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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] |
| Blothar ¹ | "Bloat", distend. [WH40k Chaos Nurgle Daemon GreaterDaemon] |
| 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] |
| Fateweaver | See: Kairos Fateweaver. [WHFB AoS WH40k Chaos Tzeentch Daemon GreaterDaemon] |
| Ghrubex ¹ | "Grubby", dirty. [WH40k Chaos Nurgle Daemon GreaterDaemon] |
| 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] |
| Lurgon ¹ | "Lurgy", from lurgi, a fictional disease in The Goon Show (first appearing in "Lurgi Strikes Britain", 1954). [WH40k Chaos Nurgle Daemon GreaterDaemon] |
| Mortius ¹ | Blend of Latin mortis, "of death", and mortuus, "having died". [BloodBowl Chaos Nurgle Daemon GreaterDaemon] |
| Rotigus | "Rot" (decay) possibly via the German Rotguss, "gunmetal". [AoS WH40k Chaos Nurgle Daemon GreaterDaemon] |
| Septicus ¹ | Blend of "septic" (causing putrefaction) and Latin septimus ("seventh"). [WH40k Chaos Nurgle Daemon GreaterDaemon] |
| Skarbrand | "Scar", a permanent mark from a wound + "brand", a permanent mark from a burn. [WHFB AoS WH40k Chaos Khorne Daemon GreaterDaemon] |
| 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 Plague God