The worlds of Warhammer are populated by a plethora of strange creatures. In Warhammer Fantasy, one encounters many famous figures of medieval imagery; dragons, unicorns, griffins, and many more. Other beings come more or less directly from Greek mythology, such as pegasi, minotaurs or hydras. And many real-world animals are given the typical Warhammer over-the-top treatment: stags, wolves, boars and lions used as battle-mounts or draught animals for war chariots.
Many of those creatures are represented in Warhammer 40K as well. Some of them do not appear directly, but are present in the iconography of various factions, space marines chapters notably. Others are there physically as well, the most iconic example being the Space Wolves being actually ridden on wolves, or turning into a type of werewolves themselves. Both Warhammer Fantasy and 40K also make use of variations on more recent, pop cultural references. Dinosaurs feature prominently in both universes, and the Tyrannids faction of 40K is almost entirely based on H.R Giger’s Xenomorph, as seen in the Alien film franchise.
Historian Michel Pastoureau has dedicated several studies to the cultural history of animals, both real and imaginary, with a focus on medieval Europe. This period still has a major influence on how we, as 21st century humans, view and treat several animal species. It has also strongly influenced both modern folklore and pop culture. This paper first aims to depict how medieval cultural depictions have influenced (or not, in certain cases) the miniatures and illustrations of Warhammer, drawing on Pastoureau’s analyses. In a second step, it will try to show how the same mechanisms apply to contemporary, mostly fictional creatures, which have themselves become stock characters of modern fantasy.
Author bio
Joachim Besson has been a Warhammer enthusiast since childhood. He studied philosophy and political science at the universities of Berne and Lausanne, and has a keen interest in literature and political philosophy. He lives in Strasbourg, France.
