[ 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 |
|---|---|
| Hakflem Skuttlespike | "Hack", cough noisily + "phlegm", thick mucus that is coughed up + "scuttle", scurry + "spike", slamming a ball to the ground. [BloodBowl Chaos Skaven] |
| Kreek 'the Verminator' Rustgouger | "Creak", a prolonged squeak + blend of "vermin" (annoying small animals) and The Terminator (1984 film ) + "rust", corroded iron + "gouger", one who makes a scooping groove. [BloodBowl Chaos Skaven] |
| Moulder | "Moulder", to decay or rot. [WHFB AoS Chaos Skaven Clan] |
| Pestilens | Latin pestilens, "infected". [WHFB AoS Chaos Skaven Clan] |
| Ratling Gun | Blend of rat and Gatling gun. [WHFB AoS Chaos Skaven Weapon] |
| Rustgouger | See: Kreek 'the Verminator' Rustgouger. [BloodBowl Chaos Skaven] |
| Skaven | Clipping of "scavenger". [WHFB AoS Chaos Skaven WH40k] |
| Skuttlespike | See: Hakflem Skuttlespike. [BloodBowl Chaos Skaven] |
| Verminator | See: Kreek 'the Verminator' Rustgouger. [BloodBowl Chaos Skaven] |
| 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 Certitude