# I Didn't Know That...



## Giant Fossil Penguin (Apr 11, 2009)

Here's a fun idea that popped into my cavernously empty noggin. A thread where we post the little interesting snippets where 40k fluff and real-life meet. So, eg. The Ultramarines are based on Roman Legions, the II and XI Legions are based on the Roman Legions lost in ?Germania.
So, to go first:

_I didn't know that_ Colchis was a real place, an ancient State, Kingdom and Region, in ancient Western Georgia, and played an important part in the formation of the Georgian nation.

Any other fun stuff?

GFP


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## Lord Solar Macharius (Oct 5, 2010)

If you tweak Al'Rahem's name a little, you get al-Raḥīm, one of the 99 names of God in Islam.


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## Giant Fossil Penguin (Apr 11, 2009)

Urizen is part of William Blake's mythology. Urizen believes himself holy and establishes various sins in a book of brass. The rest of the immortals don't like this. Eventually Los appears to watch over him and be his opposition. Blimey, that's almost a synopsis of _TFH_!

GFP


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## DeathJester921 (Feb 15, 2009)

Horus is the name of one of the Egyptian gods. He was the egyptian god of judgment.


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## ThatOtherGuy (Apr 13, 2010)

This one is obvious, Abaddon is the biblical demon that in Revelation of St. John, is the king of tormenting locusts and the angel of the bottomless pit. His name is 'the destroyer'.

Wolfientime is basically based off the norse Ragnarok, one of its stages, Fimbulwinter. 

Oh, sorry, you ment real life.


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## zerachiel76 (Feb 12, 2010)

The common Raven is Covus Corax in Latin
Corax's final word Nevermore is based on the words of the poem "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe
Vespasian the Lord Commander of the Emperor's Children was named after the Roman Emperor who ordered the building of the Colloseum.
Eidolon the other Lord Commander of the Emperor's Children was named after a spirit-image of a living or dead person; a shade or phantom look-alike of the human form.


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## ckcrawford (Feb 4, 2009)

When I read Aristotle in Philosophy it seemed that his concept of God is basically what the Chaos gods are in 40k.


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## Malus Darkblade (Jan 8, 2010)

Solar Lord Macharius said:


> If you tweak Al'Rahem's name a little, you get al-Raḥīm, one of the 99 names of God in Islam.


And Ahriman from the Thousand Sons is most likely based off the Arabic name Abdulrahman


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## Stephen_Newman (Jul 14, 2009)

Isha the Eldar Goddess is actually the Ancient Egyptian Goddess of fertility. and the harvest.


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## Lord Solar Macharius (Oct 5, 2010)

Malus Darkblade said:


> And Ahriman from the Thousand Sons is most likely based off the Arabic name Abdulrahman


Ahriman is actually the Zoroastrian equivalent of the Devil.


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## Angel of Blood (Aug 18, 2010)

Sanguinius is merely a slightly changed version of the latin word _sanguineus_ which means_ Bloody _or _of Blood_.

Mortarion, is probably based of _Mortis_, the latin for _of Death_

Dies Irae, as in the infamous Titan that served Horus is again latin, meaning _Day of Wrath _, quite apt should it be knocking on your door.

Sigismund, as in the Imperial Fists First Captain, later the Emperors Champion and First High Marshall, is germanic, meaning _protection through victory_, quite fitting really for his character.


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## ckcrawford (Feb 4, 2009)

All these historical and language meanings just show how well and put together some parts of GW can be. Its too bad people like Matt Ward just rape it in the butt.


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## ThatOtherGuy (Apr 13, 2010)

Well some of these are just flat out obvious, others however, are a little more clever.


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## Amoeba Bait (May 31, 2010)

Oh man, I have soooooooooooooo much stuff like this:
Lets start with 'Nids

*From a doc. I found on the web somewhere*


Rome gives us the Lictor, an officer whose duty it was to attend the chief magistrates when they appeared in public and apprehend and punish criminals. 
From Latin we get Carnifex translated as an executioner, meat maker and/or butcher.

Back now to ancient Greece for a slave serving in a temple serving a single deity to find a Hierodule. 

Biovores have two sources for the name; bio means living and vore is one that eats, literally one that eats life. 

In Spanish hormigante means ant, an excellent source word for hormagaunt.

Plenty moar where that came from ladies and gents!


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## Giant Fossil Penguin (Apr 11, 2009)

Keep the Matt Ward stuff out of this thread, please.

Another really obvious one: Lord Solar Macarius is based on Alexander the Great. Both Generals are only stopped from continuing their respective campaigns by the refusal of their troops to go any further. There is the possibility that both were assassinated as each died young and with some mystery as to the cause.
I'll have to look through my books; I'm sure I saw a real-world influence for Creed and Kell, beyond the obvious.

GFP


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## gen.ahab (Dec 22, 2009)

Jorumgndr, two-blades, is named after Jörmungandr, the world serpent or Midgard serpent, from Norse mythology. Jörmungandr was on of the 3 children of Loki, but was taken by Odin and thrown into the great ocean that surrounded Midgard. It is said that there he grew so large that he could circle the earth and grasp his own tail. It is also said that when he finally let's go that the world will end. This is how he gained the name "world serpent." Why did he name two-blades that? No fucking clue.


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## shmabadu (Oct 2, 2009)

The Council of Nikaea is an allusion to the Council of Nicaea held in the 4th century A.D. where early Christians met to agree to the nature of God and Jesus.

An obvious one is that Necron comes from the Greek _Necro_ meaning death, it's something everyone knows but someone has to write it. I'll leave the origin of the word _Tyranids_ to some other stater of the obvious.

Vulkan He'stan the Forgefather of the Salamanders is named after the Roman god Vulcan, God of the forge.


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## Giant Fossil Penguin (Apr 11, 2009)

Cadia. A bit convoluted, but there could be two real-life connections.
First, I'm edging that it's actually a twisting of _Arcadia_ (I know, I'm a genius!). In one sense, Arcadia was seen as an unspoiled paradise which makes it a nice inversion.
Secondly, the people who live there are supposed to be untouched by avarice and untouched by pride; so this might allude to the selflessness of the Cadians whose whole being is bound up in service to the Imperium. Works for me, anyway!

GFP


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## Malus Darkblade (Jan 8, 2010)

The Golden Throne if I am not mistaken sits atop on the real life equivalent of Nottingham, England.

And one theory of the Emperor's origins points at him being from Turkey.


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## Cypher871 (Aug 2, 2009)

Malus Darkblade said:


> ...And one theory of the Emperor's origins points at him being from Turkey.


Central Anatolia to be precise (page 174 para 2: Realm of Chaos - The Lost and the Damned). It is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey. Anatolia has been home to many civilizations throughout history, such as the Hittites, Phrygians, Lydians, Persians, Greeks, Assyrians, Armenians, Romans, Byzantines, Anatolian Seljuks and Ottomans. As a result, Anatolia is archeologically, one of richest areas in the world.



*Lasgun's* were pinched from Frank Herberts 'Dune'.

The term *Eldar* is both a Hebrew first/last name meaning "god resides" and a rare Norse first name meaning "Warrior who fights with fire.

Its also the word for 'fires' in the Icelandic, Swedish and Norwegian language and is also a common first name among the Tatars, the Crimean Tatars, the Azeris, the Georgians and the Bashkirs.

JRR Tolkien first used the word Eldar in fiction to describe a faction of the Elves. The Elves are a sundered people, they awoke at Cuiviénen on the continent of Middle-earth where they were divided into three tribes: Minyar (the Firsts), Tatyar (the Seconds) and Nelyar (the Thirds). After some time, they were summoned by Oromë to live with the Valar in Aman. 

The summoning and the Great Journey that followed split the Elves into two main groups, the Eldar, who accepted the summons and the Avari who refused it. The word Eldar literally means Star People in their own language.

A *shuriken* (literally: "sword hidden in the hand") is a traditional Japanese concealed weapon that was generally used for throwing, and sometimes stabbing or slashing. They are sharpened hand-held blades made from a variety of everyday items such as needles, nails, and knives, as well as coins, washers, and other flat plates of metal.

Shuriken are commonly known in the West as "throwing stars" or "ninja stars".


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## Angel of Blood (Aug 18, 2010)

_Fenris_ is another obvious link aswell from _Fenrir_ of Norse mythology, being a huge wolf

_Vlka Fenryka_, as in the name Abnett coined for the Wolves could be translated in a few ways. _Fenryka_ is clearly a twist on_ Fenrir/Fenris_, to which we can take as wolf, or just Fenris as it is. _Vlka_ could be derived from a number of languages. In Lithuanian, _Vilkas_ is wolf or _Vilks_ in Latvian, or _Vlk_ in Czech. So from this, if we take _Fenryka_ to be just Fenris, then_ Vlka Fenryka _could mean _Wolves of Fenris _quite easily. Alternatively _Volk_ is german for _Folk_, which depending on how you want to translate Fenris, could mean either _Folk of Fenris/People of Fenris_, or _Folk Wolves/People of the Wolf_.


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## TheSpore (Oct 15, 2009)

Nurgle is actually in refrence to Nergal a Babalonian god of war and even pestilance.

Erebus is the greek god known as the son of chaos. The name Magnus means great and is a royal name in Norway.
I pulled this directly off of the lex.
Konrad Curze - The character's last name is probably inspired by the novella 'Heart of Darkness' by Joseph Conrad, where a former ivory trader in the Congo named 'Kurtz' rules over the native population as a charismatic demigod. The book was later adapted into the Vietnam War movie 'Apocalypse Now', where Kurtz's assassinator is played by Martin Sheen who M'Shen is likely a reference to. The first name 'Konrad' is probably inspired by the author's last name. 

Lion El'Jonson's name is inspired by the English poet Lionel Johnson, the author of "The Dark Angel".

Fabius Bile is alive and well on facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fabius-Bile/32532888446


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## Lord Solar Macharius (Oct 5, 2010)

Termagaunt was a god that the medieval Europeans thought the Muslims worshipped(?), though the term was later used for a quarrelsome woman(?)


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## Akatsuki13 (May 9, 2010)

Giant Fossil Penguin said:


> Cadia. A bit convoluted, but there could be two real-life connections.
> First, I'm edging that it's actually a twisting of _Arcadia_ (I know, I'm a genius!). In one sense, Arcadia was seen as an unspoiled paradise which makes it a nice inversion.
> Secondly, the people who live there are supposed to be untouched by avarice and untouched by pride; so this might allude to the selflessness of the Cadians whose whole being is bound up in service to the Imperium. Works for me, anyway!
> 
> GFP


Actually, there already is a planet Arcadia in the Imperium. Not a significant world by any means, but a world none the less. So I don't really think Cadia was created as a twisted version of Arcadia. And the Cadians soldiers are based off the standard modern armies. There's really no one army that they were inspired by. Though I do kind of think that they're name, Cadian Shock Troopers, was inspired by the Canadian regiments in World War I whom were often called Stormtroopers by the Germans. Canadian Stormtroopers, Cadian Shock Troopers, not much of a stretch to see it. Of course, I have nothing to actually back it up, it's just a little belief I have.


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## TheSpore (Oct 15, 2009)

Im still looking for the inspirations behind the other 3 chaos gods names 
Khorne, Slaanesh, and Tzeench


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## Amoeba Bait (May 31, 2010)

"Khorne is a blood god and may be based on the taboos and beliefs in the power of blood. The closest god or goddess would be Kali, who had blood and skulls as symbols. This may be more a western interpretation than the Hindu view of Kali. Another influence may be Red Caps, the malevolent goblin-like creatures that live in ruins found at the border between England and Scotland. They would stain their hats with blood, giving them their name. Ares, of Greek mythology, may be yet another source. Its horseman would be war who rode a red horse. The flesh hounds bring to mind a line from Julius Caesar by Shakespear; “Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war”. 

Slaanesh may be associated with the first horseman, its crown signifying an extravagant life style. However its name may be made up of two words. The first SLAA is acronym for sex and love addicts anonymous. The second is nesh, which in Manx, means soft or sissyish. Now since there is a strong influence of the Celts with the Eldar, the White Lady may be represented here. A goddess of death and destruction, she was a Crone aspect of the Goddess.

Tzeentch is the Great Sorcerer is similar to the more malicious trickster gods. The likes of Loki, Bamapana and Eris. It is also the architect of fate which is seen in the scales carried by one of the horsemen. The fire and bird imagery may come from the phoenix, a mythical bird with some association with magic. One of it’s symbols is the ever watching eye, which is not unlike the Illuminati eye. The Illuminati have numerous conspiracy theories surrounding them."


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## Lima6 (Sep 30, 2008)

Not taking into account the obvious kasper hawser reference, the main human character in prosperous burns is also called Ahmed Ibn Rustah, a clear reference to Ahmad ibn Rustah, a 10th century arab traveler who visited and lived with Vikings, specifically the Rus.


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## Cypher871 (Aug 2, 2009)

Lima6 said:


> ...a clear reference to Ahmad ibn Rustah, a 10th century arab traveler who visited and lived with Vikings, specifically the Rus.


Ooo, didn't know that...I wonder if that is who the film 'The 13th Warrior' is based upon?


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## steampunktau (Aug 12, 2009)

I'll throw out a quickie on the Tau. Something that everyone knows is that the name of the race itself is an obvious reference to Taoism, on which the Tau philosophy is based.

But to point out a slightly more subtle reference, the leaders and philosophical 'masters' behind the Tau are the Ethereals, whose name in the Tau language is Aun - one letter away from Aum, a word traditionally repeated as a mantra in Buddhism and a few other eastern religions. The word itself has a dozen different meanings, often tying in with the philosophy of the Greater Good.


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## Lima6 (Sep 30, 2008)

The thirteenth warrior is based on Ahmed Ibn Fablan, a contemporary of Rustah. Fablan also spent time with the Rus and described them as perfect physical specimens but of disgusting personal hygiene. Rustah's opinion of their physique and martial prowess is the same but he wrote that they took pride in their appearance and cleanliness. Alot if the physical description used of the SW in prospero burns is very reminiscent of the Arabs writings. The most interesting parallel being the opinion of the Vikings/space wolves as barbarian, mindless thug beserkers by their foes when in fact both were civilised and honourable, just capable of immense violence when required.


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## TheSpore (Oct 15, 2009)

Amoeba Bait said:


> "Khorne is a blood god and may be based on the taboos and beliefs in the power of blood. The closest god or goddess would be Kali, who had blood and skulls as symbols. This may be more a western interpretation than the Hindu view of Kali. Another influence may be Red Caps, the malevolent goblin-like creatures that live in ruins found at the border between England and Scotland. They would stain their hats with blood, giving them their name. Ares, of Greek mythology, may be yet another source. Its horseman would be war who rode a red horse. The flesh hounds bring to mind a line from Julius Caesar by Shakespear; “Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war”.
> 
> Slaanesh may be associated with the first horseman, its crown signifying an extravagant life style. However its name may be made up of two words. The first SLAA is acronym for sex and love addicts anonymous. The second is nesh, which in Manx, means soft or sissyish. Now since there is a strong influence of the Celts with the Eldar, the White Lady may be represented here. A goddess of death and destruction, she was a Crone aspect of the Goddess.
> 
> Tzeentch is the Great Sorcerer is similar to the more malicious trickster gods. The likes of Loki, Bamapana and Eris. It is also the architect of fate which is seen in the scales carried by one of the horsemen. The fire and bird imagery may come from the phoenix, a mythical bird with some association with magic. One of it’s symbols is the ever watching eye, which is not unlike the Illuminati eye. The Illuminati have numerous conspiracy theories surrounding them."


I can see where you got this info. Reading makes me think maybe I was looking in the wrong places to begin with.


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## Zakath (Feb 23, 2011)

The C'tan and the Necrons too, to some extent, are clearly inspired by Lovecraft's visions of ancient, immortal god-beings with alien goals and schemes. To boot, the C'tan are served by people lacking free will and possessing artifacts quite uncomprehensible to humans. 

The Tyranid Hive Fleets are named after ancient/mythological/biblical monstrosities. Comorragh is mentioned in the Bible (and IIRC, the Coran) as a sinners' nest/lair.

And its funny how I can't seem to think of anything worth mentioning while the 40k fluff is literally all borrowed from somewhere


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## Malus Darkblade (Jan 8, 2010)

@zak: if anything cthulu would fit into the Chaos powers/warp moreso than the Necrons/ctan.

A lot of wh40k fluff is literally copy pasta from the Dune mythos, something I discovered only recently but of course, GW amped up the cool factor.


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## Zakath (Feb 23, 2011)

> @zak: if anything cthulu would fit into the Chaos powers/warp moreso than the Necrons/ctan.


Yeah, I guess that too. Naturally there's borrowed aspect on both of them (meaning CSM and Necron fluff).

Space Marine vehicles and IMO especially the Rhino STC are real and can be found in the UK. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:14,s:20&biw=1181&bih=721

Also, please note the marking of tactical squad on the side 

EDIT: I just came across this on another topic and thought it a funny coincidence 


C'Tan Chimera said:


> I'd ask H.P Lovecraft to explain this all a bit better since C'Tan and Chaos fit right in with his specialties, but unfortunately H.P Lovecraft is fucking dead.


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## malitov (Mar 18, 2010)

Ghazghull Mag Uruk Thraka. Sounds kind of like Margaret Thatcher.


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## Darkoan (Oct 18, 2010)

Malus Darkblade said:


> @zak: if anything cthulu would fit into the Chaos powers/warp moreso than the Necrons/ctan.
> 
> A lot of wh40k fluff is literally copy pasta from the Dune mythos, something I discovered only recently but of course, GW amped up the cool factor.



Yes there is a loose connection to Lovecrafts mythology/Cthulu and the Necrons, with a reference to the Necronomican, a mythical book of power - the reference is a little weak.

As for the WH40k setting, yes the dystopic inspiration of a galactic 'future' is visible in many fantasy settings - Dune and Asimov's Foundation galactic empire are the notable examples.
Copy and paste is an exaggeration.


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## Malus Darkblade (Jan 8, 2010)

A lot of terms are ripped straight from the Dune mythos for example and that's just on the surface. 

But hey I'm not complaining, like I said they took a lot of the stuff, but made it a lot more interesting, modern, cool and ultimately different. Take for instance the stars of the WH40k universe, the Astartes and Chaos, they are not present in Dune or other Sci-fi (I don't think so at least).

With Starcraft lore, if one could call it that, it's literally a copy pasta of the WH40k franchise with nothing to add.




Zakath said:


> Space Marine vehicles and IMO especially the Rhino STC are real and can be found in the UK.


lol nice find, I agree it's very similar in design.


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