About the Discovery of Chaos

[TheSaylesMan]

Let's say that there is a completely isolated human world out in the 40k galaxy. Its never come into contact with the Imperium at all. The last time it had any contact from beings beyond their own planet is all the way back in the Dark Age of Technology. If a cult dedicated to the Powers of Chaos cropped up on that planet, would the people of that planet refer to the Gods by the names that we know them by or would they have their own identities unique to the history and culture of this one planet? Its always been implied that the Gods of Chaos had many names given to them by many different peoples and cultures over the ages so I would guess that on this hypothetical world would give them their own names. This got me thinking. Where did the names Tzeentch, Khorne, Nurgle and Slaanesh come from exactly?

My guess would be Lorgar. He was the one that truly instigated the Horus Heresy after all. It is said in The First Heretic that Kor Phaeron preserved a small portion of the pre-Imperial culture on all worlds that the Word Bearers brought to compliance. Lorgar had to reconquer every world he had brought into the fold of the Imperium and that would have given him ample time to study all of these worlds' understanding of the nature of the Gods. It is my personal belief that Lorgar hodgepodge'd the cultures of many different worlds together to come up with his own philosophy and understanding on the nature of the Warp and Chaos which he recorded in the Book of the Epistles of Lorgar. That book spread out among the Traitor Legions in the Lodges which gave form to their own corruptions and eventually those Legions embraced Chaos in their own unique ways which were used by Lorgar as fodder to further expand his knowledge of Chaos. The Lorgan Epistles became the "Orthodoxy" for worship of the Gods and were spread throughout the galaxy where they formed the root of Chaos Cults for the next 10,000 years. All conjecture of course but its a theory that makes sense to me at least.

Is there any more official sources detailing how the discovery of Chaos worked?

[Muad'Dib]

At least in WFB, the names come from the dark tounge, which is the language of Chaos. If it would/is be the case it 40k, I would say that those specific syllables resonate the most with the essence of the god in question. (in WFB it as explained that "Slaa", for example, is the dark tounge's word/phrase for pleasure or excess) And because of that, when the god's chose to reveal themselves to the Word Bearer's, they revealed those names.

On a second thought the names might simply be how the worshipper in question interprets the Chaos's communicating/influencing her or him in term's of any language the worshiper uses or possesses. I recall, even among different human cultures that the god's often are given names wildly differing from the 'usual' four. Same can also be true for xeno cultures whose idea of langauge or senses might be wlidely different from the humans'; the saruthi in first book of the Eisenhorn trilogy had taste as their 'primary' sense, for example.

[Idaan]

Everything in the material world has a resonance in the Warp (well, except the things that don't). Intellects have their "footprints" as souls, specific shapes create reactions in the Warp (hexagrammic wards repel demons, summoning circles make them stronger, in DH some types of machinery like spindles can create warp phenomena). This is also true with sounds and words. The word "Tzeentch" (or "Tzeen Neth" if we subscribe to the Dark Tongue theory) probably creates a resonance that somehow fits into the Vortex of Change.

[Hendarion]

If there's a cult, someone will become posessed by a daemon and this daemon knows the name of his master, so that's how the cult would be told of it pretty fast.

[TheDungen]

I think thoose names are truenames. A chaos god is just a very peowerful demon after all. And becuase they're so powerful knowing their truename will do you little good.

I'd say that as soon as the cultists leanr the dark tounge from the demons they'll encounter the real names, but in daly speech they're unlikely to be used. evne the chaos legions and the imperium know them by other names and titles, khorne is the blood god the lord of skulls. Tzeentch is the great architect and the changer of ways. Slaanesh is the dark prince or the prince of chaos. the only name i can think of for nurlge is grandfather nurgle and i guess he being more of a father figure for his followers would have them use his real name more often.

I havent read alot of the black library books but i think the imperium wouldnt even want their population to know about the gods of chaos if they could help it much less their names. Using the titles or even more commonly just grouping them as the dark gods keeps people from seeking knowledge of them. I'd say you planet would know then udner other names except the cult leaders who would be well aware of what they were truly worshipping.

[The Warmaster]

At least in WFB, the names come from the dark tounge, which is the language of Chaos. If it would/is be the case it 40k, I would say that those specific syllables resonate the most with the essence of the god in question.

In False Gods, Nurgle is referred to by his Dark Tongue name (Nurgh'leth), and I think there are a few other sources for its use in 40K (I know the Realm of Chaos books had the Dark Tongue table, and they were written for both systems). I always assumed the 'Enuncia' referred to in the Ravenor trilogy (and I think it also came up briefly in A Thousand Sons) was the Dark Tongue, although I'm not up to the third book yet, so not sure if there's any elaboration on that.

[baphomael]

It's worth noting that several chaos worshipping cultures have their own cultural naming conventions to make sense of the infinite variety of Chaos. In the 3.5 dex there was a little fluff piece about some chaos worshipping horse tribe fighting the 'storm giants' (iirc?), who were clearly marines. This tribe knew the gods as the Four Winds, although I can't off the top of my head remember any specific names used.

But yea, several cults and tribes might have their own ritual traditions without ever knowing the specific names Khorne, Nurgle, Tzeentch or Slaanesh.

[TheDungen]

I remember that story i dont think they used any names, just called them the four winds. Which kind of proves the point. Knowing the true names of the gods is not somethign common. Only blessed beigns like CSM or cult leaders would truly be priviliged with that knowledge. and the dark tounge is taught by demons so it should be the same in both the universes. its the language of chaos.