[ 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 |
|---|---|
| Ambulon ¹ | Latin ambulo, "I walk". [WH40k SegmentumObscurus CalixisSector ScintillaSystem City] |
| Caliban | Caliban, a character from The Tempest (1611), a play by William Shakespeare. He is half human and half monster. [WH40k SegmentumObscurus System] |
| Calixis ¹ | "Calyx", a cup-like structure in biology. The Calixis Sector is dubbed a "chalice of corruption". [WH40k SegmentumObscurus Sector] |
| Elysion Fields | Elysian Fields, the afterlife of the blessed in Greek mythology. [WH40k SegmentumObscurus CadianSector CadiaSystem Cadian] |
| Fenris | Fenrir, a monstrous wolf in Norse mythology. [WH40k SegmentumObscurus FenrisSector System SpaceWolves] |
| Frostheim | Old Norse frost, "frost" + heim, "home". [WH40k SegmentumObscurus FenrisSector FenrisSystem] |
| Gallowglass ¹ | Gallowglass, a member of an elite mercenary class active in Ireland from the 13th to 16th centuries. [WH40k SegmentumObscurus CalixisSector System] |
| Heterodyne Station ¹ | The Heterodyne family of mad scientists from the Girl Genius comic (first published in 2000) by Phil and Kaja Foglio. [WH40k SegmentumObscurus CalixisSector UzielSystem City AdeptusMechanicus] |
| Komus ¹ | Comus, god of festivity and revelry in Greek mythology. [WH40k SegmentumObscurus CalixisSector] |
| Koronus Expanse ¹ | Ancient Greek κορωνός, "curved" + "expanse", wide region. [WH40k SegmentumObscurus] |
| Magnagorsk ¹ | Magnitogorsk, a city in Russia. See also: Volg. [WH40k SegmentumObscurus CalixisSector FenksworldSystem City] |
| Malfi ¹ | The Duchess of Malfi (1613), a play by John Webster. It is a tragedy of revenge amongst nobility. [WH40k SegmentumObscurus CalixisSector System] |
| Midgardia | Old Norse Miðgarðr, "Earth". [WH40k SegmentumObscurus FenrisSector FenrisSystem] |
| Mjalnar | Mjölnir, the hammer of Thor, god of thunder in Norse mythology. [WH40k SegmentumObscurus FenrisSector FenrisSystem SpaceWolves Starship] |
| Prol ¹ | Back-named from the planet Prol IX: "prolix", prone to speak at great length. [WH40k SegmentumObscurus CalixisSector System] |
| Scintilla ¹ | "Scintilla", a small flash. [WH40k SegmentumObscurus CalixisSector System] |
| Sibellus ¹ | French si belle, "so beautiful". [WH40k SegmentumObscurus CalixisSector ScintillaSystem City] |
| Svellgard | Old Norse svella, "to swell" + garðr, "enclosure". [WH40k SegmentumObscurus FenrisSector FenrisSystem] |
| Tarsus ¹ | Latin tarsus, "flat part of the foot" or "edge of the eyelid". [WH40k SegmentumObscurus CalixisSector ScintillaSystem City] |
| Valdrmani | Old Norse valdr, "ruler" + máni, "moon". [WH40k SegmentumObscurus FenrisSector FenrisSystem] |
| Vigilus | "Vigilant", watchful for danger. [WH40k SegmentumObscurus NachmundSubsector System] |
| Volg ¹ | Volga, a river in Russa. See also: Magnagorsk. [WH40k SegmentumObscurus CalixisSector FenksworldSystem City] |
| Vostroya | Belarusian востраў, "island". [WH40k SegmentumObscurus System ImperialGuard] |
| Ysai Ydumee ¹ | Wycliffe's Bible has Ysai for "Jesse" and Ydumee for "Edomite" in 1 Kings. [WH40k SegmentumObscurus CalixisSector] |
| 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 Master of Plague and Pestilence