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Well now, we all know the Primarchs have some really silly names, but which is one is the most silly?

Rowboat Girlyman, by far

Serious question: How is Roboute Guilliman a silly Primarch name? And not including variations of his name done in rather poor taste?

 Sgt_Smudge wrote:
Serious question: How is Roboute Guilliman a silly Primarch name? And not including variations of his name done in rather poor taste?

If you pronounce it properly, it comes out as "Row-byoot G-willy-man"
How is that not silly?


Also Rowboat Girlyman. 'Cause we all know that's his real name.

It could be that it looks a little sketchy to pronounce when you first look at it it. I chose Rogal Dorn, since to me Rogal just does not sound good ending with Dorn.

Ferrus Manus. Angron is silly too (Angron, the angry primarch).

Lionel Johnson

Being named after Lionel Johnson, a late 19th century poet, Lion El'Jonson has the silliest name.

Konrad Curze, from Heart of Darkness/Apocalypse Now, Angron, and Ferrus Manus, are also pretty silly.

I don't find Roboute's name silly - I've always thought it would be pronounced as if it were French.

My favorite Legion are the Iron Warriors, But come on.... Perturabo?
Really?

The II and XI were so silly , they got expunged from all Records.

Am I the only one who cracks up at any mention of Alpharius Omegon?

I've always felt Corvus Corax just sounded like someone was trying to hard to be Romany and ended up with a rather silly name.

 LordofHats wrote:
I've always felt Corvus Corax just sounded like someone was trying to hard to be Romany and ended up with a rather silly name.

It's just the scientific name for the Common Raven (Corvus corax)

Hardest poll ever.
Angron is a contender.
Rowbutt Guillimens is annoying to remember and to pronounce, but not silly.
Ferrus Manus and Corvus Corax are just awful puns. It's like having one of the Primarchs being called Homo Sapiens.
Konrad Curze is one author pun, but slightly disguised.

But Lionel Johnson has always been the absolute worst.

The thing with Ferrus Manus is, it wouldn't be too bad if it was just that. But when it's the Iron Hand, with metal hands, leading the Iron Hands, many of which have metal hands... It's very silly.

 Squidmanlolz wrote:

 LordofHats wrote:
I've always felt Corvus Corax just sounded like someone was trying to hard to be Romany and ended up with a rather silly name.

It's just the scientific name for the Common Raven (Corvus corax)

Honestly, that just makes it worse. Now it's just damn lazy XD

 LordofHats wrote:

 Squidmanlolz wrote:

 LordofHats wrote:
I've always felt Corvus Corax just sounded like someone was trying to hard to be Romany and ended up with a rather silly name.

It's just the scientific name for the Common Raven (Corvus corax)

Honestly, that just makes it worse. Now it's just damn lazy XD

Is there a single Primarch whose name isnt lazy?

 Squidmanlolz wrote:

 LordofHats wrote:

 Squidmanlolz wrote:

 LordofHats wrote:
I've always felt Corvus Corax just sounded like someone was trying to hard to be Romany and ended up with a rather silly name.

It's just the scientific name for the Common Raven (Corvus corax)

Honestly, that just makes it worse. Now it's just damn lazy XD

Is there a single Primarch whose name isnt lazy?

Leman Russ isn't bad.

I voted Sanguinius. Sounds like a girl's name.

To some degree, most of the Primarch names are silly.


But honestly, that is because they are some of the few remaining parts of the campy nature of early GW.

Corvus Corax. The common raven. Really, GW?

Surprised there aren't more votes for Sanguinius. His name has it's roots in the latin word Sanguineous or "of blood."

It's like "hey this guy's gonna be our Vampy master for the blood angels, and his chapter is gonna be all about blood. Lets name him something bloody, like 'blood guy'." What's that in latin? Oh, ....you don't say. Yeah, totally, use that.

Don't get me wrong, love the iconography, imagery, mixing of the angelic motif with blood gorging rage monsters idea in that whole use of opposite ideas, but really, that name. "Of Blood" You think his adopted parents thought that sounded good? Gimmie a break man.

 Phyrekzhogos wrote:
Surprised there aren't more votes for Sanguinius. His name has it's roots in the latin word Sanguineous or "of blood."

It's like "hey this guy's gonna be our Vampy master for the blood angels, and his chapter is gonna be all about blood. Lets name him something bloody, like 'blood guy'." What's that in latin? Oh, ....you don't say. Yeah, totally, use that.

Don't get me wrong, love the iconography, imagery, mixing of the angelic motif with blood gorging rage monsters idea in that whole use of opposite ideas, but really, that name. "Of Blood" You think his adopted parents thought that sounded good? Gimmie a break man.

But it's no more silly than Ferrus Manus or Corvus Corax, and actually sounds okay.

In context, Sanguinius was adopted by the People of the Pure Blood, or simply "The Blood" for short. Naming him Sanguinius emphasizes that they consider him a member of the tribe even though he's adopted. It also helps that he's competing with Mortarion, Corvus Corax, and Ferrus Manus.

Pretty sure Guilliman is an IRL French town or something, so not that ridiculous at all.

I'd nominate Ferrus Manus.Who the hell names their son Iron Hands?

"Rowboat Girlyman"

 ChazSexington wrote:
Being named after Lionel Johnson, a late 19th century poet, Lion El'Jonson has the silliest name.

Konrad Curze, from Heart of Darkness/Apocalypse Now, Angron, and Ferrus Manus, are also pretty silly.

I don't find Roboute's name silly - I've always thought it would be pronounced as if it were French.

How's Konrad Curze or Lion El'Johnson silly? Konrad Curze is an English-fied Polish name with letters changed and Lionel Johnson is a real life and ordinary name. Various forms include Leon, Leo, Levan, Leone, etc. It's Greek/French. Johnson meanwhile literally means Son of John, harkening to either John the Baptist or John the Apostle.

It's really gotta be Ferrus Manus since his name is same as his Legion. Iron Hands, Primarch of the Iron Hands.

Corvus Corax is probably the second worst, only squeaking (squawking?) in behind because it's not quite the exact match.


I rather enjoy the subtlety of Lionel Johnson, because let's be realistic, without the Internet constantly telling people the joke, most people wouldn't have any idea who Lionel Johnson was or that he wrote a poem called Dark Angel. Likewise the likelihood of Roboute Guilliman being a reference to Robert Gillman Jackson, a master of, you guessed it, logistics and nation development, with the UN in the 50s, 60s, and 70s is quite clever.

Konrad Curze being Kurttz from Josef Conrad's Heart of Darkness is a little more obvious since that novella is part of the English canon, but still. It's not Iron Hands of the Iron Hands.

Lion'El Johnson because it was changed to make it so recognizable that nobody could miss it, originally he was named Lyyn Elgonsen.

 Veteran Sergeant wrote:
I rather enjoy the subtlety of Lionel Johnson, because let's be realistic, without the Internet constantly telling people the joke, most people wouldn't have any idea who Lionel Johnson was or that he wrote a poem called Dark Angel. Likewise the likelihood of Roboute Guilliman being a reference to Robert Gillman Jackson, a master of, you guessed it, logistics and nation development, with the UN in the 50s, 60s, and 70s is quite clever.

[Emphasis mine]

I actually had no idea that that Guilliman's name was a reference to somebody the same way that some of the other primarchs are. My mind is blown. Seriously, some ears are bleeding here.

To be on topic- Ferrus and Corax take the cake. Ferrus's name is literally "Iron Hand", and we all know who's Legion is his even without that. The fact that he actually has "iron hands" and so does most of his legion just makes it over the top to the point of being slightly dumb, rather than awesome.

And then Corvus Corax is just the proper name for a common raven. Real clever GeeDubs.

 Gashrog wrote:
Lion'El Johnson because it was changed to make it so recognizable that nobody could miss it, originally he was named Lyyn Elgonsen.

....But it's still not silly at all. Leon Johnson would not make anyone bat an eye. Nor would Lionel Johnson. The only thing weird bout Lion El'Johnson is the El' part, but all it means is serving the same purpose as Von in German, De in French, Of in English, etc. A more direct version of the name in modern-day English would be Leon of Johnson or Lionel of Johnson, or for a more direct translation of his name's meaning in 40k, Leon Deforest.

All of which mean "Lion of the Forest" more or less in modern English and French. I mean seriously, you could totally run into a person named Leon Deforest and it would not be unique enough to even bat an eye at.