Ahamkara

Ahamkara
Overview
Other name(s):	"Dragons"
Focal world(s):	Earth Venus Jupiter Reef Ascendant realm
Goals:	Impart their vast knowledge in exchange for "boons"
Distinctions:	Draconic Avian Scaled Idiosyncratic speech patterns Shapeshifting abilities
Notable individual(s):	Eao Azerim Riven Huginn Muninn

"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

The Ahamkara are a mysterious and powerful species of shapeshifting creatures that first appeared in the Solar System after the Traveler arrived.

Overview

The Ahamkara were said to be wish-fulfilling "dragons", and were sought after by many Guardians for the paracausal gifts they granted. After much debate it was decided that the bargains made with these creatures came at too high a price, beginning a Great Hunt in which the Ahamkara were made all but extinct. Survivors are rumored to have been spotted as far out as Jupiter and Io Currently, the only known survivor is Riven, a former ally of Mara Sov who was Taken, now a powerful commander under Savathûn.

Ahamkara bones were subsequently 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.

Biology

Based on their remains, the Ahamkara were believed to be avian or draconic in appearance, possessing scales, feathers and sharp beaks. 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.

According to documents recovered from the Reef, Ahamkara are in fact shape-shifters, perhaps explaining the wide variety of shapes observed in their skeletal remains. During most encounters with Guardians, they preferred dragon-like forms; Riven, an Ahamkara who was befriended by Mara Sov, also typically resembled a dragon, adopting the shapes of a winged and crested beast, a "needle-nosed basilisk," or an antlered creature with tiger's paws. After her Taking and corruption of the Dreaming City, Riven manifested to the Guardian as an enormous serpentine, clawed and tentacled creature, with a fanged head covered in numerous eyes and protected by folding bone plates.

Ahamkara were studied on Venus by the Ishtar Academy because of their unique genome, which contained unknown new proteins. They were apparently parasitic in some sense, one of several pieces of evidence which may indicate some relationship to the Worms.

Riven, in particular, displays the ability to seemingly create Chimera, Servitor-like creatures that serve as her servants and ambassadors, going by the existence of Voice of Riven. It is unknown if this is a universal ability of Ahamkara, the result of Riven being Taken, or an ability unique to her.

Known Ahamkara

• Azirim
• Huginn
• Madadh
• Muninn
• Eao
• Riven

Gameplay

"I came to find you, only you, because you're special. You're from somewhere real. And together we can burn our way back there. Can't we, o player mine?"

— Skull of Dire Ahamkara

The fossilized remains of the Ahamkara are of continued interest to Warlocks, who adorn their armor with them and thereby acquire unique powers. Some Hunters and certain Titans 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.

• Ahamkara Scale—Hunter artifact
• Bones of Eao—Hunter boots
• Claws of Ahamkara—Warlock gauntlets
• Knuckles of Eao—Consumables which enhances rewards from Weekly Featured Raids
• Scales of Eao—Titan artifact
• Sealed Ahamkara Grasps—Hunter gauntlets
• Skull of Dire Ahamkara—Warlock helmet
• Young Ahamkara's Spine—Hunter gauntlets

Trivia

• There is evidence that suggests Ahamkara were hunted earlier, as Lord Gheleon possessed many Ahamkara fragments.
• The name "Ahamkara" comes from the Sanskrit term for attachment to one's ego.
• 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 "batadactyls". They got their informal name during an argument between members of Bungie's environment team over what animal the creatures most resembled. This led to the misconception that the Ahamkara were predominately found on Venus.
• It seems to be 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 suggest that they are trapped in a prison behind a screen.
• It has been theorized that Ahamkara are closely related to, if not the same species as, the Worm Gods, given their similar attributes and use of the phrase "O [subject] mine". This was later suggested not to be the case by the craftmind Medusa (who may in fact be Eris Morn) in a lore entry, who hypothesized that both species separately evolved to harness the underlying power within the phrase. Given that this lore series continually changes the stated identity of the person delivering the information, the validity of this information may be suspect.

List of appearances

• Destiny (First mentioned)
  • The Taken King
• Destiny 2
  • Forsaken (First appearance)