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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 |
|---|---|
| Acklan'd | See: Mad Mullah Acklan'd. [WHFB Human] |
| Albi Schutz ¹ | Latin albi, "of white" + German Schutz, "protection". [WHFB Human] |
| Antonio Epstein ¹ | Antonio, a character from The Merchant of Venice (c. 1596), a play by William Shakespeare + Epstein, a name. [WHFB Human] |
| Archaon | Blend of "arch" (high) + "chaos". Also Ancient Greek ἀρχαῖον, "primeval". [WHFB Human AoS Chaos] |
| Aygar Mistletaine ¹ | Agar, a jelly used in science experiments + mistletoe, a plant important in Druidic mythology. [WHFB Human Norscan] |
| Banquo ¹ | Banquo, a character from Macbeth (published 1623), a play by William Shakespeare. See also: McDeath. [WHFB Human] |
| Barrachus ¹ | B. A. Baracus, a character from The A-Team TV series (first aired in 1983). [WHFB Human] |
| Bogel ¹ | See: Corabell Bogel, Hunk Bogel, John-Boy Bogel, Lorabeth Bogel, Willy Bogel. [WHFB Human] |
| Calaco ¹ | See: Grimwald Calaco. [WHFB Human] |
| Charles ¹ | Charles Edward Stuart (1720-1788), known as Bonnie Prince Charlie. Note that the character Prince Charles is at one point nicknamed "Boney Prince Charley" in the adventure. [WHFB Human] |
| Corabell Bogel ¹ | Corabeth, a character from The Waltons TV Series (first aired in 1972) + bogle, a spirit from Northumbrian and Scots mythology. See also: Lorabeth Bogel. [WHFB Human] |
| Donalbane ¹ | Donalbain, a character from Macbeth (published 1623), a play by William Shakespeare. See also: McDeath. [WHFB Human] |
| Dunco ¹ | King Duncan, a character from Macbeth (published 1623), a play by William Shakespeare. See also: McDeath. [WHFB Human] |
| Een McWrecker ¹ | Ian MacGregor (1912-1998), a Scottish-American industrialist whose management actions led to the 1984-85 UK miners' strike. See also: Arka Zargul. [WHFB Human] |
| Epstein ¹ | See: Antonio Epstein. [WHFB Human] |
| Festus the Leechlord | Latin festus, "joyful" (but also referencing "infected") + leech + "lord", master of a household. [WHFB Human AoS Chaos Nurgle] |
| Franz | See: Karl Franz. [WHFB Human Empire] |
| Grimwald Calaco ¹ | Grimwald, a name + Calico Jack (1682-1720), a pirate captain. [WHFB Human] |
| Gutrot Spume | "Gut", intestines + "rot", decay + "spume", sea foam. [WHFB Human Norscan AoS Chaos Nurgle] |
| Heinrich Kemmler ¹ | Blend of Heinrich Kramer (1430-1505, the inquisitor that wrote Malleus Maleficarum) and Heinrich Himmler (1900-1945, Nazi leader who introduced occultism into the SS). [WHFB Human] |
| Hunk Bogel ¹ | "Hunk", an attractive muscular man + bogle, a spirit from Northumbrian and Scots mythology. [WHFB Human] |
| John-Boy Bogel ¹ | John-Boy, a character from The Waltons TV Series (first aired in 1972) + bogle, a spirit from Northumbrian and Scots mythology. [WHFB Human] |
| Karl Franz | Archduke Franz Karl of Austria (1802-1878). [WHFB Human Empire] |
| Karra Lakota ¹ | Lakota, a subculture of the Sioux, with the character named in reference to Siouxsie Sioux (1957-), a singer. [WHFB Human Amazon] |
| Kemmler ¹ | See: Heinrich Kemmler. [WHFB Human] |
| Laeron ¹ | Laeron, a river in the Roman province Gallaecia (present-day Galicia, Portugal). [WHFB Elf Human] |
| Lakota ¹ | See: Karra Lakota. [WHFB Human Amazon] |
| Lorabeth Bogel ¹ | Corabeth, a character from The Waltons TV Series (first aired in 1972) + bogle, a spirit from Northumbrian and Scots mythology. See also: Corabell Bogel. [WHFB Human] |
| Mad Mullah Acklan'd | "Mad Mullah", a nickname given to Mohammed Abdullah Hassan (1856-1920) + Tony Ackland, the original illustrator for Warhammer. [WHFB Human] |
| Magritta ¹ | Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013), noting that both the British prime minister and Empress Magritta of Marienburg came to power in the year 1979. [WHFB Human Empire] |
| Malter ¹ | "Malter", a maker of malt (in this case malt whisky). The Malter's Falchion is a further reference to the The Maltese Falcon (most famous as a 1941 film, but first published as a novel by Dashiell Hammett in 1930). [WHFB Human] |
| McDeath ¹ | Macbeth (published 1623), a play by William Shakespeare. See also: Banquo, Donalbane, Dunco, Runsinane Hill. [WHFB Human] |
| McWrecker ¹ | See: Een McWrecker. [WHFB Human] |
| Mistletaine ¹ | See: Aygar Mistletaine. [WHFB Human Norscan] |
| Schutz ¹ | See: Albi Schutz. [WHFB Human] |
| Spume | See: Gutrot Spume. [WHFB Human Norscan AoS Chaos Nurgle] |
| Willy Bogel ¹ | "Willy", British slang for a penis + bogle, a spirit from Northumbrian and Scots mythology. [WHFB Human] |
| 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 Lord of Plagues and Despair