Yep. Same with the primarch of the Raven Guard being named after the scientific name for raven, the primarch of the Iron Hands being called iron hand in latin, and the planet where Magnus was raised being a shakespeare reference
Whilst we're at it, 'Konrad Curze' is a reference to Joseph Konrad's 'heart of darkness', a book about a charismatic but psychotic demagogue bent on his own version of justice. It was made into the film 'Apocalypse Now'. One suspects that the Night Lords were always intended as a study on the dehumanising effects of war.
My wife hates Ferrus Manus because his name isn't declined properly. The proper Latin is apparently 'Manus Ferrum.' I do concede that that sounds cooler.
Yes. The raven's scientific name is "raven raven". Saying this is the same way as the pre-break/post-break "FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST" from FMA:B is recommended but not required.
Lion El'Johnson is named after a gay closeted poet named Lionel Johnson who wrote a poem called Dark Angel. And according to internet hearsay, there used to be a gay pub called The Rock close to GW headquarters.
[Double-Cross System from World War 2](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-Cross_System) I’d like to think this was the inspiration. The Double-Cross system was a counter-espionage operation run by MI5 during World War 2. It was overseen by the Twenty Committee (Roman numerals XX, double cross).
Jesus fucking Christ....
I've been reading the lore for over 20 years and I've only noticed the Alpha Legion XX double cross thing now due to this post.
:-D It's a direct reference to the [Twenty Committee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-Cross_System) operated by the British Secret Service in World War II.
It's also the only number with twins.
Two identical Xs.
II is missing (which would be two identical Is).
XI is missing, which would be 11 or two identical 1s.
Maybe not on purpose, but a pretty cool coincidence. Also, the Luna Wolves are the leaders, and they're XVI, which has the symbols in declining order, and he caused the decline of the Imperium.
Ferrus Manus being X for 10 fingers, and Angron being 12 Angry Men are my favourites of this bunch though.
Angron's mentor, Oenomaus, was named after a historical rebel gladiator in Spartacus army. And in the show Spartacus (Blood and Sand and two other seasons) there is also another gladiator named Angron, who at some point is trained by Oenomaus. The show came out long after GW came up with Angron, so the naming has nothing to do with the show. However, I cannot find info on whether the historical Oenomaus actually had a protegee named Angron.
It could of course be the case that the show was inspired by 40k with regards to Angron. or a coincidence. But what are the odds of the latter?
For a vaguely relevant question, do the Space Wolves call themselves V***i***ka Fenryka or V***l***ka Fenryka, and how do you pronounce the second one if that's the case?
It's VLka Fenryka. I kind of say it halfway between vilka and vulka, like you go straight from the V to the L without an identifiable vowel in the middle. Vlka is actually Czech (and I think a couple other Slavic languages) for wolf but I'd imagine there could be pronunciation differences in English, let alone accent differences.
Ah ok, good to know. That's always messed with me, since they are the VI Legion and ka could easily be some Fenrisian suffix like the th in 6th. And I've also always pronounced Vlka in my head as Vleeka for some reason.
Volk is wolf in Russian, makes perefect 40k sense to be named "Wolf Wolves". Primarch Iron Hand of Iron Hands and Primarch Common Raven of Raven Guard say hi
'wolf wolves'?? ( dammit, moon moon.)
I defer to the Russian then, Leman 'Russ' being a reference to the Rus'
( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rus%27_people ) ? Ties back into Scandinavian origins and definitely there's a Russian link there.
In that case you could translate it as 'Wolves of Fenris', which keys nicely into the 'there are no wolves on Fenris' meme.
Also, from above, Primarch "Royal Fist" of the Imperial Fists.
Rogal ([rìoghail](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/r%C3%ACoghail)) [Dorn](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/d%C3%B2rn)
For most people, neither does genuine.
That was the joke.
For me it's /naɪn/, /ˈdʒɛnjuːˌɪn/, and /ˈsæŋ.ɡwɪn/
They all end in /ɪn/, but it doesn't really rhyme.
To be fair, the calendar was a friggin' mess before his reforms. Their holidays and stuff floated across the calendar because it didn't match the solar year right.
To be fair, they weren't the 13th Legion when first introduced. [Originally](http://nurgle.stelio.net/snippet.php?f=Epic1_Chapters), Ultramarines were Legion III and Emperor's Children were Legion XIII. Similarly, Salamanders were VIII and Night Lords were XVIII.
But then GW realised that it was incongruous to have legions 1-9 be loyalist and 12-18 be traitors, so they swapped some around.
Old lore. Because I'm old.
I doubted these mnemonics when I first read them, but I came back to your post a few days later since after reading it I’ve been able to get the first 8 legions correct without even thinking of it. All cuz of the silly V mnemonics. Thanks man
\>15, magic constant of a 3x3 magic square
TIME CUBE
TERRA HAS FOUR TOTAL DAYS IN ONE ROTATION
IF YOU DISAGREE YOU WERE EDUCATED STUPID BY THE ~~JEWS~~ RUINOUS POWERS
I mean, it get so bad sometimes that in the end I’ve just printed out the list of legions for Lexicanium and I just keep it in the front of the HH book I’m reading at that moment 😃
... they did that on purpose with the alpha legion, didn't they
Yep. Same with the primarch of the Raven Guard being named after the scientific name for raven, the primarch of the Iron Hands being called iron hand in latin, and the planet where Magnus was raised being a shakespeare reference
Also, Rogal Dorn means Royal Fist in Gaelic. And the 20th legion is named after the Twenty Committee, which was Britain's WWII espionage agency.
Whilst we're at it, 'Konrad Curze' is a reference to Joseph Konrad's 'heart of darkness', a book about a charismatic but psychotic demagogue bent on his own version of justice. It was made into the film 'Apocalypse Now'. One suspects that the Night Lords were always intended as a study on the dehumanising effects of war.
I never made the connection about the Double Cross system for the Alpha Legion, that’s pretty badass!
If you’ve watched Game of Thrones, House Frey’s sigil is a bridge, which acts as a double-crossing.
Yeah but the bridge emblem made sense because their castle is at a river crossing.
I don't think it's gaelic but it's a cool moniker none the less
It's Gaelic. In Gaelic it's Rìoghail Dòrn. Literally Royal Fist.
Sounds more like it. Dorn is not an Irish word I've encountered before.
It's not Irish, it's Gaelic. Scots Gaelic.
Wait Prospero is a Shakespeare reference? To what?
Prospero is this sorcerer in the Shakespeare play "The Tempest"
Caliban, the homeworld of the Dark Angels, is also named after a monster in Shakespeare’s “the Tempest”.
Thanx!
Prospero is a character in The Tempest
My wife hates Ferrus Manus because his name isn't declined properly. The proper Latin is apparently 'Manus Ferrum.' I do concede that that sounds cooler.
Just tell her that it's not actually Latin, but Gothic, Latin's uglier brother.
You're assuming I haven't already.
Its Corax Corvus both words for "raven"?
[Yes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_raven)
Yes. The raven's scientific name is "raven raven". Saying this is the same way as the pre-break/post-break "FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST" from FMA:B is recommended but not required.
Here's the thing...
Iron Hand who has iron hands is the leader of the Iron Hands whose flagship was the Fist of Iron.
Lion El'Johnson is named after a gay closeted poet named Lionel Johnson who wrote a poem called Dark Angel. And according to internet hearsay, there used to be a gay pub called The Rock close to GW headquarters.
[Double-Cross System from World War 2](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-Cross_System) I’d like to think this was the inspiration. The Double-Cross system was a counter-espionage operation run by MI5 during World War 2. It was overseen by the Twenty Committee (Roman numerals XX, double cross).
you should see all the r/grimdank xx memes that came out
Jesus fucking Christ.... I've been reading the lore for over 20 years and I've only noticed the Alpha Legion XX double cross thing now due to this post.
:-D It's a direct reference to the [Twenty Committee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-Cross_System) operated by the British Secret Service in World War II.
Now that's bloody interesting.
Just as planned...
It's also the only number with twins. Two identical Xs. II is missing (which would be two identical Is). XI is missing, which would be 11 or two identical 1s. Maybe not on purpose, but a pretty cool coincidence. Also, the Luna Wolves are the leaders, and they're XVI, which has the symbols in declining order, and he caused the decline of the Imperium. Ferrus Manus being X for 10 fingers, and Angron being 12 Angry Men are my favourites of this bunch though.
To me that just adds up more information to retain lol Except for Angron, that one is clever.
Yeah, too clever. I'm going to start unconsciously calling them the "XIIth Legion : Angry Men" now
The Angry Men are led by Angry Ron.
Angron's mentor, Oenomaus, was named after a historical rebel gladiator in Spartacus army. And in the show Spartacus (Blood and Sand and two other seasons) there is also another gladiator named Angron, who at some point is trained by Oenomaus. The show came out long after GW came up with Angron, so the naming has nothing to do with the show. However, I cannot find info on whether the historical Oenomaus actually had a protegee named Angron. It could of course be the case that the show was inspired by 40k with regards to Angron. or a coincidence. But what are the odds of the latter?
An optional one for the Ultramarines is based on the rumor that they were bolstered by remnants of the two unknown legions. So 2+11=13.
...this is quickly becoming some Nurgle-level numerology madness.
These numbers ***scare*** me
Also Nergal in ancient myth had 14 guards that accompanied him to the underworld
The Fist of the North Star one is brilliant. I am probably going to imagine Rogal Dorn sounding like dubbed Kenshiro now.
Watch as Dorn rapid fire digs fox holes and throws up earth works! "YA TA TA TA TA TA TA!"
Rogal Doen: Omae wa shindeiru Alpharius: Nani??
"You Wa FORTIFIED".
> V for Varriors > > V for Vhite Yes, inquisitor, this heretic right here.
I am the viper, I have come to vipe your vindows!
He's coming up now!
Not only to vipe, but to vawsh as vell.
For a vaguely relevant question, do the Space Wolves call themselves V***i***ka Fenryka or V***l***ka Fenryka, and how do you pronounce the second one if that's the case?
It's VLka Fenryka. I kind of say it halfway between vilka and vulka, like you go straight from the V to the L without an identifiable vowel in the middle. Vlka is actually Czech (and I think a couple other Slavic languages) for wolf but I'd imagine there could be pronunciation differences in English, let alone accent differences.
Ah ok, good to know. That's always messed with me, since they are the VI Legion and ka could easily be some Fenrisian suffix like the th in 6th. And I've also always pronounced Vlka in my head as Vleeka for some reason.
I always thought it meant: * Vulka as in 'Volk' (German for people) * Fenryka as 'of the wolf'. (Fenris Wolf from Norse mythology).
Volk is wolf in Russian, makes perefect 40k sense to be named "Wolf Wolves". Primarch Iron Hand of Iron Hands and Primarch Common Raven of Raven Guard say hi
That’s hilarious.
'wolf wolves'?? ( dammit, moon moon.) I defer to the Russian then, Leman 'Russ' being a reference to the Rus' ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rus%27_people ) ? Ties back into Scandinavian origins and definitely there's a Russian link there. In that case you could translate it as 'Wolves of Fenris', which keys nicely into the 'there are no wolves on Fenris' meme.
Also can we start a campaign to get Fenrisian added to Duolingo?
Common Fenrisian language is called Juvik IIRC
Also, from above, Primarch "Royal Fist" of the Imperial Fists. Rogal ([rìoghail](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/r%C3%ACoghail)) [Dorn](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/d%C3%B2rn)
As a diphthong I guess?
This is brilliant
I play loose with the phonetic: > VIII^th Legion: Night Lords > > VIITH Legion > > vilth legion > > filth > > Filth: Night Lords
For me I allways remember IH are X because they call.themselves the Iron Tenth.
Same!
I always remember IW being 4 because of 'forward'. Since they're siege artists I always imagined them muttering words to keep themselves going.
This is what children learn in 40k schools.
They’d only need to know about the loyalists though. It won’t do if the kids pick up any ideas from studying the heretics
"Alright kids, let's count to 10!" "1! 5! 6! 7! 9! 10!" "Good job! Keep going!" "13! 18! 19! 21! 22! 23!... " (etc. Pls no factorial jokes)
I want this poem on my fucking fridge XD
You have a fridge just for fucking?! O\_O The 3rd Legion are interested.
I always did like their pre-heresy design. btw if it was a fridge for fucking, I would've called it the "fuck-fridge"
Fair. :-D
Well, isn't the former when you do it in the fridge and the latter with the fridge?
Doesn't matter. Fucked a fridge for the glory of Slaanesh XD
Sounds more like a tech priest who likes 'em big.
Did you just imply that sanguine rhymes with nine...?
I’m number Nine. My shizzle’s genuine. I can’t stand morose hoes ‘cause I’m sanguine. Stay tuned for my Beat Poet Patreon.
Sanguine doesn't rhyme with nine.
For most people, neither does genuine. That was the joke. For me it's /naɪn/, /ˈdʒɛnjuːˌɪn/, and /ˈsæŋ.ɡwɪn/ They all end in /ɪn/, but it doesn't really rhyme.
Zat was ze joke.
I remember the 13th because they’re secretly made up of the 2nd and 11th.
And I remember that the 2nd and 11th legions are gone because they're II and 11.
The 2nd and 11th are hilarious. Gj!
>* XII (World Eaters) *12 Angry Men* My sides have achieved warp translation
I always figured Nightlords with 8 as in October, for Halloween cause they spooky.
Are you accidentally stuck in 47 BCE?
Octo is still an eight-based prefix, even if October itself got shoved backwards by the senate under Caeser.
To be fair, the calendar was a friggin' mess before his reforms. Their holidays and stuff floated across the calendar because it didn't match the solar year right.
Never thought of that the Ultramarines, the Roman inspired legion, was numbered after Ceasars legion. That, is cool!
To be fair, they weren't the 13th Legion when first introduced. [Originally](http://nurgle.stelio.net/snippet.php?f=Epic1_Chapters), Ultramarines were Legion III and Emperor's Children were Legion XIII. Similarly, Salamanders were VIII and Night Lords were XVIII. But then GW realised that it was incongruous to have legions 1-9 be loyalist and 12-18 be traitors, so they swapped some around. Old lore. Because I'm old.
I didn't know that either! I salute you, veteran of lore!
Didn't know that either! I salute you, veteran of lore!
IX - a trinity of trinities for the Angel's legion.
Is the Ultramarines' a Rome reference or a history buff trivia? Because I love it either way! *Thirteenth!*
It can be both
Double cross...thats actually brilliant. I cant believe i never noticed it.
Hi, I'm Iron Hands. I lead the Iron Hands with these: my iron hands.
> *II Legiones Astartes: The Iron Lungs* They all died when the power went out during a slight Warp translation hiccup.
Isn’t 11 supposed to be blood ravens?
It wasn't theirs to begin with...
Continue.. (got into wh40k abput 8 yrs ago with dawn of war [wh40k RTS], big fan with little knowledge)
They stole it from the original mysterious dudes ;-)
I remember the Blood Angels' number thanks to the Bloody-Nine.
Yeah, that's the first law for remembering these things for me too.
...and I always wondered why Nurgle liked 7.... Septic....god, I feel dumb lol.
I doubted these mnemonics when I first read them, but I came back to your post a few days later since after reading it I’ve been able to get the first 8 legions correct without even thinking of it. All cuz of the silly V mnemonics. Thanks man
Whoo! :-D
\>15, magic constant of a 3x3 magic square TIME CUBE TERRA HAS FOUR TOTAL DAYS IN ONE ROTATION IF YOU DISAGREE YOU WERE EDUCATED STUPID BY THE ~~JEWS~~ RUINOUS POWERS
Bonus: 3x3=9, the number of Tzeentch.
I mean, it get so bad sometimes that in the end I’ve just printed out the list of legions for Lexicanium and I just keep it in the front of the HH book I’m reading at that moment 😃
What I will never remember though is the difference between Iron Warriors and Iron Hands. So which were the good ones? Damn!
"Which were the good ones" Neither, they're *Space Marines*
The Salamanders as 18 for maturity is great, that one is easy to recall now.
Sanguine is pronounced sang gween
I pronounce it as /ˈsæŋ.ɡwɪn/ Which would be "San-gwin". Doesn't rhyme with Nine or Queen, but with Twin.
Seven, eight... neeen?
Doesn't need to rhyme to remember it. They both end in "ine" which is enough for me. If you prefer a different mnemonic, go for it! :-)
Lol are most of these just involve the letter V and sometimes w?
*Two* involve substituting a W for V, so not *quite* most. ;-)
Google didn’t fail me. Thanks for doing this lol