List of Historical references in 40K

[Tom - Heretic]

Inspired by this thread http://www.warseer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7252

Add any more you know are fact. If you aren't sure, please say so.

I've started with a few primarchs, but in theory there are thousands of references to be found.

Fulgrim - I could only find this. Hmm.... http://www.chimerabooks.co.uk/index....TOKEN=67151766

Roboute Guilliman - Jacques Duchesne-Guilliman - Zoroastrian scholar. Many people are named Guilliman, so this is probably a dead end.

Corax - read edgar allen poe. http://bau2.uibk.ac.at/sg/poe/poe.html

Sanguinius - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanguine

Lion'el Johnson - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Johnson Homosexual poet, wrote a poem called "Dark Angel"

Leman Russ - Russ meaning norwegian cultural phenomenon and tradition. Also The word rus comes from Latin, Cornua Depositurus, to put aside one's horns; in Norwegian, an extra s was added. The tradition goes back to the 1700s, at a time when no universities existed in Norway, and Norwegians would attend the University of Copenhagen to study alongside Danish students. To be enrolled at the university, students had to pass the Examen Artium. After completing their examinations, horns were placed on their foreheads and they were ridiculed by older students. When the results from the exams were ready, the students would participate in a ceremony called Examen Depositiones, in which they were called up to the examinator: if they had passed the test, their horns would be removed, as a sign of wisdom and subjugation of the wild animal within. From then on, the young persons had the right to call themselves students.

Ferrus Manus - it means Iron man or possibly iron hand in latin.

Rogal Dorn - the battle of hatchie's bridge in the american civil war featured a commander called Earl Van Dorn. Echo's of the background of captain lysander.

[TenTailedCat]

I think Russ is based on the Rus - Vikings (I think) who went east and settled in what is now Russia. I read this somewhere, if I can find the source I'll quote it.

[Freak Ona Leash]

Wait, the Dark Angels are based off the gene-seed of a dress-wearing writing critic who died when he got to drunk to stay on top of his chair? WTFpwned?

EDIT:The White Scars title of Khan is mongolian for leader methinks.

[TheSonOfAbbadon]

Jaghkai Khan: Genghis Khan's son [one of them, he had so many].

[Tom - Heretic]

Khan = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khan

Translates as king, more like a warlord. A khan Rules over a khanate.

[TheSonOfAbbadon]

Yeah, that's why Temushen changed his name to Genghis Khan then had some sons one of whom was called JAGHKAI.

[JsX]

Abaddon: Bible; Apocalypse 9:7-11

[Delicious Soy]

Ahriman is a sort of proto-Satan of Zorastrian faith, the opposite of Ahuramazda

[Freak Ona Leash]

The Night Hauner sounds like Batman on steroids...

[TheSonOfAbbadon]

Typhus is a kind of diesease [typhus fever].

Abbadon is the Angel Of Armageddon http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/grads...ters/abyss.htm

And Horus was the Egyptian god of lots of different things at different times [damn thee conpuzzling Egyptian religion!] http://members.aol.com/egyptart/hormyth.html

[cpl_hicks]

the whole fall from grace of horus is losely bassed on the fall of satan/lucifer from heaven with horus being satan/lucifer and the emporer being GOD

[Phunting]

And the whole 'Eye of Horus' is from Egypt as well, though can't remember what it means. I used to go out with an Egyptology student and she did explain it all, but damned if I can remember!

Fabius was a leading Roman Household. Bile is err bile!

And for non mariney things, such as IG regiments:

The Praetorian Guard were Roman Elite, and of course their uniforms and background match up to the British Army of the late 19th century.

Attilans bear a resemblans to the Huns, their famous leader of course being Attila.

Valhalla is of course the Norse 'Hall of the Slain'.

Elysia is the homeland of the Elder Gods in H P Lovecraft.

Not sure about the others.

[Adept]

Can we list the non-character specific things? Like Catachans = American soldiers in Vietnam + Rambo, or Praetorians = British troops from the Zulu wars (unsure of the specific historical terminology for the period, I just remember the uniforms from Zulu. Good movie, that).

[TheSonOfAbbadon]

Horus's eyes were said to be the sun and moon.

[cpl_hicks]

cadian imperial guard could sort of be linked to modern uk/usa milatery with better armour

death korps of krieg world war 1 trench milatery

the inquisition spanish inquisition (the real kind not the monty python kind )

most if not all of the main space marine chapter are bassed on some kind of historical referance

Dark anglels - spanish inquisition
emperors children -
iron warriors - industrilised humans
white scars - mongals
space wolves - vikings
imperial fists -
night lords - vampires
blood angles - vampires
iron hands- industrilised humans
worldeaters -
ultramarines - romans
death guard -
thousand sons -
lunar wolves -
word bearers - missionarys
slamanders -
raven guard - egar allen poe
alpha legion -


there the ones i can see if any one else can fill the gaps

imperial guard tanks manticore/bassilisk/chimera are named after animals from greek myths

[susu.exp]

Blood Angels (all obvious):

Mephiston is based on "Mephisto" a name for the devil used by playwrights. Interestingly it is unclear where the word comes from:
Mephostophiles could come from ancient greek "the one who dislikes light"
Mephistophiles could come from Latin "the one who likes foul odours"
and finally it could originate from the hebrew "mephir" (destroyer, despoiler) and "tophel" (liar).

Dante is a reference to Dante Aligheri, who wrote the famous Inferno.

Salamanders: "The following is from the "Life of Benvenuto Cellini," an Italian artist of the sixteenth century, written by himself: "When I was about five years of age, my father, happening to be in a little room in which they had been washing, and where there was a good fire of oak burning, looked into the flames and saw a little animal resembling a lizard, which could live in the hottest part of that element. Instantly perceiving what it was, he called for my sister and me, and after he had shown us the creature, he gave me a box on the ear. I fell a-crying, while he, soothing me with caresses, spoke these words: 'My dear child, I do not give you that blow for any fault you have committed, but that you may recollect that the little creature you see in the fire is a salamander; such a one as never was beheld before to my knowledge.' So saying he embraced me, and gave me some money."

Necromunda is "Death world" in Latin.

[TenTailedCat]

The Imperial Fists are about as close to roman praetorian guard as I can see - they're even called the Emperors Paetorian Guards in the old Horus Heresy fluff.

[Dr Death]

It'd be a nice thing if someone could make a catalogue of everything in 40k and their influences, a comprehensive look at the parralels and themes "behind the wargame". Heres a list of things (far from comprehensive) off the top of my head.

Ursarker Creed- George Patton
Macharius- Alexander the Great
Sly Marbo- Rambo
Valhallens- WW2 russians
Horus- Lucifer
Adeptus Astartes- Mobile Infantry/Storm troopers/Knightly orders
Storm Troopers- SAS/Special forces
Prometheus- Roman god of fire
Night Haunter- Colonel Kurtz
Mortarion- The Grim reaper
Cypher- Pale rider


Just a few

Dr Death

[Phunting]

Dark anglels - spanish inquisition

Don't really agree with that. The DA's are concerned with repentance for their fallen brothers. The historical Inquisition was concerned with a general purging of heresy.

...and running about and bursting in on people when they weren't expected.

[sigur]

cadian imperial guard could sort of be linked to modern uk/usa milatery with better armour

death korps of krieg world war 1 trench milatery

the inquisition spanish inquisition (the real kind not the monty python kind )

most if not all of the main space marine chapter are bassed on some kind of historical referance

Dark anglels - spanish inquisition
emperors children -
iron warriors - industrilised humans
white scars - mongals
space wolves - vikings
imperial fists -
night lords - vampires
blood angles - vampires
iron hands- industrilised humans
worldeaters -
ultramarines - romans
death guard -
thousand sons -
lunar wolves -
word bearers - missionarys
slamanders -
raven guard - egar allen poe
alpha legion -


there the ones i can see if any one else can fill the gaps

imperial guard tanks manticore/bassilisk/chimera are named after animals from greek myths

Those "references" are a bit too blunt to me.

Cadians: Basically a mix of everything sci-fi trooper and modern armies (they're all quite similar nowadays).

Inquisition: Mostly legendary and not really similar to the historic Inquisition, more of influences from all fundamentalistic, extremist ways of christianity.

Many Space Marine chapters do show some parallels to historical events/persons/organisations, but the new fluff shows less and less of such things which is a shame, but I guess the new fluff-writing people are just different and thing that they'll have an universe that is established enough to forget about any references but also "deeper" fluff as they don't want to overextend the customers but bring in some simpler concepts.

Dark Angels: Not very inquisitorial in my view. Just Space Marines with this DA fluff, and those Interrogators working with torture and this "repent and you'll die faster"-stuff which may be the only thing inquisitorial about them.
Iron Warriors: Aw, well, mostly the color scheme resembles the industrial thing.
White Scars: Mongol-like momadic people, righty
Night Lords: Vampires? Because of those bat-wings? I don't see much resemblence there
Blood Angels: The Vampire aspect is just one facette of the BA. Sure, the blood affinity and the sagophagus-thing is obvious, but they're also these dying (as a chapter), vein, slightly artistic, angry folks.
Iron Hands: Just the love for machinery. That's no historical reference to me.
Ultramarines: I also see them as quite roman-influenced. Less in 3rd edition (but let's just ignore 3rd edition once more), but now with all this bling-bling and robes and all coming back they're pretty much roman again.
Word Bearers: Yeah, they do have preachers, but the whole "preaching for chaos"-thing is a bit too ..unclear to me with the current chaos fluff. Nothing really historical too by the way.
Raven Guard - "Edgar Allen Poe" just because of this quote. Apart from that, I'm not too familiar with their fluff or character, but no historical reference I think.

The manticore is more of an indian-persian myth than greek. The Basilisk is also more of an orientalic idea. It's also interesting that newer imperial vehicles all just have names which are synonymes of "destroyer" which is also a bit boring (at least to me).

The image of the Eldar is an interesting one. Part greek (although this has been pretty much killed off except for some of the helmets), part irish/gaelic as all of GW's elves, some slight far-eastern influences (back in 2nd edition mostly) but I think that there's also this hindu (correct my if I'm wrong. I'm not very familiar with this cultural surrounding) influence in their language (Rhana Dandra, Kaela Mensha Khaine, ...) or could it be persian (Eldanesh)? Not sure, but I think that Eldar were planned as very alien and unfamiliar to imperials so they should contain pretty much everything non-european (all of GW's games are very euro-centristic as we saw). All these assumtions are from a very 2nd, eventually 3rd edition point of view as I don't have access to RT-era Eldar background.

Last, but not least, there are the Orks with not many historical references apart from 'eavy metal. Goff Orks (especially Stormboyz and Drillboyz) used to wear german-style steel helmets, Pickelhauben, monocels and the like. All the stuff the rest of the world likes to make fun about when thinking of Germans and militarism (which is the same in some people's minds). And let's not forget that Orkish grenades still are Stielhandgranaten and they use the most obvious magnetic mines to get rid of tanks in close combat, which only the germans did on a grand scale in WW2. Orks are the classic antagonists and so are Germans. Another quite rude, but in a way true parallel.

edit: one more funny thing I found out - Inquisitor Fyodor Karamazov is a mix of Dostoyevski's first name (Fyodor) and his first work "The Brothers Karamazov".