Anahinthan

From Plastic Tub

The clandestine and eschatologically-minded Anahinthan are a group of Gnostic Materialists 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.

Thought their roots are lost in ancient lore, Anahinthan origins are have been traced back to the ancient Minoan priests of the Temple of Knossos (circa 2000 B.C.). Their shadowy influence darkened the Alexandrian Gnostic and alchemic practices, and they have long served as a disruptive element in Greater Europe. The Anahinthan aided the Goths during the sacking of Rome and are credited with squashing progress during much of the Dark Ages, which they celebrate as a high point in the history of civilization.

“Anahinthan” literally translates from the Old Goth as “unhand”, which has been variously interpreted as “released” and “without hands.” They have long been associated with the wearing of gloves and other protective clothing which serve to remove sensation. The Anahinthan are often referred to as the Gloved Ones, the Unseen Hand, or, occasionally, the Clenched Fist.

There appear to have been two major periods of philosophical upheaval/awakenings for the Anahinthan. The first occurred during the third century A.D. when the Gnostic practices of Mani were absorbed by Persian Anahinthans in an odd form of Gnostic Materialism, forever tainting the group with a radical quasi-religious fundamentalism. The second period was triggered by the influence of Paracelsus, a hermetical alchemist of the early 1500s. Paracelsus was a Proklinein (a position perhaps more roughly akin to a Don than the Pope) 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 at the University of Basel and spent the remainder of his life as a wandering pauper.

Although some researchers claim evidence links the Anahinthan to the Thugee, this is doubtful, as it is generally agreed that the Thugee were agents of Mormo and, therefore, rightful and bitter enemies of the Anahinthan. Likewise, most researchers doubt the Anahintha were linked to the Assassins by anything but spite.

Eastern Pauline Christians of the 3rd century often compared themselves to the Anahintha.

The Anahintha are believed to have started The League of Men with Fancy Gloves as a recruiting and fund raising front in the early 1700s, but the two organizations were officially disassociated in 1898 and, henceforth, have operated with a good deal of independence. It is believed, however, that Holy Men/Women, the third grade of Fancy Glovers, make the leap to Anahinthan after undergoing entrance rituals including the autoamputation of both hands.