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Simple, i can understand the NESW of the star but what what are the the other four? Maybe there's no proper canon answer but i'd love to hear some theories. I guess it does look cool for starters.
Thanks for any replies!

It's the Chaos-star, so it's supposed to look like it.

There are eight levels of hell obtainable by humans.

Because that's what it looked like when Michael Moorcock invented it, and GW just ripped him off. Pretty sure the symbol itself just started as a doodle.

The arrows point in all directions, which I think is meant to represent all possibilities. Which is representative of pure Chaos itself; formless and ever expansive.

TheDiscoSpider wrote:The arrows point in all directions, which I think is meant to represent all possibilities. Which is representative of pure Chaos itself; formless and ever expansive.

ashrog wrote:Because that's what it looked like when Michael Moorcock invented it, and GW just ripped him off. Pretty sure the symbol itself just started as a doodle.

Yep and yep. And in case you didn't know Michael Moorcock, he is a fantasy author best known for his Elric series, which deals with a multiverse fought over by order versus chaos. Elric is a rather untypical anti-hero (not in the way a hobbit is, more in the way a sickly prince with debatable morals is) and order vs. chaos is interestingly not analogous to good vs. evil. Quite worth the read.

Because Terry Pratchett.

 Skylifter wrote:
Yep and yep. And in case you didn't know Michael Moorcock, he is a fantasy author best known for his Elric series, which deals with a multiverse fought over by order versus chaos. Elric is a rather untypical anti-hero (not in the way a hobbit is, more in the way a sickly prince with debatable morals is) and order vs. chaos is interestingly not analogous to good vs. evil. Quite worth the read.

I always wondered about the OP's question myself, by the sounds of things these books sound like a very good read and right up my particular field of interest. I'll definetly be taking a look.

Not to hijack this from the OP but the other thing I've wondered since the release of the HH series is during many of Angrons segments in novels and audio novels, they specifically mention 'The Eigthfold Path' I always assumed this was Chaos due to the 8 pointed star etc, but does this tie in with Khorne at all, as his sacred number was also 8. Probably just a que-winky-dinky but I thought I'd ask as it's always bugged me.

That's a weird thing to associate with Angron/Khorne, as IRL it's the name of the journey to enlightenment in Buddhism. Kind of exactly the opposite.

 Popenfresh wrote:
Because Terry Pratchett.

So saying the number that comes after seven but before nine will summon a tzeenchian daemon?

 Popenfresh wrote:
Because Terry Pratchett.

Since Pratchett's Discworld started in 1983 as a parody of the sort of 'serious' fantasy Moorcock wrote in the early 60s, it's not surprising that he uses 8 as the 'number of magic' as well. GW just used the same reference point.

There was an awful lot in early WHFB and 40k that was borrowed from Moorcock (with liberal doses of Heinlein and Herbert in 40k's case)...

Because the core of Fantasy/40K was ripped from Michael Moorcock.

 Rysaer wrote:
I always wondered about the OP's question myself, by the sounds of things these books sound like a very good read and right up my particular field of interest. I'll definetly be taking a look.

Elric isn't bad but I prefer the Castle Brass/Hawkmoon books. Might just be because I read those ones first. I would advise you not to read some of his more... psychoanalytical books unless well and truly stoned as otherwise you will give yourself a brain aneurysm. And don't read any of his books if you like female characters to be strong and independent

Bludbaff wrote:
That's a weird thing to associate with Angron/Khorne, as IRL it's the name of the journey to enlightenment in Buddhism. Kind of exactly the opposite.

Is it weird? Or is it maybe actually quite fitting? I know we're going off topic completely now, but Khorne isn't just the god of war, he is also the god of giving up one's self and becoming one with a higher purpose. His champions are said to have completely white eyes with no iris to signify that they have stopped judging what is right or wrong. Yes, it is very strange to compare buddhism to a fictional religion that is based on bloodshed, but there are similarities.

So, back on topic, yes, GW "robbed" quite a few people's ideas, but that was nothing uncommon in the period when WHFB and Rogue Trader were created. Basically every kind of fantasy game was based on some collection of stories, most included Tolkien, Moorcock, Lovecraft, Howard and/or similar authors amongst their sources. So I wouldn't judge GW on that, they did a fine job of creating something new, after all, even if it was inspired by others, too.

It's sort of odd that I'm pointing my guns at a good guy like Perkustin, but I'm of the meaning that the originator of a thread should have a few tid-bits himself, and not just sit back and enjoy.

Ah the age old argument, which part of the genre 'ripped off' some other part of a genre.

Its a parody of bhudism, they follow the eight fold path following the four noble truths, 40k just tweaked it a little bit

No it isn't, the eightfold path thing is a recent addition by ADB. Originally, the symbol was used simply because Moorcock used it for his Chaos gods, which they transferred over to Fantasy, which got imported to 40K.

I read somewhere that its supposed to represent the freedom to chose from many different paths.

The most likely source is in fact Tarot.

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Reds8n

http://www.angelpaths.com/wands/wands8.html

That's a bs qabala website, it's about as relevant/accurate as the Church of Scientology. Keep digging that hole.

What do you think a bunch of Brit gaming nerds used for inspiration? The books of Michael Moorcock, that deal with the same fantasy archetypes as their game, at the height of those books' popularity? Or an obscure doodle from a made up system of magic practiced by fat Amrican hippy chicks?

As others have GW took it from Moorcock for chaos, but the 8 point star has been around for most of recorded history. It is found in ancient astrology, Babylonian cults, etc etc.

Those were actual 8-pointed stars, not 4 rods with arrows.

 TheDiscoSpider wrote:
The arrows point in all directions, which I think is meant to represent all possibilities. Which is representative of pure Chaos itself; formless and ever expansive.

Pretty much this. I'm not saying it was an original Games Workshop idea, but I think that this was the idea behind marrying 'eight-pointed star' with 'mystical forces of Chaos,' regardless of who did it first, last, or better.

http://rarelyknown.org/2010/11/28/8-fascinating-symbols/

 TheDiscoSpider wrote:
The arrows point in all directions, which I think is meant to represent all possibilities. Which is representative of pure Chaos itself; formless and ever expansive.

This right here. It does, indeed, originate with Moorecock.

The symbol of Chaos is the eight-rayed star, representing the limitless possibilities of Chaos.

The symbol of Law is a single, upward pointing arrow, defining the singular direction (to stasis) that the forces of Order represent.

The eight winds of magic in warhammer, just got transplant to 40k along with all the other chaos stuff, of course the 8 winds is just a justification for stealing the symbols as previously said.

text removed.

Reds8n

 Psienesis wrote:

 TheDiscoSpider wrote:
The arrows point in all directions, which I think is meant to represent all possibilities. Which is representative of pure Chaos itself; formless and ever expansive.

This right here. It does, indeed, originate with Moorecock.

The symbol of Chaos is the eight-rayed star, representing the limitless possibilities of Chaos.

The symbol of Law is a single, upward pointing arrow, defining the singular direction (to stasis) that the forces of Order represent.

I never knew that was the symbol for law. Its basically the SM tac squad symbol.