why did the roman imperial eagle have 2 heads?

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**Kid_Kyoto**

The Space Empire eagle has 2 heads because the roman eagle did. The same eagle is still on the albanian flag which shows the persistance of some ideas.

So why did the roman eagle have 2 heads?

**lord_sutekh**

Actually, the Roman aquila was single-headed; the first mention of a double-headed eagle in the West dates from 1250 in a roll of arms of Matthew Paris for Emperor Frederick II. The Turks used it before that.

(some direct quotes from Wikipedia)

**the_trooper**

I wonder if GW was being clever with the Emperor being from what is now Turkey.

**stecal**

It was the symbol of the Holy Roman Empire looking both east & west to represent the recombination of the Roman Empire after it split into 2 halves in the 5-6th Century AD. Eventually the Russian Romanovs adopted the mantle of the HRH and used the double eagle too.

**stecal**

The Turks stole the symbol from the Byzantine Empire when they conquered it (previously the Eastern Roman Empire)

**Kid_Kyoto**

Posted By stecal on 10/12/2006 6:59 AM
It was the symbol of the Holy Roman Empire looking both east & west to represent the recombination of the Roman Empire after it split into 2 halves in the 5-6th Century AD. Eventually the Russian Romanovs adopted the mantle of the HRH and used the double eagle too.

xie xie ni!

**lord_sutekh**

Holy Roman Empire = early Germany; it was neither holy (that being the realm of the Holy See in Rome, with the Vatican being its own state) nor Roman (being neither based in Rome nor based on Roman values).

**Kid_Kyoto**

Posted By lord_sutekh on 10/12/2006 7:22 PM
Holy Roman Empire = early Germany; it was neither holy (that being the realm of the Holy See in Rome, with the Vatican being its own state) nor Roman (being neither based in Rome nor based on Roman values).

Nor an empire (it was disunited).

**Sgt.Roadkill**

and only lasted 80 years b4 it became like the firs eu, just became catholic organisatin rather than an empire.

**Schepp himself**

Maybe my history knowledge is shady, but doesn't the double headed eagle represent the dual ruleship of a king and an emperor?
The austrian heraldry has the same double headed eagle and they had a king and an emperor (König und Kaiser-Monarchie in German).

Dunno, why is it also found in the old world. the emperor seems pretty mono-ruling to me...

Greets
Schepp himself

**newpaintbrush**

Naw naw! The GW Imperial eagle represents a lot of different things. Like the wings represent the Imperial Navy, and one head represeents the Ecclesiarchy . . . or whatever. Look around, I can't remember the details. But I remember hearing that one of the eagle heads has no eye because it represents the blind Astropaths. (edit Navis Nobilite . .. or was that it . . . argh, rusty brain)

**The Crawling Chaos**

It's simple numerology. The Imperial two headed eagle is a brain-child of the Emperor. And of course the Emperor's Children worship Slaanesh. The sacred number of Slaanesh is six. With an extra head the Imperial eagle has six appendages- two feet, two arms, two heads. Six for the sex god!

**Kid_Kyoto**

Posted By newpaintbrush on 11/10/2006 9:00 PM
Naw naw! The GW Imperial eagle represents a lot of different things. Like the wings represent the Imperial Navy, and one head represeents the Ecclesiarchy . . . or whatever. Look around, I can't remember the details. But I remember hearing that one of the eagle heads has no eye because it represents the blind Astropaths. (edit Navis Nobilite . .. or was that it . . . argh, rusty brain)

yeah but in real life it was a roman (apparently Holy roman Empire) symbol used by everyone from the modern Albanian flag to Nazi germany.

**Green Angel**

Posted By lord_sutekh on 10/12/2006 7:22 PM
Holy Roman Empire = early Germany; it was neither holy (that being the realm of the Holy See in Rome, with the Vatican being its own state) nor Roman (being neither based in Rome nor based on Roman values).

Though originally the Holy Roman Empire started in France, and the territory included much of Germany. But as the Frankish lands became divided, the title passed to the heirs who ruled in the east and not the west.

It was actually somewhat "holy" in that they nominally fought for Christianity and were sanctioned by the Church. If not for those beliefs, Europe would have been conquered what, 1200 years earlier by the peoples of the middle east.

**Kikkoman**

Posted By Green Angel on 11/13/2006 10:19 PM

Posted By lord_sutekh on 10/12/2006 7:22 PM
Holy Roman Empire = early Germany; it was neither holy (that being the realm of the Holy See in Rome, with the Vatican being its own state) nor Roman (being neither based in Rome nor based on Roman values).

It was actually somewhat "holy" in that they nominally fought for Christianity and were sanctioned by the Church. If not for those beliefs, Europe would have been conquered what, 1200 years earlier by the peoples of the middle east.

that sorta already happened, with Christianity replacing the indigenous european religions.

**Kid_Kyoto**

Posted By Kikkoman on 11/14/2006 2:31 PM

Posted By Green Angel on 11/13/2006 10:19 PM

Posted By lord_sutekh on 10/12/2006 7:22 PM
Holy Roman Empire = early Germany; it was neither holy (that being the realm of the Holy See in Rome, with the Vatican being its own state) nor Roman (being neither based in Rome nor based on Roman values).

It was actually somewhat "holy" in that they nominally fought for Christianity and were sanctioned by the Church. If not for those beliefs, Europe would have been conquered what, 1200 years earlier by the peoples of the middle east.

that sorta already happened, with Christianity replacing the indigenous european religions.

That's an interesting way of looking at it.

Of course the Italians didn't adapt anything, they just changed the names on the statues and carried on like they always had.

**jlmb_123**

It's a Classical road safety advert. Look both ways before you cross!

**malfred**

Posted By The Crawling Chaos on 11/10/2006 10:17 PM
It's simple numerology. The Imperial two headed eagle is a brain-child of the Emperor. And of course the Emperor's Children worship Slaanesh. The sacred number of Slaanesh is six. With an extra head the Imperial eagle has six appendages- two feet, two arms, two heads. Six for the sex god!

Bah! Extra limbs and not a single tentacle in sight!

**happypants**

Because two heads are better than one!

ba dum ching

**Vero**

In the Horus Heresy they explain the Imperial Eagles double heads comes from the alliance between Terra and the Mars Mechanichum. Before the alliance, the Emporer's sign was a singled headed eagle, to symbolic of the power, elegance and rarity of a real eagle (probably extinct in 31m.).

And only the Emporer's Children were allowed to bear the crest on their chest plates before the heresy.