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Doing some research I came across a reference to GW being inspired by Lionel Johnson, an english poet to create the Dark Angels

He wrote the following poem 'The Dark Angel' seen as his finest work.

Dark Angel, with thine aching lust
To rid the world of penitence:
Malicious Angel, who still dost
My soul such subtile violence!

Because of thee, no thought, no thing,
Abides for me undesecrate:
Dark Angel, ever on the wing,
Who never reachest me too late!

When music sounds, then changest thou
Its silvery to a sultry fire:
Nor will thine envious heart allow
Delight untortured by desire.

Through thee, the gracious Muses turn,
To Furies, O mine Enemy!
And all the things of beauty burn
With flames of evil ecstasy.

Because of thee, the land of dreams
Becomes a gathering place of fears:
Until tormented slumber seems
One vehemence of useless tears.

When sunlight glows upon the flowers,
Or ripples down the dancing sea:
Thou, with thy troop of passionate powers,
Beleaguerest, bewilderest, me.

Within the breath of autumn woods,
Within the winter silences:
Thy venomous spirit stirs and broods,
O Master of impieties!

The ardour of red flame is thine,
And thine the steely soul of ice:
Thou poisonest the fair design
Of nature, with unfair device.

Apples of ashes, golden bright;
Waters of bitterness, how sweet!
O banquet of a foul delight,
Prepared by thee, dark Paraclete!

Thou art the whisper in the gloom,
The hinting tone, the haunting laugh:
Thou art the adorner of my tomb,
The minstrel of mine epitaph.

I fight thee, in the Holy Name!
Yet, what thou dost, is what God saith:
Tempter! should I escape thy flame,
Thou wilt have helped my soul from Death:

The second Death, that never dies,
That cannot die, when time is dead:
Live Death, wherein the lost soul cries,
Eternally uncomforted.

Dark Angel, with thine aching lust!
Of two defeats, of two despairs:
Less dread, a change to drifting dust,
Than thine eternity of cares.

Do what thou wilt, thou shalt not so,
Dark Angel! triumph over me:
Lonely, unto the Lone I go;
Divine, to the Divinity.

Lionel Johnson

He struggled with Alcoholism, repressed homosexuality (eventually turning agaisnt his frind Oscar Wilde) and ultimately converted to Catholiscim.

Not a bad bit of inspiration for GW.


I'm going through some names from RT era to present to dig out any other references which are as interesting.

You may be disappointed when it comes to Space Wolves.

Hmm, it's been a long time since I first read this poem. I think I got a lot more out of it this time. I guess my tastes are maturing. Can't be having that.

htj wrote:You may be disappointed when it comes to Space Wolves.

Thats why I'm looking back through the history as GW's earlier satuff had a lot more references, some good, some bad, some just okay.

I think GW have done okay with the Wolves background, their influences do not have the wow factor for me anyway.

The Dark Angels' old "secret" was that they were gay, hence being named after a poem about repressed homosexuality by Lionel Johnson, himself repressed. No idea where the native American theme came from.

The Dark Angels' great secret was changed to half of them going over to Chaos after Rogue Trader. Fits the fluff more after things stopped being so silly, and is better for political correctness' sake.

Mr. Burning wrote:

htj wrote:You may be disappointed when it comes to Space Wolves.

Thats why I'm looking back through the history as GW's earlier satuff had a lot more references, some good, some bad, some just okay.

I think GW have done okay with the Wolves background, their influences do not have the wow factor for me anyway.

Well, I hope you find some more cool stuff! I look forward to hearing about it if you do. I've often wondered whether they planned the Dark Angels after the poem, or whether they named the Primarch after the poet having already come up with the name 'Dark Angels' for a chapter.

Brother SRM wrote:The Dark Angels' old "secret" was that they were gay, hence being named after a poem about repressed homosexuality by Lionel Johnson, himself repressed. No idea where the native American theme came from.

The Dark Angels' great secret was changed to half of them going over to Chaos after Rogue Trader. Fits the fluff more after things stopped being so silly, and is better for political correctness' sake.

Contextually the poem fits Johnsons tate of mind.

GW must have found the poem apt to gain inspiration for a chapter who is seeking redemption/attonement for past sins and the continued lure of Chaos.

Yeah, the Poem was what inspired the quest for redemption thing the DA have going on.

the Gay line got dropped very quickly(this game is played by little kids) the current gay joke GW has going on is the Rainbow Warrior chapter(Homeworld of Prisim's records, and all associated with the chapter, have been deleted.)

The Native American theme is where the Ravenwing came from. a force of fast and furious warriors mounted on proverbial horses. thats about the extent of the influence.

Grey Templar wrote:The Native American theme is where the Ravenwing came from. a force of fast and furious warriors mounted on proverbial horses. thats about the extent of the influence.

The Deathwing also has Native American influences. The reason for their white armor is it was part a death ritual when they cleansed their (at the time) primary recruiting world (known as the plains world) from genestealers. The plains world definitely had Native American influences with a tribal system and recruit names like Cloud Runner and Lame Bear.

But a majority of the influences are from medieval knightly orders and monasticism orders.

Perhaps Lion had gay relationships when he was young and was forever shamed by it. I wonder if the emperor was against gay marriage.

The native American thing came solely from Bill King's Deathwing story from about 1990, which was, for many a year, the only detailed source for the Dark Angels' background. It's a shame the story has since been rendered effectively non-canonical (or a best reduced to marginal note) since it's rather a well-crafted piece of short fiction; arguably it's vastly superior to any of the Dark Angels' subsequent fiction.