[ 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 |
|---|---|
| Ahriman | Ahriman, the personification of evil in Zoroastrianism. [WH40k Chaos Tzeentch SpaceMarine ThousandSons] |
| Ahzek Ahriman | See Ahriman. [WH40k Chaos Tzeentch SpaceMarine ThousandSons] |
| Crimson King | In the Court of the Crimson King (1960), an album by King Crimson. See also: Magnus the Red. [WH40k Chaos Tzeentch Daemon Primarch ThousandSons] |
| Magnus the Red | Latin magnus, "great". See also: Crimson King. [WH40k Chaos Tzeentch Daemon Primarch ThousandSons] |
| Rubric | Rubric, a section of text highlighted in red, particularly in medieval Christian manuscripts. [WH40k Chaos Tzeentch SpaceMarine ThousandSons] |
| Scarab Occult Terminator | Scarab, an Ancient Egyptian amulet + "occult", mystical + Terminator. [WH40k Chaos Tzeentch SpaceMarine ThousandSons] |
| 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 Rotfather