[ 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 |
|---|---|
| Damocles Gulf | Damocles (4th century BC), a courtier to Dionysius II of Syracuse. [WH40k EasternFringe Tau] |
| Demiurg | Demiurge, the creator of the universe in Platonism. [WH40k Tau LeaguesofVotann] |
| El'Myamoto | Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645), a swordsman whose work includes The Book of Five Rings. [WH40k Tau Pathfinder] |
| Ethereal | "Ethereal", relating to the immaterial realm. [WH40k Tau] |
| Gue'la | Gorilla. See also: Mon-keigh. [WH40k Tau] |
| Mount Kan'ji | Kanji, Chinese characters used in Japanese writing. [WH40k SegmentumUltima DalythSystem Tau] |
| Onager Gauntlet | Onager, a Roman siege weapon + "gauntlet", hand armour. [WH40k Tau Weapon] |
| Tau | Tao, a philosophical path for achieving perfection, central to Taoism. [WH40k Tau] |
| T'au | Trademarkable variation of Tau. [WH40k Tau] |
| Vespid | "Vespid", relating to wasps. [WH40k Tau] |
| 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 Regent Most Vile