Imperial Eagle

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**Skycrawler**

I always thought that GW got the eagle thing from the Albanian flag. Guess i was wrong.

**Andrew1975**

Skycrawler wrote:I always thought that GW got the eagle thing from the Albanian flag. Guess i was wrong.

Nah, the Aquila is everywhere especially eastern Europe, Russia used to use it a lot because they could look at both Europe and Asia.

**Luna Dragon**

Brother Coa wrote:

Really? I heard one more story for they eye. That the eagle head without the eye represent Human past and dark times, and how we should never lookk apon them again. And the other one represent the future and that we should always look brightly into the future.

In the Great Crudsade, this is what it meant.
But now it's changed

**Brother Coa**

Skycrawler wrote:I always thought that GW got the eagle thing from the Albanian flag. Guess i was wrong.

Similar one is on the German flag, one head doug buy go figure...

**Theofilos**

Harriticus wrote:It's a reference by GW to the Byzantine Empire:

Byzantium had that Classical Gothic/Latin feel, was heavily religious, surrounded by enemies, had an Emperor (though one not worshiped as God), that feel of a crumbling civilization that is in a shadow of its golden age, etc.. I think the main influence for the Imperium comes from them.

Tottaly Agree! Thats what first came to my mind when i started playing warhammer 40k. Byzantium. The whole medival times were as dark as those of warhammer 40k. Dont forget that tons of names also refered with the -us at the end that reminds the Byzandium empire that cames historical after Roman Empire. The two headed eagle is also used much in Roman empire of course. Just like names like Sanguinious, Magnus etc... Names with -us ending were really comon in roman empire and its a kind of remaking of ancient Greek names, as long as Roman empire's civilization is influenced tottaly from ancient Greek civilization.
Months thinking of doing an Aquilla tattoo

Really nice informations and fluff about the eyes and the claws guys, havent noticed the claw difference and i didnt know what the eyes difference meant! I really enjoyed that topic to be honest!

**dajobe**

Almost everything about the imperium reminds me of roman history, Great Crusade=Julius Caesar campaigning in gaul, Horus Heresy=3 civil wars of rome, and now the decay of the imperium=fall of roman empire, there are many more similarities, plus all of their names and language remind me of latin(which i took for 6 years)

**Dingdoodah**

Kanluwen wrote:They use a lot of skull motifs because "Only in Death Does Duty End".

Unless you're a space marine dreadnought, because, "even in death, I still serve."

**Coolyo294**

Dingdoodah wrote:
Kanluwen wrote:They use a lot of skull motifs because "Only in Death Does Duty End".

Unless you're a space marine dreadnought, because, "even in death, I still serve."

**dajobe**

tats epic

**cadbren**

The two headed eagle seems to go back to ancient Sumeria (around modern Iraq), some 2000 years before the Byzantine Empire.
It was known as the Storm Bird apparently which is a nice tie in to the Space Marine landing craft.
The Hittites also used the symbol and they probably inspired the Eastern Romans to use it.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
Where did the spiked right foot come from, is that a real aquilla or a made up one? I've never seen the aquilla in any official publication or model looking like that.

**Andrew1975**

The spiked foot is old school. The one in the picture as been around since RT.

**ChrisWWII**

Even in death I still surf.

**cadbren**

Andrew1975 wrote:The spiked foot is old school. The one in the picture as been around since RT.

Okay thanks. I'd seen it once before online but wasn't sure of its origins, it does have a sense of the RT era which was a lot more barbaric in feel.

**dillyx**

He chose it for his pet mutant parrot had 2 heads.