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With a rich background stretching back decades in time, the various Warhammer games contain a vast array of names (of people, places, items, and so on). Many of these names are original, but some happen to have a meaning in the real world, as obscure terms, foreign words, or cultural references. This page lists some of these underlying etymologies for your edification. Note that some of these are best guesses (speculative fan theory) rather than confirmed derivations.
Where a name is followed by the symbol ¹, if you hover over or click on that symbol you will see when that name was first mentioned in a publication.
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Aelf | Trademarkable variation of Elf. [AoS Order Aelf] |
| Akhelian | Achelous, god of the longest river in Greece in Greek mythology. [AoS Order Aelf Idoneth] |
| Alarielle | See: Ariel. [WHFB Elf HighElf AoS Order Aelf Sylvaneth God] |
| Allopex | Ancient Greek ἀλώπηξ, "fox". Used for the shark-like Allopex due to the genus of the thresher shark (also known as fox shark), Alopias. [AoS Order Aelf Idoneth] |
| Auralan | Latin aureus, "golden". [AoS Order Aelf Lumineth] |
| Avalenor | Avalon, a legendary island in Arthurian mythology. [AoS Order Aelf Lumineth] |
| Branchwych | "Branch", tree limb + "witch", female magician. [AoS Order Aelf Sylvaneth] |
| Celennar | Selene, goddess of the Moon in Greek mythology. [AoS Order Aelf Lumineth] |
| Drycha Hamadreth | Welsh drych, "mirror" + Hamadryad, a tree spirit in Greek mythology. [AoS Order Aelf Sylvaneth] |
| Durthu | Welsh dâr, "oak". [WHFB Treeman AoS Order Aelf Sylvaneth] |
| Eidolon | Eidolon, a spirit-image in Greek mythology. [AoS Order Aelf Idoneth WH40k Chaos Slaanesh SpaceMarine EmperorsChildren] |
| Hamadreth | See: Drycha Hamadreth. [AoS Order Aelf Sylvaneth] |
| Hurakan | "Hurricane", a strong tropical cyclone. [AoS Order Aelf Lumineth] |
| Hydra | Lernaean Hydra, a many-headed water monster in Greek mythology. [WHFB Elf DarkElf AoS Order Aelf WH40k Imperial ImperialGuard Vehicle Tyranid HiveFleet] |
| Isharann | Ishara, a goddess of oaths in Mesopotamian mythology. [AoS Order Aelf Idoneth] |
| Khaine | Cain, a character from the Bible who was the first murderer. [WHFB Elf DarkElf AoS Aelf WH40k Eldar God] |
| Kharibdyss | Charybdis, a sea monster in Greek mythology. [WHFB Elf DarkElf AoS Order Aelf] |
| Khinerai | Kinnara, a half-human half-bird being in Buddhist and Hindu mythology. [AoS Order Aelf DaughtersofKhaine] |
| Kurnoth | See: Kurnous. [AoS Order Aelf Sylvaneth] |
| Leviadon | Blend of Leviathan (a sea serpent in Judaic mythology) and Ancient Greek ὀδών ("tooth"). [AoS Order Aelf Idoneth] |
| Lotann | Lotan, servant of the sea god Yam in Levantine mythology. [AoS Order Aelf Idoneth] |
| Melusai | Blend of Melusine (a water spirit in the form of a woman with a serpent's tail) and Medusa (a snake-haired monster in Greek mythology). [AoS Order Aelf DaughtersofKhaine] |
| Mistweaver Saih | "Mist", light fog + "weaver", one who weaves + "sigh", exhalation. [AoS Order Aelf] |
| Morgwaeth | Welsh mor, "so" + gwaeth "worse" (although in practice mor causes a soft mutation, so together they should be mor waeth). [AoS Order Aelf DaughtersofKhaine] |
| Namarti | Namor, the Sub-Mariner, a comic character who is adapted to underwater. [AoS Order Aelf Idoneth] |
| Saih | See: Mistweaver Saih. [AoS Order Aelf] |
| Scinari | Latin scin, "do you know?". [AoS Order Aelf Lumineth] |
| Sevireth | Blend of "seventh" and Sephiroth (ten God-created attributes in Kabbalah). [AoS Order Aelf Lumineth] |
| Skaeth | Scots skaith, "harm". [AoS Order Aelf Sylvaneth] |
| Sylvaneth | "Sylvan", pertaining to forests. [AoS Order Aelf Sylvaneth] |
| Vanari | "Vanguard", the leading units of an army. [AoS Order Aelf Lumineth] |
| Volturnos | Latin Vulturnus, the Volturno river in Italy. [AoS Order Aelf Idoneth] |
| Inspiration | |
| Warhammer Setting | The Dark Tongue; Daemonic Names; Lexicon; Short Stories; Cut-ups; Cool Stuff |
| Art | Golden Demon; Nurglesque Music |
| Speculation | Chaos God Correspondence; Dark Heresy Backgrounds; Sevenfold Path; Sevenrot; Seven Deadly Sins |
| Real World References | Nergal in Mesopotamian History; Symbolism of Three Circles; Symbolism of Seven |
dedicated to the God of Decay