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.

Hey everyone, I was wondering if anyone had any idea what the significance of the Venus symbol was for the sororitas or perhaps sisters of battle specifically.

The icon I refer to can be seen on this battle sister as a charm on her belt.



It's basically a cross between an iron cross and a venus symbol, with a skull in the circle for good measure. What does it mean in 40k context?

The Cross is obviously signifying religion, as they are devout worshipers of The Emperor and part of the Echlesiarcy, the church. The Venus symbol obviously signifies their pride at being an all female organization.

iproxtaco wrote:The Cross is obviously signifying religion, as they are devout worshipers of The Emperor and part of the Echlesiarcy, the church. The Venus symbol obviously signifies their pride at being an all female organization.

I'm looking for something a bit more based in canon than "obviously, xyz symbolism". I am aware that venus symbol = female, iron cross = gothicyness, skull = grimdark.

well, thats it.

It symbolizes religion and being female. What else can/should there be?

My thoughts exactly, there's no significance outside of this, even in 40k.

Isn't that the symbol of one of SoB orders?

Could be, but she's also wearing like 2 Inquisitorial seals, carrying a boltgun and has a jump-pack strapped to her back... but no chainsword or flamer in sight, so... I think the picture just takes some artistic license with various Imperial symbols.

coolyo294 wrote:Isn't that the symbol of one of SoB orders?

That's the kind of information I was hoping there might be, like that it was the symbol of the Adepta Sororitas. I know the Adeptus Ministorum is this symbol:



And I know the that either the Adepta Sororitas or the Sisters of Battle have the Fleur de Lys as a symbol, but I was thinking that the venus symbol might be the symbol of the SoB/Sororitas, since the Sisters of Battle are a subfaction of the sororitas as a whole.

Psienesis wrote:Could be, but she's also wearing like 2 Inquisitorial seals, carrying a boltgun and has a jump-pack strapped to her back... but no chainsword or flamer in sight, so... I think the picture just takes some artistic license with various Imperial symbols.

Yeah, during 3rd edition the sororitas had their identity muddled a little bit when they were retconned to be the ordo militant of the Ordo Hereticus, so they had Inquisitorial symbols going on.
Also her backpack is standard, not jump pack. The picture is 3rd ed canon.

It's the insignia of the Order of Our Martyred Lady.

http://www.oocities.org/w40ksob/orders/mlady.jpg

Also, the SoB never had any inquisitorial symbols. All Imperial Adepta use an "][" which simply stands for "Imperium". The Inquisition has vertical bars through it (like =][=), whereas the Ecclesiarchy puts a haloed skull (like ]o[). The image posted features the Ecclesiarchal symbol in form of a chaplet as well as a general "Imperium-I" with a couple wings on one of the pauldrons.

The SoB remain the Ministorum's military arm, only occasionally filling the role of the Hereticus' Chamber Militant.

This design is the same as during 2E. It never changed, even as 3E introduced the Convention of Nephilim, and with it the Sisters' alliance with the Inquisition.

The I with a skull on it is the official seal of the Inquisition, the triplet of cross-bars is replaced by the six points of the iron crown that encircles the skull.

The double-bars is keyboard shortcuts, because it should be 3, split into 6 by the I itself (Munitorum, Ministorum, Administratum, Arbites, Astartes, Astropathica... and Inquisition).

Psienesis wrote:The I with a skull on it is the official seal of the Inquisition

No, it really isn't. >_>

Here is a pretty good list.

Sisters already had the skull-I since they received their very first miniatures - which were never updated, btw. Way before GW added the connection to the Inquisition.

And whaddayaknow, the Confessor miniature has it, too (see what's dangling from his surplice).



The 3E Codex describes it as Chaplet Ecclesiasticus, by the way.

Well said. If anyone was curious, someone just got fluff served.

Can't view it from here. For some reason, that site is blocked by our firewall at work while this one isn't.

I don't pretend to understand our IT policies or how they go about enforcing them.

Psienesis wrote:Can't view it from here. For some reason, that site is blocked by our firewall at work while this one isn't.

I don't pretend to understand our IT policies or how they go about enforcing them.

Ah, I think he means the other thread where the iconography of the various Imperial adepta were discussed. Let's see if this works:


Ministorum, Administratum, Telepathica, Arbites, ...

There are more symbols, this is just to show that the "I" is a very prevalent symbol you find in every Imperial organization. The Inquisition has it, too, but theirs has three vertical bars as you already mentioned (can be seen on the Grey Knights minis and Deathwatch pauldron bitz - note that SoB pauldrons do not have the bars).

Psienesis wrote:I don't pretend to understand our IT policies or how they go about enforcing them.

I know the feeling.

The OP's pic in question is also one of my favorite images for the SOBs. Right up there with the 4 sisters at the bottom of page 7 in C:WH and Kyrinov's "Can you dig it!?" pic in the 2nd Ed SOB Codex.

Aye, the page 7 image is cool - also because it's one of the only drawings that show what's beneath the leather corset.

My all-time favorite is still the 3E page 10 one with the Celestians and their banner. One of the few pics where they actually have thick-plated armour, making it much easier to understand how they can achieve the same armoured protection as Marines. For some reason, many images just look a tad too medieval with their "millimeter-plating".

Also, that image is just badass.

pretre wrote:and Kyrinov's "Can you dig it!?" pic in the 2nd Ed SOB Codex.

*lol* Can't unsee.

Lynata wrote:It's the insignia of the Order of Our Martyred Lady.

http://www.oocities.org/w40ksob/orders/mlady.jpg

Also, the SoB never had any inquisitorial symbols. All Imperial Adepta use an "][" which simply stands for "Imperium". The Inquisition has vertical bars through it (like =][=), whereas the Ecclesiarchy puts a haloed skull (like ]o[). The image posted features the Ecclesiarchal symbol in form of a chaplet as well as a general "Imperium-I" with a couple wings on one of the pauldrons.

The SoB remain the Ministorum's military arm, only occasionally filling the role of the Hereticus' Chamber Militant.

This design is the same as during 2E. It never changed, even as 3E introduced the Convention of Nephilim, and with it the Sisters' alliance with the Inquisition.

Thanks a ton, this what exactly what I was looking for.

=/

They apparently block the posted images, too... I get the little box with the X in it that indicates Firefox (they make us use a 3-versions-old copy of Firefox here) can't load the image.

I'll wait til I get home, thanks for trying though.

Yep... still an empty box. Seriously, our PCs here make the Imperium look high-tech by comparison... we basically have an abacus with a steam-engine.

If its any help, the I symbol was originally the personal seal of Malcador the Sigilite and those who carried it spoke with his authority.

after his death, the I survived in various forms as a symbol of office for various Imperial organizations.

the Inquisition alone has the original design as its symbol. all the others are variations.

Cool beans... had not seen that list of the icons and their associated organizations before... or, at least, had seen it and forgotten it existed (years into a hobby this fluff-heavy will do that). Most recently, I'd only seen them (individually) in the various DH books, which, being focused on the Inquisition, led me to believe it was an Inquisitorial seal.

Psienesis wrote:years into a hobby this fluff-heavy will do that

Indeed, I know what you mean.

@Malcador: Is it certain that he had an "inquisitorial" I, and not just the basic version (i.e. an "I" without anything or something like that)? It sounds weird that all Imperial adepta would use variations of the Inquisition's sigil. On the other hand, I guess one could say that this simply means the Inquisition speaks with Malcador's authority?

^ This is one area where I know very little, I'm focusing most of my research on IG and SoB ... so if anyone could throw in some more info I'd be grateful! :3

all I know is that malcador's seal is described as "a stylized I"


I assume it was describing this

The Emperor's own signature is described, in one of the Enforcer novels, as being the capital letter I, with a central cross-beam, with an angular down-stroke connecting the right end of the cross-piece with the left-most bit of the bottom serif.

I guess kinda like an "I" with a lower-case "z" superimposed on it. Supposedly it stood for "Imperator", the Latin root-word that became "Emperor".