Introduction
This will mark the last of the chapters dedicated to the topic of the Warp for a while. We have now gone trough the entire human pantheon of deities, both evil and benign. We will return to the Warp periodically across the series as we explore new factions and explain how these unique civilisations Interact with, and influence the Warp.
A creation of mortal minds
The chaos gods, with the exemption of Slaanesh are al described as mainly a human creation, as well as a human adversary. I would argue that there is ground in this reading, as the warp is formed by the thoughts and feelings of the Mateirum, and humanity is the most prevalent sentient species in the galaxy would it make sense that they left the largest footprint on the Immaterium. We will also see in later chapters that, when the Eldar was described as the leading race in the galaxy, the warp was very much formed by their desires, hopes and fears. (Games Workshop, 2016. Games Workshop, 2012)
Fears and hopes
If the chaos gods are to be understood as the fears of humanity, (once again, exuding Slaanesh), can we learn a lot from how this fictional society works and how the outlook of its citizens appears. The three main fears we have discussed in this series would be as follows, the fear of violence, the fear of disease and the fear of the future. In such a dystopian, highly ridged society as the Imperium, and in such a war and pestilence ridden world as the 40k narrative, would al these fears be rather understandable. The are also fears that many readers can most likely relate to on one level or another. Since pain, sickness and the future are al things many of us struggle with in our daily lives. The majority of the citizens of the Imperium lives in object squallier, and the death from diseases and violence is ever present in their lives. Due to the rigid class system of the Imperium is it also very unlikely that any of these individuals stands any chance of ever escaping their terrible lives, at least if they do not wish to break the imperial creed. (Games Workshop, 2016. Games Workshop, 2012)
It is worth noting here that the cults dedicated to Slaanesh are almost exclusivity found in the upper circles of human society, where resources are abundant, and many individuals are required to do little other then making sure a steady supplies of war materials to the Imperium`s many wars continues to be produced and shipped out. In such circumstances is there no surprise that decadence, lawlessness and boredom strike the souls of many of its members. Some of these get bored of even the most extravagant pleasures available to them as the elite of the elite, and starts searching for more forbidden and esoteric pleasures. We have already discussed the birth of Slaanesh and the possible fears and dreams that they build upon, the fear of loosing once self to the draw of temptation and the endless hunger of the Eldar psyche. In texts relation to humanity has Slaanesh ben portrayed more as a representation of everything forbidden, dirty and perverted, everything the citizens of the Imperium is trained to repress and avoid. (Games Workshop, 2016. Games Workshop, 2012)
Giving in
There is another uniting factor, other then the representation of fear, that is how one becomes free from said fears. That is, the only way to truly join one of the chaos gods, and gain their blessings, one must embrace the very thing they represent. In order to become free from the pains of sickness, must one become a carrier of said disease. In order to gain the favour of the changer of ways and ultimate knowledge of the future, must one surrender their faith fully to this new master. The chaos god Khorns blessings comes with the implicit understanding that you as well will one day die by someone else hand, for the blood god do not care for where the blood flows, and yours are as good as anyone else. The followers of Slaanesh are presented with pleasures and experiences beyond their wildest imaginations, only to have every singly one of them become stale, grey and mundane, forcing them to search for mo0re and more ext ream ways to satisfy their needs. The god of pleasure and pain savours each of these emotions, and the suffering and anguish of their followers is just as rewarding as their pleasures. (Games Workshop, 2016. Games Workshop, 2012)
The idea of becoming a a servant of the very thing you are afraid of, makes an interesting contrast to the concepts of Imperium heresy we have discussed before, where the Space Marines, as well as the Tech priests needed to free themselves from the ridged systems of the Imperium to regain their humanity. Seemingly neither side, neither the loyalists or the heretical chaos worshippers gains true freedom in the end, and they are pawns in one system or another.
Conclusion
The aim of this series have been to explore how the 40k narrative uses the concept of the duel dimensions of the Materium and the Immaterium in order to form its narrative, as well as to present its mayor themes of hopelessness, fear and dramatic irony. The warp serves a duel nature in the Warthammer 40k narrative, as it presents a number of answers to certain questions, such as how space travel, and communication between planets works. Unlike some other such explanations, like faster then light travel does the Warp serve as a driving force in the narrative. The very existence of this Other dimension is a constant thereat to the denizens of the “normal” world, but it is also something none of them would be able to live without.
The cyclical nature of cause and effect between the warp and the material realm is also a very inportant part of the narrative. The fact that the Warp exists outside of space and time give the writers an endless opportunity to experiment with causality, time and space, as well as giving them a good explanation for why certain inconsistencies exists between the small army of writers tasked with writing and carrying on the narrative of Warhammer 40k. This topic is one that we will return to later in the series, as we discuss how the different factions create their own gods and demons. It will also play a large roll when we finally dive in to the rich library of novels, comics and short stories set in this setting. But before that we will continue to outline some of the basics of the narratives, presented in the Codex’s of the various factions.
Next part will present a new faction, the ancient and mysterious species of the Eldar, we will take a look at the themes, narratives and real life inspirations of this civilisation, as well as discuss how they help to further the Warhammer 40k narrative as a whole.
References
Codex: Chaos daemons (7th Edition), Games Workshop, 2016
Codex: Chaos Space marines(7th Edition), Games Workshop, 2012
An Unused Frequency 