Bungie's launch of Destiny 2's Season 17 is fast approaching, and while the themes, the story beats, and even the element rework the new release is going to entail have not been revealed yet, the company did share some information about what's to come. Namely, Season 17 will have a massive Iron Banner rework that is going to feature a new game mode, a revamped vendor system for Lord Saladin, and lots of PvP-focused changes to the weapon sandbox. Furthermore, Bungie did reveal some new weapons and armor pieces coming next Season, like the new Ritual Weapon - a machine gun called Chain of Command - as well as various playlist guns.
Another big part of Season 17 will be Trials of Osiris changes, both to the game mode and the loot pool, which will consist of two all-new weapons and one armor set for each class. The armor sets were revealed in a recent TWAB, and they are all drawing inspiration from Egyptian themes, which is customary for Trials of Osiris gear. Among them, what immediately took the community by the storm is the new Hunter 'Monke' armor set, as it features a helmet with the face of a baboon and a cloak that ends with a monkey tail. This set rapidly became a meme among Destiny 2 fans, but the inspiration behind its design is worth exploring to understand where the link between baboons and Egyptians comes from.
Destiny 2's 'Monke' Trials of Osiris Armor and Connections to Egyptian Myths
Before delving into Egyptian mythology and religion, it's worth understanding what sort of role did baboons have in Egyptian society and how they were perceived by the people. In Ancient Egypt, only two types of primates were known, and one of them was the dog-faced baboon, which was considered a sacred animal that sometimes was even kept as a pet. Mostly, however, baboons were respected for their human-like intellect, but when it came to religion, they were considered to be closely tied to the dead and the Underworld.
Many Egyptian tombs represented baboons in daily life scenes, or they had figures standing near the tomb, or even as part of the tomb itself. Because of their perceived connection to the dead, Egyptians worshiped a baboon-like god by the name of Babi or Baba, who was the deity of the Underworld and was considered the leader of all baboons. Babi was possibly considered the son of Osiris, the god of the dead, which oddly enough is not an unfamiliar name for Destiny 2 fans due to the homonymous legendary Warlock. Baboons were also considered a symbol of violence and mania-like fury.
Another possible inspiration behind the 'Monke' Hunter set is a connection to Thoth, who was the moon god of scriptures, knowledge, and wisdom -- all characteristics that would once again tie in more accurately with Destiny 2's Warlocks, instead. Baboons were considered to be a manifestation of Thoth precisely because they were perceived as highly intelligent, something that was normally attributed to this particular god. In the Book of the Dead, Thoth is often represented in baboon form while the deceased faced their final judgment by having their heart weighed on a scale with a feather on the other side.
Lastly, one of the four sons of Horus, called Hapy, had a baboon face and was said to protect the vital organs of the deceased after their passing. Hapy too could be one of the inspirations behind the new Trials of Osiris armor set for the Hunter, and generally speaking, many Egyptian themes have also been centered on the dead in Destiny 2. An example is an Ornament called Book of the Dead, for the Vigilance Wing Exotic pulse rifle, and the fact that all of the Trials of Osiris guns have a golden eye pattern all over. Overall, the Hunters' 'Monke' set is a refreshing take on Egyptian myths, and more armor sets should have similar design directions.
Destiny 2 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.