Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I noticed that the number 13 seems to have many prominent places in Warhammer 40k

for example

the 13th black Crusade

the Space Wolves 13th company

the 13th penal legion

I'm sure there are more out there

but do you think the number 13 has any significance?

Other than it's widely considered an unlucky number (at least in western culture), I doubt it has any real significance to 40k, they just wanted those things to sound particularly 'bad'.

Probably what wib said...
Though from what i hear the reason that 13 is an unlucky number is stupid so go figure...

There was a 13th founding of Space Marines, too.
Don't think it panned out so well.

Disappearing into warpflames and all.

chromedog wrote:There was a 13th founding of Space Marines, too.
Don't think it panned out so well.

Disappearing into warpflames and all.

I think that was the 21st founding...
No one knows who was a part of the 13th founding...
They could all be dead and no one has made the connection...

13 is alternately considered a lucky number by some. Such as the Ultramarines being the 13th legion.

and there's the Mordant 'lucky' 13's

Yeah, I found it odd that the Ultramarines are the XIII legion. The Ultras are supposed to be based on a Romano/Greek vibe and while the Romans thought odd numbers were lucky, 13 was associated with death.

I have a feeling this has something to do with the 'Imperial Tarot'. If that Tarot is anything like ours, the 13th card is death, but it doesn't necessarily mean physical death. If you look at some meanings below, you'll see many of the interpretations might apply to the fact that the Ultramarines are the Astartes 'remade' into something else. The Codex Astartes was created by their primarch and signified a 'new beginning'. Perhaps the Emperor in his Tarot saw this coming and listed the Ultramarines accordingly.

Ending of a cycle——Loss——Conclusion——Sadness
Transition into a new state——Psychological transformation
Finishing up——Regeneration——Elimination of old patterns
Being caught in the inescapable——Good-byes——Deep change

Uhlan wrote:
Yeah, I found it odd that the Ultramarines are the XIII legion. The Ultras are supposed to be based on a Romano/Greek vibe and while the Romans thought odd numbers were lucky, 13 was associated with death.

I have a feeling this has something to do with the 'Imperial Tarot'. If that Tarot is anything like ours, the 13th card is death, but it doesn't necessarily mean physical death. If you look at some meanings below, you'll see many of the interpretations might apply to the fact that the Ultramarines are the Astartes 'remade' into something else. The Codex Astartes was created by their primarch and signified a 'new beginning'. Perhaps the Emperor in his Tarot saw this coming and listed the Ultramarines accordingly.

Ending of a cycle——Loss——Conclusion——Sadness
Transition into a new state——Psychological transformation
Finishing up——Regeneration——Elimination of old patterns
Being caught in the inescapable——Good-byes——Deep change

I bet BL AND GW are both scribbling that idea into a notebook right now.

Son 0f Dorn wrote:

Uhlan wrote:
Yeah, I found it odd that the Ultramarines are the XIII legion. The Ultras are supposed to be based on a Romano/Greek vibe and while the Romans thought odd numbers were lucky, 13 was associated with death.

I have a feeling this has something to do with the 'Imperial Tarot'. If that Tarot is anything like ours, the 13th card is death, but it doesn't necessarily mean physical death. If you look at some meanings below, you'll see many of the interpretations might apply to the fact that the Ultramarines are the Astartes 'remade' into something else. The Codex Astartes was created by their primarch and signified a 'new beginning'. Perhaps the Emperor in his Tarot saw this coming and listed the Ultramarines accordingly.

Ending of a cycle——Loss——Conclusion——Sadness
Transition into a new state——Psychological transformation
Finishing up——Regeneration——Elimination of old patterns
Being caught in the inescapable——Good-byes——Deep change

I bet BL AND GW are both scribbling that idea into a notebook right now.

Yeah because as cool and thought out as a reason that is I doubt GW thought of that when making the Ultras No. 13.

Son 0f Dorn wrote:

Uhlan wrote:
Yeah, I found it odd that the Ultramarines are the XIII legion. The Ultras are supposed to be based on a Romano/Greek vibe and while the Romans thought odd numbers were lucky, 13 was associated with death.

I have a feeling this has something to do with the 'Imperial Tarot'. If that Tarot is anything like ours, the 13th card is death, but it doesn't necessarily mean physical death. If you look at some meanings below, you'll see many of the interpretations might apply to the fact that the Ultramarines are the Astartes 'remade' into something else. The Codex Astartes was created by their primarch and signified a 'new beginning'. Perhaps the Emperor in his Tarot saw this coming and listed the Ultramarines accordingly.

Ending of a cycle——Loss——Conclusion——Sadness
Transition into a new state——Psychological transformation
Finishing up——Regeneration——Elimination of old patterns
Being caught in the inescapable——Good-byes——Deep change

I bet BL AND GW are both scribbling that idea into a notebook right now.

I hope I didn't have an original idea here, my faith in the BL and GW would just plummet to new depths.

Lol, I would have hoped they knew this already and I'm not just farting in the wind here... I like the 'wheels within wheels' kind of thing that runs rampant in the 40k fluff. It'd be nice if they took it more seriously than they do.

Uhlan wrote:

Son 0f Dorn wrote:

Uhlan wrote:
Yeah, I found it odd that the Ultramarines are the XIII legion. The Ultras are supposed to be based on a Romano/Greek vibe and while the Romans thought odd numbers were lucky, 13 was associated with death.

I have a feeling this has something to do with the 'Imperial Tarot'. If that Tarot is anything like ours, the 13th card is death, but it doesn't necessarily mean physical death. If you look at some meanings below, you'll see many of the interpretations might apply to the fact that the Ultramarines are the Astartes 'remade' into something else. The Codex Astartes was created by their primarch and signified a 'new beginning'. Perhaps the Emperor in his Tarot saw this coming and listed the Ultramarines accordingly.

Ending of a cycle——Loss——Conclusion——Sadness
Transition into a new state——Psychological transformation
Finishing up——Regeneration——Elimination of old patterns
Being caught in the inescapable——Good-byes——Deep change

I bet BL AND GW are both scribbling that idea into a notebook right now.

I hope I didn't have an original idea here, my faith in the BL and GW would just plummet to new depths.

Lol, I would have hoped they knew this already and I'm not just farting in the wind here... I like the 'wheels within wheels' kind of thing that runs rampant in the 40k fluff. It'd be nice if they took it more seriously than they do.

I hope so too, but kudos to you for finding all of that detail Really interesting to see all of the other connotations for it.