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I'm not a chaos player but I had this thought who named the chaos gods? did they name themselves? did their worshipers name them? can some one tell me. do they have a meaning out side of WH40k or WHFB?

The gods either named themselves and the name passed down to their worshippers or they where named by the Old Ones (the 40k and Fantasy ones respectivly). The gods also have multiple names and I know entymologically the names are taken from differant real world gods, except for Khorne I'm not sure what he comes from.

They all have a million names and aspects, so who knows? there are more chaos gods out there then stars, so perhaps they held a vote or a contest to see who could piss the 4 big ones off?

Im pretty sure all the gods have atleast half a dozen names each so im not entirely sure. Im pretty sure either the old ones, eldar or possibly fantasy chaos. Good question.

My guess would be the followers since the gods have many names

Does anyone know which real-life gods they are based on? i'm not as well read up on deamon fluff but its always nice to know the origins of stuff like this.

I've wondered about the gods being named.

Correct me here if I am wrong:

A Daemons power comes from its name. Knowing a daemons name makes it easier to kill or bind does it not?

Now, does ascendance to god status remove this weakness or do the 4 have secret names which could be their undoing?

OT: As for where they go their names - I'd imagine it's in much the same way that the C'tan got their names, through the cultural, religious and superstitious belief systems of different races and societies. We have a bunch of names for our various deities: Where did they come from?

I seem to remember in first heratic there were 4 names mentioned that sounded a lot like the 4 gods. I dont have the book with me but it was on cadia on rock paintings or something

I think those guys were Cholchisians who went on the first Pilgrimage

That's the one! Strangely similar names

obsidianaura wrote:That's the one! Strangely similar names

I thought the same thing, not sure what relevance it will have if any.

Just had a thought, what if Cholchisian is derived from the language of Chaos? Perhaps that's why the language of Cholchisian and Cadia was so similar and why the names of the first four pilgrims share their names with the big four?

I'm sure you're right. Makes me think that the planet Colchis had something to do with Chaos before humanity got there, maybe influencing them over time and eventually leading to the pilgrims heading for Cadia.

obsidianaura wrote:I'm sure you're right. Makes me think that the planet Colchis had something to do with Chaos before humanity got there, maybe influencing them over time and eventually leading to the pilgrims heading for Cadia.

Would be a good reason to make Lorgar, the true son of Chaos, land there.

The plot thickens

Garviel wrote:Does anyone know which real-life gods they are based on? i'm not as well read up on deamon fluff but its always nice to know the origins of stuff like this.

Nurgle = Nergal, Babylonian god of war and pestilence.
Tzeentch = Trickster archetype as demonstrated by Loki, the Raven god and others
Khorne = Berserk warrior archetype as demonstrated by Ares and Mars
Slaanesh = Dionysus or Bacchus in his role of ritual ecstacy and madness. There are also clear links Goddesses of erotic love.

Many human religions contain the same archetypes of gods, probably reflecting the basic concerns of the human psyche -- Trickster, Berserker Warrior, Wise Warrior, Hunter/Huntress, Mother, and so on.

We also see syncretism between gods, which happens when later generations merge and adapt them. The Judaeo-Christian-Islamic tradition has mostly adapted the older gods to be demons.

Who named the Chaos Gods?


Games Workshop. hehe.

Actually the names themselves consist of different part (probably from someone langauge like latin or some such thing however i do not know) In one the Realm of Chaos books it tells you all about it i believe i read it first in the los t and the damned, and don't worry you don't have to buy them to read them just go to like scribd or google Realm of Chaos pdf download

Nightwalker wrote:Actually the names themselves consist of different part (probably from someone langauge like latin or some such thing however i do not know) In one the Realm of Chaos books it tells you all about it i believe i read it first in the los t and the damned,

Yeah, this is where I made the Colchis - Language of Chaos connection.

obsidianaura wrote:I seem to remember in first heratic there were 4 names mentioned that sounded a lot like the 4 gods. I dont have the book with me but it was on cadia on rock paintings or something

Got the impression that they were pre Age of Strife avatars, basically, of the Chaos gods... but I wonder too if they weren't the beings who gave thought and direction (name) to otherwise emotional pools of mortal impulse in the warp... AKA who/what gave the Chaos gods their identity.

Pilau Rice wrote:Yeah, this is where I made the Colchis - Language of Chaos connection.

Really? It wasn't when it was specifically spelled out in the book that both Colchisian and Cadian (of the savage tribes that were destroyed) had roots in the Primordial Language?

Who named the Chaos Gods?

Well, the only being more powerful than them four... Chuck Norris.

I know that Khorne is Khorne because his name in the warp is Kharnath...

Also, in the first Heretic, it said there were four pilgrims (unsure of exact names) who went into the eye, and their names were almost exactly the same as those of each chaos god so maybe that's how humanity decided to name them...

Either way, pretty sure GW writers named them.

Khrone could have first appeared to his followers in the immaterium in the form of a blood red corn ear ......I have no clue.

Omegus wrote:

Pilau Rice wrote:Yeah, this is where I made the Colchis - Language of Chaos connection.

Really? It wasn't when it was specifically spelled out in the book that both Colchisian and Cadian (of the savage tribes that were destroyed) had roots in the Primordial Language?

Yes really. It was reading Slaves to Darkness and then remembering why Sol Tagron could understand it and the Custodes could not.

But that would have been a dead give away too Will have to go and read that section again.

So it does look as if Chaos had a plan involving Colchis from the start ...

As I recall, there was some fluff for the fantasy stuff that stated that most followers of Chaos don't know the God's true names, and thus call them things like Kharnath, Nurglitch and the like. Only those chosen by the Gods were allowed to learn their true names.
I have to say, I don't know if this applies to the 40K universe, though, although the cultists in many BL novels do seem reluctant to name the Gods outright.

Pilau Rice wrote:

Omegus wrote:

Pilau Rice wrote:Yeah, this is where I made the Colchis - Language of Chaos connection.

Really? It wasn't when it was specifically spelled out in the book that both Colchisian and Cadian (of the savage tribes that were destroyed) had roots in the Primordial Language?

Yes really. It was reading Slaves to Darkness and then remembering why Sol Tagron could understand it and the Custodes could not.

But that would have been a dead give away too Will have to go and read that section again.

So it does look as if Chaos had a plan involving Colchis from the start ...

TZEENTCH! JUST AS PLANNED!

No really, it's in the book that they had a plan for Lorgar at least, putting him down on Colchis because it was a planet of faith. Never was the phrase "Just as planned" been more appropriate.

Well we know they have many names.

But I say the names we hear probably comes from when mortals hear daemons whispering to them that's probably the name he can hear in English in the noise of all the Warp screams.

I think the named themselves. Doesn't it cause pain to Imperial psykers to hear them? The titles like She Who Thirsts were probably given to them by the Eldar and others.

iproxtaco wrote:No really, it's in the book that they had a plan for Lorgar at least, putting him down on Colchis because it was a planet of faith. Never was the phrase "Just as planned" been more appropriate.

I guess then, that it is a possibility that all the Primarchs were placed on their respective planets for a reason. I know we have the dream sequence where we see the traitors and the Lion, but what of the loyalist ones? Were they laid to rest by Chaos too or were they not concerned with them?

If the War is all time and no time then the Chaos Gods would probably have known which ones would turn traitor and which would remain loyal. The Lion being a bit of an iffy Primarch.

Khorne was named after the all-powerful Old World vegetable endorsed by a rare Green Giant. Numerous references are made to the Corn Blight of 2433, where millions were mercilessly slaughtered by the Cornate legions; and who can forget the bloody crusades of the Cornate Empire that carved a path of war around the solar system during 5569-5590 before finally coming to rest on Pluto, where they remain beneath the surface awaiting a time when they can rise up once more to finish their quest for galactic domination.