[ Models | Lore | Sources | Inspiration ]
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 |
|---|---|
| Dark Angels ¹ | The Dark Angel (1893), a poem by Lionel Johnson. [WH40k Imperial SpaceMarine Chapter] |
| Death Guard ¹ | The Death Guard (1939), a novel by Philip George Chadwick. [WH40k Chaos Nurgle SpaceMarine Chapter] |
| Rainbow Warriors ¹ | The legend of the Rainbow Warriors (folklore originating in 1962). [WH40k Imperial SpaceMarine Chapter] |
| Ultramarines | Ultramarine, a deep blue pigment. Sounds like "ultra" + "marine" (beyond a usual Space Marine). [WH40k Imperial SpaceMarine Chapter] |
| 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 He who lives in the Veins