Swooping Hawks are the aspect warriors most adept at riding the winds and descending upon their foes at the perfect moment.
Like with all the aspect warriors of the Eldar, they learn their craft from a Pheonix Lord who learned from Asurmen himself. If you love to fly around on wings (but not be as cool as scourges) then these are the perfect aspect warriors for you. Let’s get all get out our best wingsuits and learn bout some lore!
A Brief History
Like everyone who loves Eldar knows by now, all the Aspect Warriors can loosely trace their lineage back to Asurmen. Their Pheonix Lord, Baharroth, always had an affinity for the sky. With his name even meaning, The Cry of the Wind. He is said to have learned from Asurmen himself at the greatest shrine in the history of the Eldar. But his affinity for birds was on par with Mike Tyson, so it only made sense he chose to fashion a suit with wings.
He loved to fight fast and stay lightly armored. Giving up that bulk for extra speed and mobility. Thus his followers are some of the fastest and most maneuverable troops in the entire 40k Universe. They fly around the battlefield and appear where they are needed most. Unless you don’t really understand deep striking, then they just die very quickly…
Learning from the Birds
The Swooping Hawks take their name from the local hunting birds of ancient Aeldari Mythology. The birds represented vengeance and retribution in those stories, so it only makes sense they are far fiercer than your average Eldar. They all take on different birds as idols, but the ones who take on the spirit of the hawk are some of the most judicious. They take a very active role in destroying their enemies while some simply sit far back and pelt them with fire. We wouldn’t want to get too close to a Slaanesh Daemon either… so we can’t blame the ones taking pigeons as their idols.
And here’s the biggest surprise, they also have wings like birds. I know, you’re shocked. But it’s hard to learn from birds more than taking their wings! Obviously, their wings are a little more high-tech, incorporating vibrating feathers and gravitic lifters. They can move so fast they eventually just become a blur of colors. So they’re just like birds, if birds wanted to kill you all the time… Hitchcock was onto something there.
Lightly Armored and Fast
Because of the armor they wear to reach such speeds they lack the traditional protection of an Aspect Warrior. They don’t seem to mind them. Even with their limited protection, they fly across the battlefields with reckless abandon. They also color the armor like the sky they are in, if you’re not going to be well protected, might as well blend in!
That does it for these fun aspect warriors, let’s just hope they get some new minis before too long!
Learn More about Swooping Hawks & Eldar Here!
About the Author: Travis Pasch
Travis Pasch
Job Title: Head Writer & Editor
Socials: @paschbass
About Travis Pasch: Travis has been a Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the 1990s, playing the game since Third Edition. Through extensive traveling, he’s seen a lot of the miniatures hobby from across the world, giving him a unique perspective on the latest gaming topics and trends.
Travis’s brother even owns a commission painting studio, where he’s picked up a lot of good advice and techniques for painting Warhammer and tabletop miniatures over the years, as well. Travis joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the lead writer since 2020.
Currently, he’s working on converting all his 40k Adeptus Mechanicus models and becoming a true tech enjoyer, complete with both sad and happy robot noises!
