Anahinthan

The clandestine and eschatologically-minded Anahinthan are an order of proto-gnostics associated with autoamputation, ritualistic murder, and alchemy. While their agenda is unclear, it is evident that they will stop at nothing to achieve it. They are secretive to such a degree that their very existence is questioned by many reputable historians.

Among those who believe, there is common consensus that the Anahinthan founded The League of Men with Fancy Gloves as a recruiting and fund raising front in the early 1700s. The League officially denounced the Anahinthan in 1898 and, henceforth, has struggled to maintain the appearance that the two organizations operate with independence. It is commonly believed, however, that Holy Man/Woman, the third grade of Fancy Glovers, make the leap to Anahinthan after undergoing entrance rituals including the autoamputation of one or more hands.

Because the Anahinthan roots are lost in ancient lore, a lexiconical exploration can be illuminating. “Anahinthan” literally translates from the Goth as “against hand” which is generally taken to mean “unhand” or “release”.¹  The exact meaning has been subject to various interpretations, each with supporting evidence:

• ‘‘Releasing one’s grasp’’ (as in “Unhand her!”). The Anahinthan proto-gnostic/alchemic philosophical brew is understood to place prominence on the transformative experience of releasing one’s grasp of the Gnosis from the mind through rituals of pain inflicted on the self and others.
• ‘‘Releasing sensation from the hand’’ (e.g., wearing gloves to relieve sensation). The Anahinthan have long been associated with the wearing of gloves and other protective clothing which serve to remove sensation.
• ‘‘Releasing one’s hands’’ – literally, as in removing from the body (e.g., one “without hands”). Some members of the Anahinthan are rumored to participate in rituals involving the autoamputation of hands.

There is common believe among scholars of the occult that Paracelsus, a hermetical alchemist of the early 1500s was a Proklinein²  who infused the Anahinthan with a newfound expression of the power of transformative experience when he burnt off his own hands during a book burning he commenced at the University of Basel, thereafter spending the remainder of his life as a wandering pauper.

Though the historical record is too sparse for scholars to reach common agreement on any specific Anahinthan events pre-dating Paracelsus, scholars do generally agree that the Anahinthan have long served as a disruptive element in Greater Europe. The Anahinthan are generally believed to have been involved with the Gothic sackings of Rome, and they are credited with squashing progress during much of the Dark Ages, which they celebrate as a high point in the history of civilization.

Most scholars point to the Gothic worship of Tyr (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyr) as the origin of the Anahinthan. Tyr (who was adopted by various other cultures as Tyz, Tiwaz, and Tiw) was variously portrayed as a one-armed or a one-handed god of war. The Goths were feared for their practice of dangling the severed arms of their conquered foes from trees as a sacrifice to Tyr.

Other scholars trace the Anahinthan back through southern Europe, from Rome and Greece down to the ancient Minoans of Crete. The evidence here is shaky. In the Roman Empire, researchers have pointed to vague references by Eastern Pauline Christians of the 3rd century to a feared group called the Truncomani (Latin for “maimed or severed hands”). Others point to some similarities between the Gnostic teachings of Mani³  and the odd brand of Anahinthan radical quasi-religious fundamentalism. Looking back to earlier times, some claim to see the shadowy hand of Anahinthan at play in the darker elements of the Alexandrian Gnostic and alchemic practices. Earlier still, are some striking ritualistic similarities between the Anahinthan and the ancient Minoan priests of the Temple of Knossos (circa 2000 B.C.).

See Also

• Augury

Notes

Note 1:  “Ana” is a form of “and” or “on” meaning against, and “hinthan” means hand. It’s worth noting that some linguists trace the phrase “underhanded” back to the word “Anahinthan”. Today, the Anahinthan are commonly referred to as the Gloved Ones, although they are occasionally referred to as the Unseen Hand.

Note 2:  “Proklinein” is a Anahinthan position or grade perhaps more roughly akin to a Don than the Pope.

Note 3:  Interestingly, “Mani” translates to “hands” in Latin, though this appears to be a point of semantic coincidence.

Desiderata

A small distillery in Barcelona markets an absinthe called Anahinthan. The label features a hand of glory.