesh: the power to make of it as you will. And should you find an imperfection in the world, an injustice or an inconvenience — you will have the power to repair it. Let no mere law bind you."
— Yul[1]

The Worms are an ancient, parasitic worm-like species aligned with the Witness and its Disciple, Rhulk.

Overview

The Worms are servants of the Witness who draw their Darkness powers directly from the Sword Logic that it had introduced to its progenitors. It is through a pact with the Worms that the proto-Hive or "Krill" became what they are today and launched their conquest of the universe. The Worms are worshipped and revered as the Hive's highest deities, beyond even Oryx, the Taken King and his sisters Savathûn, the Witch-Queen and Xivu Arath, God of War. All Hive are bound symbiotically with a larva farmed from a mother Worm, which drives them to feed off constant conquest and destruction lest the Worm grow unsatisfied and consume them instead.[1]

History

The Ancient Past

As revealed by Ahsa to Deputy Commander Sloane, the Worm Gods originated from a "proto-Worm" species that lived on the gas giant planet Fundament eons ago; it is unknown whether they were native to the planet, or whether, like the proto-Hive species known as the Krill, they arrived there from elsewhere.[2]

Subjugation to the Witness

At some point the Disciple known as Rhulk desired the power of the worms on behalf of his master, the Witness, which he would delve into the depths of the gas giant to find them; meeting and grievously injuring the Leviathan in the process.[3] Upon meeting the emaciated Xita and her kin, Rhulk offered her kind a deal to serve as chattel for his master in exchange for providing a race of hosts for her spawn to feed as sustenance; giving their kind a purpose in aid of their righteous cause. The Worm mother capitulated to his demands as he abducts her out of their prison; earning him the respect of all the worms addressing him as "Subjugator"[4] and "Worm father".[5]

Despite the Subjugator's earlier claims to be on his master's behalf, it was apparent to Xita that Rhulk had only sought the worms out of his own personal desire for domination and was constantly chided by the Witness for stepping out of line. The Disciple would fulfill his earlier deal to the Worm mother and engineered from her body a parasitic strain of living worm segments, their so-called "larvae", which could be implanted into a host and give them access to the Sword Logic. He would then set those parasitic larvae adrift on Fundament's ocean, eager to reach the shores of the Osmium Kingdom.[6]

As a result of this deal they became seduced by temptation of the killing logic; their kind began slaughtering each other to achieve apotheosis through its tenets. As they warred amongst themselves, the strongest of their kind became paracausally bound to the Sword Logic and its forbidden magics linked to the Darkness, or as they termed it "the Deep". Many of these proto-Worms died in the planet-wide bloodbath that ensued, with Ahsa being the only known individual known to have successfully escaped Fundament and traveled to a different star system.[2] Of all the proto-Worms left after the species-wide genocide Xita, the Nurturing Worm and her five kin survived, evolving into even stronger lifeforms known as the Worm Gods, having mastered the Sword Logic. However, they would be left imprisoned by the Leviathan, a massive creature that served as an later ally of the Light-wielding Ammonites and acolyte to the Traveler, in the core of Fundament for an unknown amount of time beneath its watchful eye.[citation needed]

Ascension of the Hive

One of their larvae eventually washed up on the shore of the Osmium Court, where it was found by the Krill Osmium King and taken as his familiar. From the white dead worm, the Witness echoed whispers to the king of a syzygy that would end all life on Fundament. Larvae in hand, the king gradually descended into madness in apocalyptic fear of the Traveler, which only escalated upon sighting of the actual entity as Taox and the other Krill conspired to end the insane king.[7]

Following the Osmium King's murder by the Helium Drinkers, his daughters Sathona, Aurash, and Xi Ro fled the court out of fear for their lives; taking with them their father's worm familiar. From the dead worm, the Witness spoke to Sathona, and through her guided the three sisters in their quest for vengeance.[8][9] [7]

Eventually, the worm led the sisters into the depths of Fundament, to the domain of the Worm Gods, who tempted them with power and immortality in exchange for becoming parasitized by their larvae.[1] The sisters accepted, taking on the names Auryx, Savathûn, and Xivu Arath. Acting in concert with the Worm Gods, they took more larvae back to the surface in order to offer the rest of their species the same bargain.[10] Those who refused to accept were killed by the emergent Hive.[11]

The Worm Gods oversaw the Hive's conquest of Fundament, providing knowledge, orders, and censure to their leaders as necessary. When the war freed the Worm Gods from Fundament's core, they responded by opening a wormhole into geostationary orbit, allowing the Hive to invade Fundament's moons and the Ammonite civilization that dwelled there.[12] The Hive eventually exterminated the Ammonite and slew the Leviathan. Eir and Yul consumed their captor's corpse.[13] After this, the Worm Gods withdrew to the Ascendant Realm and generally left the Hive alone.

Auryx would later seek out and slay Akka for the knowledge to commune directly with the Darkness. He returned as Oryx, the Taken King. [14] However, Akka remained active in some fashion and battled Oryx following the events of the Golden Amputation.[15] At some point Oryx recovered a fragment of Akka's shell and used it to craft his Dreadnaught.[16]

Sometime after the death of Akka, Yul began to contemplate taking the power from the weakest of the four remaining Worms, in order to withstand any future attacks by Oryx. Knowing himself to be vulnerable, Xol made a pact with Oryx's abandoned son, Nokris, to flee Fundament and seek new worlds to conquer together.[17]

A long-standing Vex incursion in Oryx's throne world eventually drew the attention of the Worm Gods. Eir commanded him to "SET YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER".[18]

The Collapse

At least one of the Worm Gods, Xol, was present in the Sol System during the Collapse, having traveled to Mars alongside Nokris and his followers with the intent of conquering the planet for themselves. They would engage in battle with Rasputin at Hellas Basin, which had ended when the Warmind invoked his SIBERIAN ENTROPY protocol and flash-froze Xol, Nokris and their entire army in a layer of ice.

Warmind

Centuries after the Collapse, Xol's physical form would perish on Mars at the hands of the Guardians, along with his herald. As with Akka before him, Xol transcended death and would go on to present himself to a group of Taken on Io, who offered him worship and service. After the Guardian proved themselves to Xol, he drew upon his power through the Sword Logic, transforming himself into the Whisper of the Worm.

The Witch Queen

During Rhulk's battle against a team of six Guardians who had invaded his Pyramid, he drew upon Xita's power to charge the Upended, seeking to activate the weapon and destroy Savathûn's Throne World. After he was defeated, Xita remained motionless underneath the Upended, seemingly dead or catatonic.

After it was removed from her body, Savathûn's Worm symbiote was kept by Mara Sov, who promised it a new host in exchange for information about Savathûn's role in the Collapse. The Worm assumed Mara herself would become its new host, but instead Mara placed the Worm inside a weapon that would keep it alive and allow it to feast on the destruction generated by the Guardian.

Season of the Deep

Following Titan's reappearance after previously having been Taken by the Witness, the Vanguard made contact with Ahsa, an ancient proto-Worm who had been hiding on Titan since the Golden Age.

Biology

Worms exist in two forms: massive, serpentine beings known as Worm Gods, and smaller parasitic "larvae" that can live within the bodies of other beings. It is not clear whether Worm larvae are in fact immature Worms, with Worm Gods being the adult form, or if they are wholly separate from the Worm Gods' life cycle; Xita states that "larvae" is a term used by Rhulk, and describes her larvae as "segments" of herself.[19]

The Worms are a parasitic species, entering into symbiotic relationships with other sentient races in order to amass greater power for themselves. Their larvae can inhabit the bodies of other beings, such as those of their servant race the Hive, and feed off the power acquired by their hosts through following the Sword Logic. Worm larvae are pale and about a meter in length, with rounded heads, six short spines on their back, and two spines at the end of their tail. Larger variants of Worm larvae can be found within the Worm breeding facility located within the Witch Queen's Throne World, possibly a result of experimentation by Rhulk.

Worm Gods are vastly larger in size than larvae and live outside of a host. They appear to vary greatly in size, with Xol, the first of the five Worm Gods encountered by the Guardians, being hundreds of meters in length, Xita being kilometers in length and hundreds of meters in height, and Akka having seemingly been the size of a small celestial body based on the size of the Dreadnaught Oryx had made from a piece of his body. All Worm Gods seen thus far are covered with segmented plates and numerous spines and have heads with six barbed mandibles surrounding glowing eye-like structures. Notably, the Worm God Yul describes himself as having wings, while Xol and Xita were not seen to possess wings.

Ahsa, a "proto-Worm" encountered on Titan, differs greatly in appearance from the Worm Gods, having smooth bluish-grey skin rather than armor plates, and normal-looking eyes on the side of her head as opposed to the glowing green "eyes" within the mouths of the Worm Gods. These differences are likely accounted for by the transformation undergone by the Worm Gods after they became seduced by the Witness.

Known Worms

Trivia

  • The Worms have very similar speech patterns to the Ahamkara. As a result, it was theorized that Ahamkara are closely related to, if not the same species as, the Worm Gods, given the similar language used to describe the two, and the use of the phrase "O [subject] mine". The craftmind Medusa (who may in fact be Eris Morn) suggested in a lore entry that this theory was not true, instead hypothesizing that both species separately evolved to harness the underlying power within the phrase.[20] The similarities in the phrases used by the two species can be noted in the table below.
Worm Text Source Ahamkara Text Source
reality is a fine flesh, oh general ours. let us feast of it. Book XII - Out of the Deep Reality is the finest flesh, oh bearer mine. And are you not… hungry? Skull of Dire Ahamkara
it's dead, but it still speaks to me. it says: listen closely, oh vengeance mine… Book V - Needle and Worm Give me your arm, oh bearer mine. Let me help you fill the world with teeth. Young Ahamkara's Spine
  • Based on Xita's sentences (such as "Akka yearned for nurture. It did so through secrets."), it is possible that the Worm Gods gain tribute and nourishment through particular metaphysical domains such as "secrets" or "order", in the same way, that the Hive Gods gain it from discovery, war or deception.
  • In Destiny 2, worms occasionally fall out of the bodies of dead Hive when killed with a precision shot.
  • In the lore of the A Thousand Wings Jumpship in Destiny 2, the Worm gods are called the Hive's demiurge.
    • The term Demiurge in Gnosticism and other theological systems is a heavenly being, subordinate to the Supreme Being, that is considered to be the controller of the material world and antagonistic to all that is purely spiritual.
  • Artwork of the Worm gods suggests inspiration was taken from the sandworms of Dune.
  • In the mission Utopia while the player was crawling through the vents to find the generator, worms could be seen in the ventilation which had a red coloration and was much wider than the normal versions.
  • 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.[21]

Non-canon appearances

Rising Timeline

Main article: Worm/Rising

Gallery

List of appearances

References

  1. ^ a b c Bungie (2015/9/15), Destiny: The Taken King, PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, Grimoire: IX: The Bargain
  2. ^ a b Bungie (2022/5/22), Destiny 2: Season of the Deep - Ghost Shell lore: Síocháin's Scuba Shell
  3. ^ Bungie (2022/2/22), Destiny 2: The Witch Queen - Armor lore: Resonant Fury Gauntlets
  4. ^ Bungie (2022/2/22), Destiny 2: The Witch Queen - Armor lore: Resonant Fury Helm
  5. ^ Bungie (2022/2/22), Destiny 2: The Witch Queen - Preservation
  6. ^ Bungie (2022/2/22), Destiny 2: The Witch Queen - Armor lore: Resonant Fury Greaves
  7. ^ a b Bungie (2022/2/22), Destiny 2: The Witch Queen - Armor lore: Resonant Fury Plate
  8. ^ Bungie (2015/9/15), Destiny: The Taken King, Grimoire: IV: Syzygy
  9. ^ Bungie (2015/9/15), Destiny: The Taken King, Grimoire: V: Needle and Worm
  10. ^ Bungie (2015/9/15), Destiny: The Taken King, Grimoire: X: Immortals
  11. ^ Bungie (2015/9/15), Destiny: The Taken King, Grimoire: XII: Out of the Deep
  12. ^ Bungie (2015/9/15), Destiny: The Taken King, Grimoire: XIII: Into the Sky
  13. ^ Bungie (2015/9/15), Destiny: The Taken King, Grimoire: XIX: Crusaders
  14. ^ Bungie (2015/9/15), Destiny: The Taken King, Grimoire: XXVIII: King of Shapes
  15. ^ Bungie (2015/9/15), Destiny: The Taken King, Grimoire: XXXVI: Eater of Hope
  16. ^ Bungie (2015/9/15), Destiny: The Taken King, Grimoire: XLI: Dreadnaught
  17. ^ Bungie: Destiny 2 Narrative Preview
  18. ^ Bungie (2015/9/15), Destiny: The Taken King, Grimoire: XXXIX: open your eye: go into it
  19. ^ https://www.ishtar-collective.net/entries/resonant-fury-greaves#resonant-fury-suit-titan
  20. ^ Bungie (2018/9/4), Destiny 2: Forsaken, Lore:Truth to Power: asudeM
  21. ^ Bungie (2019/10/1), Destiny 2: Shadowkeep - Unveiling: Gardener and Winnower

v • d • e
 
Hive
Infantry
Hive sects
Arsenal
Technology
Spaceships
Strongholds
Religious
Consumables
Materials

v • d • e
 
Species of the Destiny series
Guardian species
Enemy species
Ahamkara • Cabal • Fallen • Hive • Psion • Taken • Vex • Worm
Other species
Ahslid • Ammonite • Ancients • Aphelion • Arkborn • Clipse • Dakaua • Eimin-Tin • Eurhythmia • Harmony • Lubraean • Murin • Noesis • Pouka • Precursors • Qugu • Sindû • Taishibethi • Tiiarn

v • d • e
 
Darkness
Users
Technology
Weapons
Manifestations
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