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I have heard lots of strange theories on how the Tau came to exist ranging from, a genetically engineered ant-chaos race made by the Elder/Old Ones/Necrons, that they were created by the elder gods to help defeat chaos (the warp storm that protected them being made by the laughing god), to being descendents of the necrotier. I would like to nkow what Dakka has hears, and where you guys think they came from.

You pretty much listed all of them.

Genetic experiment by the Emperor to make a race that he could count on to expand without having to worry about turning Chaos. He sent one of the Primarchs the 2nd a powerful psychic to bring them under his reign, however the Primarch rebelled and when faced with execution sacrifices himself splitting his essence into the various Ethereals and shrouding the area in a massive warp storm.

That's my own fluff contradicting completely without merit fan theory.

A species of plains-dwelling herbivores that got lucky with a Warp Storm event that gave them many tens of thousands of years of civilized development while only a fraction of that time passed to the rest of the galaxy.

Given that they have dealt with the worst of their internecine rivalries during that time and become Space Socialists, they're now expanding into the galaxy at large, bringing with them the Blue (Red) Menace.

No one else was involved, no genetic reconstruction by different races, no Emperor meddling, no Necrontyr, Eldar, whatever involved. None of that. Completely developed on their own as a result of their fortunate circumstances and stable biology.

Yes, probably just because they were tucked away out of sight in their own little corner of the Galaxy hoping no one would notice them.... and no one did till they were space faring

It's not the origins of the tau that is mysterious, it's the origins of the ethreals that just appeared and saved the tau from themselves

pretty good one

Ha ha, I like that picture.

Psienisis' explanation is spot-on. I much prefer the official story to the conspiracy theories.

Just to be clear, these are just weird theories that I have heard people spout, not my opinion. I have always personally thought that they developed naturally, but had a higher rate of cell mutation (evolution), which allowed them to separate into the different castes. They probably have no psykers because of the warp storm (all tau with power would probably go insane). The rapid advancement was because they all worked together, without personal goals, allowing the combined empire to advance faster. I mean, just imagine what we could achieve if all the humans worked together for a common goal, with no thought of personal glory. Ethereals are pretty mysterious however, having a sway over people, with no known powers, psychic or otherwise.

 Psienesis wrote:
A species of plains-dwelling herbivores that got lucky with a Warp Storm event that gave them many tens of thousands of years of civilized development while only a fraction of that time passed to the rest of the galaxy.

Given that they have dealt with the worst of their internecine rivalries during that time and become Space Socialists, they're now expanding into the galaxy at large, bringing with them the Blue (Red) Menace.

No one else was involved, no genetic reconstruction by different races, no Emperor meddling, no Necrontyr, Eldar, whatever involved. None of that. Completely developed on their own as a result of their fortunate circumstances and stable biology.

Wait, so the fluff in the first Tau codex about strange lights and such before the coming of the Ethereals has been retconned?

 Medium of Death wrote:

 Psienesis wrote:
A species of plains-dwelling herbivores that got lucky with a Warp Storm event that gave them many tens of thousands of years of civilized development while only a fraction of that time passed to the rest of the galaxy.

Given that they have dealt with the worst of their internecine rivalries during that time and become Space Socialists, they're now expanding into the galaxy at large, bringing with them the Blue (Red) Menace.

No one else was involved, no genetic reconstruction by different races, no Emperor meddling, no Necrontyr, Eldar, whatever involved. None of that. Completely developed on their own as a result of their fortunate circumstances and stable biology.

Wait, so the fluff in the first Tau codex about strange lights and such before the coming of the Ethereals has been retconned?

He didn't say anything about no lights before ethereals. He said that an external influence can't be accredited with the unity and rise of the Tau. Yet, anyway.

The appearance of the lights and ethereals is still a mystery and where the conspiracies are rooted. It is also still official canon, but we are led to believe that caste is a natural evolution.

I personally think a rogue trader stopped on the Tau planet a few millenia ago and felt the need to do the "discovery channel" with one of the creatures and so the Tau were created

For what's worth in The Outer Reach the Necrons see the handiwork of the Old Ones' progeny in the Tau.

They come from the pool of horrid ideas that GW seems to have laying around their HQ. Or some other dark and desolate place in the underworld

All I know for certain is any ideas about them being related in a friendly way to necrons can be dropped. In the tyranid codex the necrons slaughter an entire planet of tau after killing the nids invading it. Unfortunately I no longer have the codex so I can't tell anyone where it is in the book.

 Trondheim wrote:
They come from the pool of horrid ideas that GW seems to have laying around their HQ. Or some other dark and desolate place in the underworld

In that case, Tau are proof that somewhere in that dark and desolate underworld-below-GW place there must be a vault full of Anime Mecha DVD's.

 Psienesis wrote:
A species of plains-dwelling herbivores that got lucky with a Warp Storm event that gave them many tens of thousands of years of civilized development while only a fraction of that time passed to the rest of the galaxy.

Given that they have dealt with the worst of their internecine rivalries during that time and become Space Socialists, they're now expanding into the galaxy at large, bringing with them the Blue (Red) Menace.

No one else was involved, no genetic reconstruction by different races, no Emperor meddling, no Necrontyr, Eldar, whatever involved. None of that. Completely developed on their own as a result of their fortunate circumstances and stable biology.

I second this it makes the most sense. Though when it comes to the Ethereals and the strange lights i like my own theory better than the Eldar making the Ethereals and that is the Ethereals were tau who were disparate to save their race and made a deal with Tzeench and the strange lights were him giving the ethereals the power to save and control their race. So to me this explains why farsight believes the Ethereals know about chaos. Now let tau fan rage begin.

p.s. did this on my phone so there could be some mistakes.

 Gunhead1 wrote:

 Psienesis wrote:
A species of plains-dwelling herbivores that got lucky with a Warp Storm event that gave them many tens of thousands of years of civilized development while only a fraction of that time passed to the rest of the galaxy.

Given that they have dealt with the worst of their internecine rivalries during that time and become Space Socialists, they're now expanding into the galaxy at large, bringing with them the Blue (Red) Menace.

No one else was involved, no genetic reconstruction by different races, no Emperor meddling, no Necrontyr, Eldar, whatever involved. None of that. Completely developed on their own as a result of their fortunate circumstances and stable biology.

I second this it makes the most sense. Though when it comes to the Ethereals and the strange lights i like my own theory better than the Eldar making the Ethereals and that is the Ethereals were tau who were disparate to save their race and made a deal with Tzeench and the strange lights were him giving the ethereals the power to save and control their race. So to me this explains why farsight believes the Ethereals know about chaos. Now let tau fan rage begin.

p.s. did this on my phone so there could be some mistakes.

I prefer to think that it was Eldrad.

It could also simply be a creation myth and didn't really happen like that. Just some wise Tau, sitting around under a tree, being all Buddha-like looked at each other and said "You know, we got a lot of people here who seem to be really intent on burying their hooves in their neighbors' faces. What if.... and I'm just spitballing here..... what if we got these people together and did something constructive with all that energy?"

And the rest of these wise Tau, who would become known as the Ethereals, thought this was a pretty good idea, and they took that to the rest of the Tau, who also thought it was a pretty good idea (eventually) and, as time went on, this process of civilization gained the components of a myth, with all the associated weirdness of myths (like flaming foliage dispensing wisdom).

Could be expect tau don't believe in mythology though doesn't mean its not a myth.

The Tau might tell themselves that they don't believe in myths...

... but they have the myth of Farsight, who's been around for 300+ years now, which is almost ten times a Tau's lifespan and none of them, not even him, knows how he does it (though he has an inkling of an idea). They suspect it's a Dread Pirate Roberts thing, with the title being passed down... speaking of mythologies.

Just because you aren't religious doesn't mean you can't have myths. You don't need psykers to have legends and stories.

 Psienesis wrote:
The Tau might tell themselves that they don't believe in myths...

... but they have the myth of Farsight, who's been around for 300+ years now, which is almost ten times a Tau's lifespan and none of them, not even him, knows how he does it (though he has an inkling of an idea). They suspect it's a Dread Pirate Roberts thing, with the title being passed down... speaking of mythologies.

Just because you aren't religious doesn't mean you can't have myths. You don't need psykers to have legends and stories.

Actually, in the fluff, his sword transfers the life energy of whatever it kills to him.

 Co'tor Shas wrote:

 Psienesis wrote:
The Tau might tell themselves that they don't believe in myths...

... but they have the myth of Farsight, who's been around for 300+ years now, which is almost ten times a Tau's lifespan and none of them, not even him, knows how he does it (though he has an inkling of an idea). They suspect it's a Dread Pirate Roberts thing, with the title being passed down... speaking of mythologies.

Just because you aren't religious doesn't mean you can't have myths. You don't need psykers to have legends and stories.

Actually, in the fluff, his sword transfers the life energy of whatever it kills to him.

Yes, I know. We, the omniscient readers, know that. The Tau do not know that in-universe. Farsight himself does not know that.

 Psienesis wrote:

 Co'tor Shas wrote:

 Psienesis wrote:
The Tau might tell themselves that they don't believe in myths...

... but they have the myth of Farsight, who's been around for 300+ years now, which is almost ten times a Tau's lifespan and none of them, not even him, knows how he does it (though he has an inkling of an idea). They suspect it's a Dread Pirate Roberts thing, with the title being passed down... speaking of mythologies.

Just because you aren't religious doesn't mean you can't have myths. You don't need psykers to have legends and stories.

Actually, in the fluff, his sword transfers the life energy of whatever it kills to him.

Yes, I know. We, the omniscient readers, know that. The Tau do not know that in-universe. Farsight himself does not know that.

Ah, that makes more sense.

True but they don't know that and they think it is just someone else holding the name. (came in a little late)