Guiding Hand
In ancient times, primordial Cybertron saw the emergence of Primus, a god who divided his essence to create the Guiding Hand, a pantheon of powerful, ancient deities who embodied key aspects of the Cybertronian race. After some time, one began a conflict with the others, leading to the end of an era that has since been mythologized for countless cycles.
The aftermath of the God War saw each member of the Guiding Hand experience one of three fates: become integrated in all Transformers as important parts of Cybertronian anatomy, be transformed into iconic life-giving relics, or help play a role in perpetuating the lies Cybertronians told to themselves and the rest of the universe, which inevitably led to future conflicts.
Its members include:
- Primus, the Light-giver and Life-giver
- Mortilus, the Death-bringer
- Solomus, Wisdom Incarnate
- Epistemus, Knowledge Personified
- Adaptus, Blessed with an Infinity of Shapes.
While the exact details of the Guiding Hand's identity, their role in the God War, and their fate have been lost to the annals of myth and history, who knows? A group of lonely nobodies and misfits led by an arrogant captain on a spaceship might accidentally stumble their way into discovering the truth behind one of Cybertron's greatest mythological tales and change the universe forever.
Fiction
2005 IDW continuity
Twelve million years ago, Primus was the first Transformer on Cybertron, How to Say Goodbye and Mean It marked by his unique serial number of "000000001" and the ability to generate the miraculous photonic crystals that made up the Matrix of Leadership, and capable of housing sparks. Primus was followed by four others like him, and together they formed the group that would become known as the Guiding Hand. The Unremembering Cybertronian mythology would later tell that the singular Primus became the Hand by "split[ting] his essence" into five vessels, You, Me, and Other Revelations although it remains unknown how closely this tale aligns with real events. These first five robots would go on to see the hot spots ignite, giving rise to the first generation of Cybertronian life, the group of Transformers that later generations of Cybertronians would remember as the "Knights of Cybertron." The Unremembering
Under the benevolent guidance of the Hand, the Knights of Cybertron were responsible for building the first of many Transformer civilizations to come, a golden age of peace and prosperity — and one that would ultimately come to an end during the disastrous event known as the "God War." You, Me, and Other Revelations Worried that their increasingly utopian lifestyle would ultimately result in the stagnation of the species and prevent their ascension to the "Higher Realms," Adaptus urged the other members of the Guiding Hand to take up arms and wage war against the galaxy. When Primus refused, Adaptus waged war against his comrades; though the four allies were able to defeat Adaptus, he retreated to Luna One and blasted the planet with an electromagnetic pulse that would leave the inhabitants of Cybertron confused and disoriented while he refitted the moon with planetary engines to make his escape. As a result, the four members of the Guiding Hand were robbed of their identities and memories, giving rise to the neurological condition known as "information creep", and as Cybertronain civilization reasserted itself, the four would inherit conventional names, believing themselves no different from the many other Transformers on Cybertron. The Unremembering
Over the years, the true account of the Guiding Hand would become distorted by myths and legends. The Crucible Notably, these stories would remember Mortilus as the treacherous member of the Hand, whose betrayal had ripped Cybertron's first moon asunder; through clever tricks and traps, he was able to reduce his foes into their most basic essences: the Matrix, the brain module, the transformation cog, and Vector Sigma, the most important artifacts in Cybertronian mythology. Mortilus's "death" had supposedly rendered the Cybertronian race immortal; The Unremembering an alternate retelling espoused in the Keening Texts, however, claimed that all five gods had perished in the battle and reunited in the next life to create the Afterspark. The God War
At some point afterwards, the Knights of Cybertron departed the planet so as to spread "enlightenment" across the cosmos, You, Me, and Other Revelations marching beneath the banner of Adaptus. The Return of the King Eons later, it was believed by some that each deity had one Knight clan formed in their honor. An Axe to Break the Ice You Are Here
Historians would later theorize that the Guiding Hand, and the first generation of Transformers, existed roughly twelve million years ago. How to Say Goodbye and Mean It In the prehistoric era that followed the departure of the Knights of Cybertron but predated the rise of the Thirteen Primes, the stories regarding the Guiding Hand were subject to retelling and reinterpretations, with Solomus becoming known as "Arrius" in the kingdom of Protohex. The decadent Septimus Prime and his Supplicants of Arrius used the god's name to cement their hold on their kingdom via gladiatorial combat. Solus Prime was a believer in the tales of the Guiding Hand, claiming herself to be a servant of them, while Onyx Prime couldn't give a damn about them. Origin Myths
In the era prior to the Great War, worship in the Guiding Hand dwindled. "Evolutionary engineerists" such as Ratchet and Jetfire rejected the concept of "gods" entirely in favour of atechnogenesis, You, Me, and Other Revelations Forged medics had more fluid hands than ones who were constructed cold, seen by some as proof of Adaptus's existence, Life After the Big Bang and this potential link to Adaptus was likely related to constructed cold Transformers suffering apartheid. Chaos Theory Part 1 Officer Springarm remained a believer in the Guiding Hand while his colleague Orion Pax was not, viewing the imagery related to Hand, such as the Matrix, as little more than symbols. Chaos Theory Part 2
The Guiding Hand were mentioned in an ancient inscription within the Matrix of Leadership. Rewind was unfamiliar with the very term "Guiding Hand", while Optimus Prime knew of them because of his contact with the Matrix; in his words, it had made him privy to "a rival set of facts" and "alternative truths". The knowledge faded from his memory upon the emptying of the Matrix. The Death of Optimus Prime
After the Lost Light had discovered Metrotitan, Cyclonus recited the Clavis Aurea version of the Guiding Hand myth. Recording it, Rewind noted he hadn't heard that version before. You, Me, and Other Revelations
When warning of the retribution Liege Maximo would unleash upon Cybertron, Elita One promised the corrupt Prime would hold everyone responsible for his exile regardless of any role they had played in it or whether they believed in the Guiding Hand as opposed to the Thirteen Primes. Heavy
After an accident with the Warren, Team Rodimus found themselves on Mederi which presented itself to them as the Afterspark. You Are Here After moping about his supposed demise, a disgruntled Rodimus yelled at Primus in dissatisfaction with him and his works, demanding an audience with his creator. In response, Rodimus found himself zapped with a bolt of lighting and brought before the Guiding Hand. Metastasis The Hand then summoned Ultra Magnus, Ratchet, and Drift, the moon using the Spectralist's beliefs to shape its representation of the deities, to act as Rodimus's defence but denied their petition for resurrection. The God War Soon after, the quartet discovered the truth of where they were, realizing the Guiding Hand had been nothing more than elaborate holograms. You Are Here
Shortly afterwards, Team Rodimus crossed paths with the real Adaptus (possessing the body of Pharma, who casually named Rung and Tyrest as the new identities of Primus and Solomus, respectively, as well as The Magnificence as Epistemus's severed head and Censere the Necrobot as Mortilus. The Return of the King With his memories restored, Rung explained the truth of the Guiding Hand to his friends before Adaptus and Solomus came to blows, both dying in their battle. Once it transpired that Epistemus was possessed by the Omega Guardians, Nickel crushed the Magnificence, destroying him. The Unremembering Rung himself would pass soon after, upon his creation of twelve additional Matrices of Leadership, ending the Guiding Hand. A Spark Among Embers
Games
Transformers Roleplaying Game
The identities of the Guiding Hand occasionally were aliases for members of the Thirteen, such as Amalgamous Prime, who was called Adaptus and the "Grand Architect". Alpha Trion was known to be called Solomus, while Logos Prime was known as Epistemus. Mortilus did not identify as a Prime, but did call himself Zarak Maximus in ancient times. Transformers One Sourcebook
Notes
- The Robots in Disguise annual "Primus: All Good Things" claims that Metrotitan was part of the Guiding Hand's fleet, rather than that of the Knights of Cybertron, and that these gods lived in a city and were known by Omega Supreme. It's not known if this was the writer confusing the Knights with the Hand (most likely), or if this is deliberate, mirroring how real world religions will get real-world historical details wrong or conflated or if this was some very early hint of Adaptus' information creep.
- Though all the members of the pantheon were name-dropped as deities in the Beast Wars: Uprising story "Derailment", the term "Guiding Hand" was never used in that continuity.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Michibiki no Te (導きの手, "Guiding Hand")
References
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