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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 |
|---|---|
| Abscessas ¹ | "Abscess", infected cavity + "ass", buttocks. [WH40k Chaos Nurgle Daemon GreaterDaemon] |
| Aetaos'rau'keres | Ancient Greek ἀετός, "eagle" + Ra, god of the Sun in Egyptian mythology + Keres, winged death spirits in Greek Mythology, grandchildren of Chaos. [WH40k Chaos Tzeentch Daemon DaemonLord] |
| An'ggrath the Unbound | "Angry", feeling hostility + "wrath", great anger. [WH40k Chaos Khorne Daemon DaemonLord] |
| Angron | Contraction of "angry one". [WH40k Chaos Khorne Daemon Primarch WorldEaters] |
| Be'lakor | "Blacker", more black. [WHFB AoS WH40k Chaos Daemon DaemonPrince] |
| Bloodcrusher | "Blood", vital fluid permeating a body + "crusher", one who pulverises. [AoS WH40k Chaos Khorne Daemon LesserDaemon] |
| Bloodletter | "Bloodletter", one who removes blood. [WHFB AoS BloodBowl WH40k Chaos Khorne Daemon LesserDaemon] |
| Bloodmaster | "Blood", vital fluid permeating a body + "master", person in control. [AoS WH40k Chaos Khorne Daemon Herald] |
| Blothar ¹ | "Bloat", distend. [WH40k Chaos Nurgle Daemon GreaterDaemon] |
| Cherubael | Cherub, a class of angel in Judaic mythology + Hebrew אל, "God" (used as a suffix in the names of angels). [WH40k Chaos Daemon] |
| Crimson King | In the Court of the Crimson King (1960), an album by King Crimson. See also: Magnus the Red. [WH40k Chaos Tzeentch Daemon Primarch ThousandSons] |
| Daemon | Ancient Greek δαίμων, a divine being or guardian spirit or departed soul, and later an evil spirit. [WHFB AoS WH40k Chaos Daemon] |
| Daemonette | Daemon + "-ette", female. [WHFB AoS BloodBowl WH40k Chaos Slaanesh Daemon LesserDaemon] |
| Dexcessa | Blend of Latin dexter (right) and "excess" (surpassing the limit). See also: Synessa. [AoS Chaos Slaanesh Daemon] |
| Dhripit the Grand Ulseer ¹ | "Drippy", having liquid exusing from + a blend of "ulcer" (open sore) and "seer" (one who divines the future). [WH40k Chaos Nurgle Daemon GreaterDaemon] |
| Epidemius | "Epidemic", widespread disease. [WHFB AoS WH40k Chaos Nurgle Daemon Herald] |
| Fateskimmer | "Fate", destiny + "skimmer", one who glides along. [AoS WH40k Chaos Tzeentch Daemon Herald] |
| Fateweaver | See: Kairos Fateweaver. [WHFB AoS WH40k Chaos Tzeentch Daemon GreaterDaemon] |
| Fluxmaster | "Flux", change + "master", person in control. [AoS WH40k Chaos Tzeentch Daemon Herald] |
| Fulgrim | Danish ful, "ugly" + grim, "ugly". [WH40k Chaos Slaanesh Daemon Primarch EmperorsChildren] |
| G'aap ¹ | See: Papa G'aap. [WH40k Chaos Nurgle Daemon DaemonLord] |
| Ghrubex ¹ | "Grubby", dirty. [WH40k Chaos Nurgle Daemon GreaterDaemon] |
| Horticulous Slimux | "Horticulture", the science of gardening + "slime", mucus-like substance + "muck", mud, slop. [AoS WH40k Chaos Nurgle Daemon Herald] |
| Juggernaut | Juggernaut, an unstoppable force. The word is itself a corruption of Jagannath (lord of the universe), a god in Hindu mythology. [WHFB AoS WH40k Chaos Khorne Daemon] |
| Ka'Bandha | Kabandha, a demon (whose name means "headless torso") in Hindu mythology. [AoS WH40k Chaos Khorne Daemon GreaterDaemon] |
| Kairos Fateweaver | Ancient Greek καιρός, "time" + "fate", destiny + "weaver", one who weaves. [WHFB AoS WH40k Chaos Tzeentch Daemon GreaterDaemon] |
| Ka'jagga'nath | Jagannath (lord of the universe), a god in Hindu mythology. The "Ka" prefix is styled as per Ka'Bandha. [WH40k Chaos Khorne Daemon GreaterDaemon] |
| Keeper of Secrets | "Keeper of Secrets" is a title of the angel Raziel in Judaic mythology. [WHFB AoS WH40k Chaos Slaanesh Daemon GreaterDaemon] |
| Khan'zhar the Red ¹ | Blend of khan (ruler of a Mongol horde) and "cancer" (disease causing tumours). [WH40k Chaos Khorne Daemon GreaterDaemon] |
| King in Rags and Tatters ¹ | Refers to The King in Yellow (1895), a book of short stories by Robert W. Chambers: "Where flap the tatters of the King…". [WH40k Chaos Tzeentch Daemon] |
| Lurgon ¹ | "Lurgy", from lurgi, a fictional disease in The Goon Show (first appearing in "Lurgi Strikes Britain", 1954). [WH40k Chaos Nurgle Daemon GreaterDaemon] |
| Magnus the Red | Latin magnus, "great". See also: Crimson King. [WH40k Chaos Tzeentch Daemon Primarch ThousandSons] |
| Mamon ¹ | Mammon, a term from the Bible's New Testament associated with material wealth. In the Middle Ages, personified as a prince of Hell. [WH40k Chaos Nurgle Daemon DaemonPrince] |
| Mortarion ¹ | Latin mors, mortis, "death". But note Latin mortario (dative/ablative of mortarium, "mortar"). [WH40k Chaos Nurgle Daemon Primarch DeathGuard] |
| Mortius ¹ | Blend of Latin mortis, "of death", and mortuus, "having died". [BloodBowl Chaos Nurgle Daemon GreaterDaemon] |
| Nurgling | Nurgle + "-ling", small. [WHFB AoS BloodBowl WH40k Chaos Nurgle Daemon LesserDaemon] |
| Papa G'aap ¹ | "Papa", father + Gaap, a demon described in Pseudomonarchia Daemonum (1577) and later occult works. See also: Scabeiathrax the Bloated. [WH40k Chaos Nurgle Daemon DaemonLord] |
| Paz'uz | Pazuzu, a demon in Mesopotamian mythology. [WH40k Chaos Nurgle Daemon] |
| Perturabo | Frater Perdurabo, a name used by Aleister Crowley (1875-1947), an occultist claiming to be a prophet that would guide humanity into the "Æon of Horus". [WH40k Chaos Daemon Primarch IronWarriors] |
| Plaguebearer | "Plague", a pestilential epidemic + "bearer", one who carries. [WHFB AoS BloodBowl WH40k Chaos Nurgle Daemon LesserDaemon] |
| Poxbringer | "Pox", a skin disease + "bringer", one who supplies. [AoS WH40k Chaos Nurgle Daemon Herald] |
| Prophaniti | "Profanity", treating the sacred with contempt. [WH40k Chaos Daemon] |
| Rotigus | "Rot" (decay) possibly via the German Rotguss, "gunmetal". [AoS WH40k Chaos Nurgle Daemon GreaterDaemon] |
| Samus ¹ | Possibly a clipping of "is among us". Note that the computer game Among Us was developed from 2017, over a decade after Horus Rising was published. [WH40k Chaos Khorne Daemon DaemonPrince] |
| Scabeiathrax the Bloated ¹ | Scabies + anthrax, two diseases. From Latin scabies, "itch", and Ancient Greek ἄνθραξ, "abscess". See also: Papa G'aap. [WH40k Chaos Nurgle Daemon DaemonLord] |
| Septicus ¹ | Blend of "septic" (causing putrefaction) and Latin septimus ("seventh"). [WH40k Chaos Nurgle Daemon GreaterDaemon] |
| Sigvald | Sigvaldi Strut-Haraldsson, a legendary chieftain from Denmark. [WHFB AoS Chaos Slaanesh Daemon DaemonPrince] |
| Skarbrand | "Scar", a permanent mark from a wound + "brand", a permanent mark from a burn. [WHFB AoS WH40k Chaos Khorne Daemon GreaterDaemon] |
| Skulltaker | "Skull", head bone + "taker", one who removes. [AoS WH40k Chaos Khorne Daemon Herald] |
| Slimux | See: Horticulous Slimux. [AoS WH40k Chaos Nurgle Daemon Herald] |
| Sloppity Bilepiper | "Sloppy", messy + "bile", a liver secretion + "piper", one who plays a pipe. [AoS WH40k Chaos Nurgle Daemon Herald] |
| Spoilpox Scrivener | "Spoil", ruin + "pox", disease + "scrivener", one who writes. [AoS WH40k Chaos Nurgle Daemon Herald] |
| Synessa | Blend of Latin sinister (left or perverse) and "excess" (surpassing the limit). See also: Dexcessa. [AoS Chaos Slaanesh Daemon] |
| Valkia | Valkyrie, one of those who choose who dies in battle in Norse mythology. [WHFB AoS Chaos Khorne Daemon DaemonPrince] |
| Vileblight ¹ | "Vile", disgusting + "blight", cause of spoiling. [WH40k Chaos Nurgle Daemon GreaterDaemon] |
| 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 Plaguelord