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What in God's name is going on in this picture?

This drawing is taken from the Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness book, the original source along with The Lost and Damned, that originally set the scene for Chaos way back in the mists of time.

I love the character and style of this art. Despite the complete lack of skulls or screaming, the meat & veg of anything portraying 'Chaos' for probably the last 15 years, it manages to portray a quite sinister feeling. Certainly, I remember being deeply disturbed by it as a child, and I hid the book from my parents with full knowledge that they wouldn't have approved had they seen it! But what is the background for this piece? And just what the hell is going on? To understand 'Chaos' in it's original concept, it's important to know a bit of background to those two seminal Chaos books, and the influences on their writers. I thought it would make an interesting discussion, and perhaps inform some of the younger fans who aren't aware of it (so please, make yourself comfortable!)

Back in the 70's, as part of the growth of the Western 'Counter Culture' that was underway, several alternative religions started to gain popularity throughout both the US and the UK. These were wide ranging, from the sci-fi writer Robert Heinlein influenced 'grokking' and 'water sharing' of The New Church, to Wicca and Paganism, Buddhism and other psuedo-religious philosophies, even as far as Satanism which briefly occupied a spot as 'celebrity religion', attracting adherents such as Mick Jagger! However, despite the wide variety of belief structures, of adherence to 'basic truths', one element united all of these alternative religions; All of them purported to have gained their scripture, their underlying truths and mysteries, from ancient sources that pre-dated the organised religions which had traditionally held the reins in terms of the spirituality of individuals. Yes, the Anglo-Saxons first introduced Christianity to Britain, but the churches they built were on top of other, far more ancient and important religious sites! And so a new generation of fat bearded men wearing robes appeared at Stone Henge during summer solstice, their practices supposedly based on other fat bearded men wearing robes who had carried out the same rituals perhaps thousands of years before. People loved a mystery, a contrast to the po-faced conservatism and drudgery that people associated with standing in Chuch on a Sunday morning, it corroborated perfectly with the creation of generation-X - of the power of the individual, the self, in the face of the advancing mistrust (or perhaps fear would be a better word) of science.

And as the counter-culture and alternative religions continued to rise, so to did the literature which fed it, and in turn grew from it. The influence on art was far reaching beyond the literature that directly related to this movement; from music, with the likes of Hawkwind and even Led Zeppelin reducing the drug-addled to befuddlement with other-worldly guitar riffs, to poetry, and of course literature. Fantasy and Science Fiction literature was at the front of this wave - Robert Heinlein, with his aforementioned critique of Christianity in 'Stranger in a Stange Land', Ursula Le Guin in her 'Earthsea' novels, that referenced ancient pagan practices and the nature of power over self, these writers and more were part of the 'New Wave' of fantasy writing in the 60's and 70's which took the genre beyond spandex, space rockets and bug-eyed aliens, to using it as a framework to examining the nature of existence and humanity. To many, this era still encapsulates the 'golden era' of science fiction and fantasy. In relative terms, it is almost certain that Games Workshop, and the creation of its own fantasy worlds, was heavily influencedt by those who had been carried by this new wave.

Amongst these writers was British sci-fi author Michael Moorcock, most famous for his 'Elric the Eternal Champion' and 'The Dancers at the end of time' book series. While writing the former, he apparently doodled the icon below on a kitchen table while coming up with concepts for the book. I think everyone here should be familiar with it!



But what does it mean? Here, from the man himself:

"I drew a straightforward geographical quadrant (which often has arrows, too!) – N, S, E, W – and then added another four directions and that was that – eight arrows representing all possibilities, one arrow representing the single, certain road of Law. I have since been told that it is an "ancient symbol of Chaos" and if it is then it confirms a lot of theories about the race mind ... "

Let's have another picture, Moorcock and Frank Zappa (!) inspired



So, there we have it! It should be noted that Moorcock did not claim to have created the icon himself - Alistair Crowley, renowned British occultist, had produced something similar years before as part of his 'Thoth' (the mythical ancient Egyptian sorceror) tarot card deck, and the diagram itself can be found in ancient Buddhist and Hindu scripture (although with a somewhat different meaning, and the arrows usually replaced by a wheel, with the spokes representing different aspects of existence).

The juxtaposition of this concept into the background of 40k is fairly straightforward; The Imperium, as the straight arrow, and the 'other path', the one of uncertainty and possibility, being the 8-pointed star of Chaos. But what does this 'eightfold path' actually mean? In a word, 'possibility'. if one is to suppose the single line, with its fixed starting position, and known trajectory, could be regarded as 'order', or predictability, then the 8 pointed star of 'chaos' should be regarded as it's mirror. The potential of possibility, of the unknown. That very desire that exists in each of us to want to understand the enigmatic, to gaze inside that Pandora's Box and satisfy that curiosity. But is such a thing good for us? The Imperium would almost certainly say no! The price is your sanity, but what wonders would lie beyond it? Maybe ask some of these guys, they look friendly enough?



But while the early concept of Chaos was very much influenced by the themes of Moorcock and his contemporaries, and the concept of 'Chaos' grew from the outpourings of dissent in a country undergoing the tumultuous events of Thatcherism, that situation was not to last forever. You notice that at this point I have yet to use the terms 'good' or 'evil', and certainly to begin with such concepts were not inherently part of Chaos' remit. There was no 'evil for evils sake', no 'let no good deed go unpunished', the infamous quote from the latest Chaos Codex. instead, perhaps buoyed on by the fact that the Realms of Chaos books weren't really suitable for Children (and to be honest probably confused a large portion of the younger generation coming into the game), instead 'Chaos' began to change. Although, somewhat ironically, into something far more understandable and straightforward

Here is the cover from the old Chaos codex:



Now first of all I would like to say that I think this, like pretty much every Chaos Codex that Games Workshop has done, is a stunning piece of artwork. Those guys in the picture most certainly aren't there for appeasement, and you definitely wouldn't change the channel on Abaddon's TV without asking first! But, it is an interesting example in that it shows how Chaos has changed - gone are the elements of mystery, replaced with something far more tangible - anyone who has ever picked up a comic book, or watched any number of movies, would instantly know that these characters are not the good guys. So, you have the single, straight arrow of the Imperium ('follow us or die'), but in many ways Chaos has simply become a slightly more scary, dirtier and more skull-laden copy of the same thing ('follow us or die'). Certainly, it is not possible to draw the same distinction between them, there is no 'order' and 'disorder'. But is the concept more unsettling, more uncomfortable to read, than those older Realms of Chaos books? Perhaps in the sense of "I don't want to be hit by that chap's chainaxe", but I would argue it does not have the 'psychological horror' elements of the older conception of Chaos.

I will say however that there is not such a clear distinction of what constitutes 'Chaos' within modern 40k background, and there seems to be some difference in interpretation. Consider for instance, how the Word Bearers have been portrayed in the various books that feature them. 'False Gods' goes one step short of giving Erebus a white cat and an underground base in a hollowed out volcano, similarly Anthony Reynolds' books. But, perhaps Aaron Dembski Bowden has got closest to that original concept when he described the ship from 'The First Heretic' entering the Eye of Terror. Quite possibly one of the most nerve-wracking and scintillating sequences in any BL book, I thought it gave the reader a suitable feeling of awe, and also fear about what they were going to experience.

Finally and in any case, I would be interested to know what others think about it. Sorry for the rather long and meandering post. I set out to write some background to Chaos, but it ended up lurching into modern interpretations of it (which, as I hope I have managed to portray, is not really 'chaos' at all). Any comments on how people think Chaos has changed over the years (I've almost certainly left some influences out), would be most welcome.

In the meantime, I recommend to everyone to pick up some Michael Moorcock books, specifically the 'Elric' series if possible! Thanks for reading if you got this far

Actually, the best way would be in between.

Under the Emperor's Imperial Truth, the Imperium was orderly, BUT, the Imperial Truth valued progress and tolerance - in other words change was tolerated as long as society remained stable. However, 40k Imperium is no longer the case. The Imperium is simply put - too orderly. Too much order results in stagnation and decay which the Imperium is undergoing. Too much change, on the other hand, results in anarchy and destruction, as the results of any world under Chaos control shows.

During the Great Crusade, the Imperium walked the middle path. The Imperium maintained order, but did not stagnate thanks to the Imperial Truth's tolerance, which allowed for a gentle pace of change, which kept Mankind progressing, with Chaos and Order balancing each other out. It can be argued this was the Emperor's plan all along, to stabilize Chaos with Order, and 'give life' to Order from Chaos

The oldrons and the current Imperium represent an overdose of order; meaningless immortality and stagnant, overbearing order.

Chaos, represents an overdose of change; no stability, no security, just pure anarchy and chaos.

Pacific wrote:

What in God's name is going on in this picture?

A bloodletter on the left, is trying to resist a fiend of slaanesh, on the right, as it gnaws on his face and tried to stick him with it's scorpionlike tail. Some daemonettes are gathered around it to drink it's daemonic blood whilst some others/mortal servants of slaanesh are marching in the background.

I agree, Chaos is losing meaning. I prefer to view Chaos as the freedom to follow your emotions, damn the consequences. Hell, it's what most of the Traitors Primarchs did.

Horus-Caved into his resentment and frustration.
Magnus-Caved into his ambition and thirst for knowledge.
Fulgrim-Caved into his hedonism and obsessive perfectionism.
Mortarion-Caved into his despair and his need for life.
Angron-Caved into his anger.
Perturabo-Caved into his resentment and frustration.
Lorgar-Caved into his need to worship something.

Konrad Curze is kinda complicated (he's described as having a dual personality and is a tad unhinged) and Alpharius/Omegon's motivate/allegiance is unknown.

It's a watered down version that doesn't focus on the true meaning of what it is to be damned or to embrace damnation.

It is no longer about the destruction of the soul, it's just a skulliifed walk in the park.

It's ok, I much prefer the original twisted version, but for a world that is supposed to be dark, it now seems an awfully rosie life, even the Chaos peons seem to catch a break.

LoneLictor wrote:
Fulgrim-Caved into his hedonism and obsessive perfectionism.

This is how it is now, that and a talking sword. This is what I dislike. The old corruption of Fulgrim was a much more sinister and darker affair, and was what made him my favorite Primarch. This was back when Slaanesh was more than the God of Sex and Drugs ( ).

On the Image, I saw it as a Keeper of Secrets embracing the Fiend and offering a kiss, whilst slowly consuming the Fiend and feeding its followers, the Daemonettes, with it's blood. Stompas right though, it does look more like a Bloodletter. But I think mine is darker

Here's an interesting thought, in regards to Chaos changing.
What if, rather than Chaos itself shifting tone, the artwork representing the CSM simply shows one facet, the Imperial-influenced facet?
I mean, if we look at the shifting and increasing focus on the Chaos Legions as an example, perhaps this tone is more representative of their attitudes.
After all, these guys were once Imperials themselves, and it's likely that a lot of their creed and outlook is still influenced by that, even though they'd probably deny it.
Chaos itself, on the other hand, is as strange, unkowable and uncertain as ever, it's just that it's mortal followers have, in some ways, brought their own ideas with them and created a more rigid structure for their version of Chaos worship.

Really good post, pacific.

IMHO, chaos is getting simplified because w40k is getting simplified, because its own success. Twenty years ago people wrote the background for their own pleasure, trying to create a rich, meaningful contribution at the same level than Moorcock, Lovecraft and many others.

Then it became a big company, and now they write stuff to get people & money in. You don’t do this with deep, rich thoughts. Most people do not want to think when they are playing a game. Making references to weird stuff just scares people out.

It can get worse. If w40k really reach “popular” levels, a lot of dark stuff is going to be left behind. At the present time, GW can not afford much attention from parents, politics or media. Because of the background.

I think the main difference between the old chaos that was all about mystery and possibilities versus the new chaos which is about spiky bad guys is missing the true dichotomy.

The chaos space marines are your typical bad guys there is no denying that. However a lot of their personality comes from their origin. They were once part of the supper organized imperium, and they were space marines, the most ordered of the lot. Hence what came when chaos was introduced was that these hyper ordered individuals were allowed to give into their baser natures for the first time. They had more options than train and kill for the first time in their entire lives. However, when you are a genetically engineered killing machine heavily indoctrinated, you express your new-found freedoms doing what you know. Hence they became the evil bad guys who kill everything because that is tragically the only way they can express themselves properly. The point here though, is that they are not actually chaos. They are space marines that have been seduced by the possibility of chaos.

However, I am inclined to agree that chaos has become less fluid and far more restrictive. Originally there were more gods and each was less domineering. However, the chaos gods roles have become very singularly focused to the almost total exclusion of all other aspects. This is clearly seen in Khorn and Slanesh. Khorn is seen for an unending blood lust and savagery, while he used to be more about honor and combat. Now with Khorn you basically are left with only the bath of maximum bloodshed instead of the multiple baths of honored warrior, psycho killer who takes pride in his kills and the trophies collected from them, mass murderer, swordsman seeking the truest form of his combat art. These were all facets that have steadily been merged into the blood god of pretty much only blood. In the other two gods though, some of that broadness and possibility is still visible. Especially with Tzeech, There they are again often focused done one simple to understand path making them the bad guys based on our perception of good and evil.

Chaos as a concept in the warhammer 40k universe still exists but is often misinterpreted as either being demons or chaos space marines. This misinterpretation is fair as its often how the term is used. However in things like the ork codex where the one warboss flies into the eye of terror, we again get a glimpse of the ability of chaos to have endless possibilities restricted only by imagination. The very brief description of the planets shows a general affiliate with a particular god, but still hold true that those worlds were shaped in the way the planets ruler wanted including having the entire planet being a living entity. Similarly when things like warp travel are discussed one sees another side of chaos and the warp.

Being exposed to the warp the very substance of chaos turns people insane, or they are believe to be at risk of becoming a traitor. In the imperium knowledge of chaos in any way is a closely guarded secret. Most of the people in the imperium know nothing about it they just know the repetition, hammer and order of the imperium. They only know a single choice, a single work a single task and any dissent is brutally crushed. Being allowed to see that there is more to life beyond the task preordained for you by the iron will of the imperium can easily make anyone go mad. Not to mention that suddenly being made aware that your life could be different, is a great motivation for someone to abandon the straight line of the imperial creed. They then form cults and such for protection against the imperium.

in summary, the underlying original essence of chaos still exists, it is just heavily misinterpreted and misrepresented to make it more accessible to all comers.

I think I prefer the old version as you describe it. Though there is this thought: There is no single arrow in the realm of 40k. The Imperium is corrupt, the Tau are weak and the Eldar are dying, the three big Order forces with any impact on the Warp. However, if there was a winner of the Great Game, then the eight pointed arrow would become single pointed due to the dominance of a single god, making Chaos in 40k perhaps more complex.

I miss the old Fulgrim. IMO, the Heresy series should have been done either as a proper series with far longer given to writing the books and a lot of editing, or not done at all. The hit and miss nature of it simplifies Chaos and makes the primarchs look like idiots.

The difference is you have a group of entirely different artists offering their own interpretations of what "Chaos", in the setting of 40K/Fantasy is. Wasn't most of the original b&w art in the Realms of Chaos books done by Greg Hildebrandt? If so... that's a hard act to follow, as an artist.

Really good post. I love the Realms of Chaos books, especially Slaves to Darkness.
@ Psienesis- I don't know if Greg worked on them, but I do know Ian Miller heavily influenced Slaves to Darkness. He did the borders for Slaves to Darkness, though for some reason he didn't have any work in Lost and the Damned. (I believe he was let go inbetween the two books being published, which is too bad)



Pacific has made a lot of really good posts regarding "the good old days" recently, and this thread is no exception. It's true that we're probably never going to see a return to the horrific and psycho nature of unbridled Chaos anytime soon, which is something that I've accepted. Despite that, I will always hold onto that despite numerous people telling me that my knowledge about 40k isn't canon.