- "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 paracausal ability described in several pieces of lore within the Destiny universe. It is defined as the desire to change one's reality to suit one's purposes, or to "subject the universe to the user's will".[1]
Overview
Several paracausal beings utilize, invoke or draw power from the Anthem Anatheme in some way; the most notable examples are the Ahamkara and the Worm Gods. Ahamkara feed off of the wishes through the invocations of the Anthem of other beings to grow in size,[2] whereas the Worm God Xol transformed himself into a weapon after his physical death to fulfill the Anthem Anatheme for the wielder.[1]
Beings who draw power from the Anthem Anatheme are known to use a specific phrase, "O/Oh (subject) mine," when addressing other beings. Despite the dubious and untrustworthy nature of the passages of Truth to Power, this is theorized by Medusa to invoke an ontomorphic effect, placing the target in a cage of "o" (activational, specific, appealing, and naming) and "mine" (defining ownership and subordination).[3]
The Awoken as a whole are 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 Uldren Sov was prohibited from interacting with Riven because his desires for himself were less attuned to his reality.[4] The Psions reclaimed to be among those that truly understand the effects of the Anthem.[5]
Other beings like Savathûn, the Witch Queen and Emperor Calus have on occasion utilized the specific phrase, likely an attempt to use the Anthem for themselves.[6][7]
Trivia
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)
References
- ^ a b Bungie (2018/5/8), Destiny 2: Warmind, Item Description: Whisper of the Worm
- ^ Bungie (2023/11/28), Destiny 2: Season of the Wish - Item Description: Queensfoil Censer
- ^ Bungie (2019/4/23), Destiny 2: Forsaken - Lore: asudeM
- ^ Bungie (2018/9/4), Destiny 2: Forsaken - Lore: Telic II
- ^ Bungie (2023/11/28), Destiny 2: Season of the Wish - Lore: Valus Forge's Prologue
- ^ Bungie (2021/10/5), Destiny 2: Season of the Lost — Transcript: Wayfinder's Voyage VII — Speak with Savathûn
- ^ Bungie (2019/6/4), Destiny 2: Season of Opulence - Quest: An Imperial Summons, The Invitation
- ^ Bungie (2019/10/1), Destiny 2: Shadowkeep - Lore: Gardener and Winnower