Inspired by real life? Ever wonder where they get that wonderful fluff from for the Warhammer 40k universe?
Checkout this list of TEN cool 40k Facts about Warhammer 40k and perhaps table top wargaming in general, that maybe we should all know!
Fenris: – In Norse mythology, Fenrir is the son of Loki, who usually takes the form of a monstrous wolf.
Onager Gauntlet – Onager is a Persian breed of donkey or mule. Bravo design team! They snuck a donkey punch into 40k!
Lion El’ Johnson – This one is an oldie but a goodie. Turns out he was a poet from the Victorian era who wrote a poem called ‘The Dark Angel’. He also was rumored to have quite the secret for those times.
Tau Reproduction – Under the Matt Ward era supposedly they laid eggs. This was never verified and apparently was a bit of a joke around GW headquarters.
Council of Nikaea: The council’s name, subject, and consequences have strong resemblance to the Roman Council of Nicea in 325 AD, which helped shape Catholic dogma.
Battleblade – According to Bryan Ansell, who led the manager buy-out of GW back in the early 1990’s, Warhammer was almost named Battleblade back in the 1970’s.
Nurgle: “Nergal” was a diety worshiped throughout Mesopotamia, portrayed in hymns and myths as a god of war and pestilence.
H.G. Wells – The famous writer is said to have invented miniature wargaming in 1913 with is book titled Little Wars.
Storm of Iron – This riveting Black Library book by Graham McNeill, that sold out more times than I can count, seems to be inspired and loosely based on an amazing non-fiction book called Storm of Steel. That book written by a WWI German army officer named Ernst Jünger, offered a graphic tale of Trench Warfare from his experiences in that war.
Mournival: In ancient Egyptian mythology, the sky-god Horus has four sons of different nature who are said to collectively make up his soul.
Ha, now you can impress your gamer buddies with your new trivia knowledge, or have a leg up on your fellows in the next pub quiz!
Know of a cool 40k fact you think we should all know, leave it in the comments below!
About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
