This paper argues that the setting of Warhammer 40000 is an example of modern epic storytelling that replicates the essential functions of archaeological deposition and classical myth-making. I draw from studies of archaeological reception, classical reception, and themes established in The Siege of Terra: Saturnine to argue that each edition of the tabletop game and addition to the “lore” resembles an accelerated process of epic storytelling, archaeological layering, and archive-building.
Taking The Horus Heresy as a primary case study, I look at how the fictional event developed from an in-universe “myth” of a distant history to a fully enunciated epic cycle occurring over 18 years of real-world publication and over 65 novels and short stories. I approach this from both Watsonian and Doylist perspectives. First, I consider how the themes of history, heroism, and legacy are received within the various fictional time periods of Warhammer 40000, looking at the “reclamation” of history during the Great Crusade, the “death of history” during the Great Heresy War, and the long term mythologizing and memorializing of the heresy in the “contemporary” setting of M41-M42.
Building on this foundation, I then look at how these elements have been received by the Warhammer hobbyist community. I argue that a consumer of the Warhammer 40000 setting can be sorted into two broad archetypes- individuals who replicate the evidence-gathering and research functions of the historian, archivist, or archaeologist; or individuals who are initiated into a belief system resembling a self-organizing modern mystery cult, adopting elements of the fiction to venerate and gaining status through engagement and knowledge. By considering how these two archetypes receive Warhammer 40,000 as modern epic mythology, I argue that they can provide insight on how contemporary and ancient peoples received and reproduced their own histories, mythologies, and archaeological contexts.
Author bio
Noah Chapman is a PhD candidate at UCL’s Institute of Archaeology. His primary research interests include Archaeogaming, Historical Narrativity, and Reception. His dissertation- “Agency & Affect: (Re)Imagining Archaeo-Historical Knowledge through Interactive Design” considers user interactions with the past and how historical professionals can adapt their research interests to interactive objects.
