jeremy1391 Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 Does anyone have any fluff on these guys? Why are their DC and sang guard in white armor, do they do fldifferent color helmets to denote specialty? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarpWalker Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 I'm not sure why they paint the armor white. I can't find anything pointing to a reason. But I'd like to think it has something to do with purity and death. It's easy to see why they do this for the DC, but cause they're dead-men-walking. Performing rites of purifying the soul or flesh before sacrificing themselves the way Sanguinius did for the Emperor. Plus there isn't any denoting among death company. But I haven't the slightest idea why they paint the guard this way. Sorry. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayuzaki Posted August 14, 2010 Share Posted August 14, 2010 I'd agree with WarpWalker about the Death Company seems like the most logical, if not best reason to do so. I've been looking around and I can't find anything on the guard, I'd assume it may be to do with Purity or some emulation of sangius or something, (white was probably his favourite colour in his crayola pack) :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy1391 Posted August 14, 2010 Author Share Posted August 14, 2010 Now that I think about it don't you think that they could paint the armor whit due to the fact that as a son of sanguinius that they are all headed for the end state of eventually being sanguinary guard or death company....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyTurbo7 Posted August 16, 2010 Share Posted August 16, 2010 In a lot of eastern cultures white is the color of mourning not black. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rybnick Posted August 16, 2010 Share Posted August 16, 2010 I have no fluff reasons behind why they paint the DC and SG armors white, but what everyone else has mentioned seem like good reasons. I will likely just make my own reasoning sometime as to why they are white instead of black. As far as the different color helms to denote specialty (yellow FA, blue HS, etc) I have somewhat followed that. I have however painted all my ASM with red helms and yellow bits on their JP's. I feel this give them more of a "troop" look rather than a specialty unit look. I do have my landspeeder/baal pred crews helms painted yellow. Dev's and pred crew are still blue helmed, and all my vet's (VV, sternguard, HG) have gold helms and trim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy1391 Posted August 17, 2010 Author Share Posted August 17, 2010 What do you guys think of the "purity in life, purity in death" idea for the white armor.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy1391 Posted August 17, 2010 Author Share Posted August 17, 2010 Answer Alabaster was very expensive in Bible times, and if a person bought an alabaster box, it was only used for very important purposes. So the Pharisees considered it a waste when a woman poured perfume from an alabaster box on Jesus' head in Matthew 26:7-9. We are assuming here that you are talking about this moment which is also described in more detail in Luke Chapter Six? Here, a woman enters a house owned by a Pharisee and, wordlessly and with many tears, washes Christ with ointment, using her hair to clean his feet. When the Pharisee expresses disgust that such a woman, who, it is inferred, is a prostitute, or certainly a sinner, should be allowed to do such a thing, Christ rebukes him and points out that since the woman has entered, he has done nothing but minister to him while the Pharisee, whose name is Simon, has done nothing. He then turns to the woman and pardons her of all her sins for her great devotion. Since Pope Gregory the Great, this woman has been conflated with Mary Magdelene and so she is often portrayed as carrying an alabaster jar. In fact she is referred to as Mary of Bethany in another Gospel. But then Gregory also conflated Mary of Bethany with Mary Magdelene... Alabaster historically was a symbol of purity and great honour. It is also thought to have been associated with the Egyptian Goddess Bast (hence alaBASTer). So in some sense, the Woman with the Alabaster Jar may have been associated in the author's mind as connected to ancient forms of worship, particularly of the Goddess. It is significant in this connection that, just before this passage in Luke, the text says 'Wisdom is justified in all her children". Now, the author of Luke would have known what he was referring to as Wisdom ie the Sophia, the Feminine Aspect of God and Bride of Christ. The New Testament, contrary to what most organised Churches will tell you, is full of veiled references to other spiritual cultures - eg Hellenic Alexandrian ones, Egyptian Mysteries ('out of Egypt have I brought my son'), Eleusinian Mysteries (corn and wheat imagery), Zoroastrianism (the Three Wise Men)... So this moment with the Alabaster Jar is very significant in terms of Christ and the Feminine/Sophia. What we are seeing is how, in fact, the Woman with the Jar is much closer in spirit to Christ... Further, the Alabaster Jar is linked to the image of the Grail. It is the receiving vessel, into which the Holy Spirit pours and the individual can be transformed. Here it is filled with ointment. The woman is not just washing Christ but ANOINTING him. And remember that the word Christ means 'Anointed One'. So the Jar and the woman who carries it are VERY significant in terms of understanding the inner meaning of the Christ Mystery." This is from answers.com I found the link to Egyptian mythology along with judeo Christian mythology specifically dealing with legend of the holy Grail could be where GW got the idea of alabaster armor.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaplain Desmodus Posted August 17, 2010 Share Posted August 17, 2010 Or they just thought it sounded cool, like I did. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hergrmir Posted August 17, 2010 Share Posted August 17, 2010 I like the white=mourning in other cultures idea. I don't really care what GW did or didn't intend, but if I were running with the Encarmine I might play them up as being a little more inspired by a culture in which white is the mourning colour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarpWalker Posted August 17, 2010 Share Posted August 17, 2010 Sanguinary Guard= Purity Death Company= Mourning This sounds good to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy1391 Posted August 17, 2010 Author Share Posted August 17, 2010 so from what i gather from you all and other sources the alabaster armor for the sanguinary guard is yo denote their purity as the pinnacle of what one can achieve. The white death company armor denotes mourning for those who are essentially dead men walking...... i like this. now I am going to have to write some angels encarmine fluff...... now what is the symbolism of the chapter symbol? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy1391 Posted August 17, 2010 Author Share Posted August 17, 2010 ok so here is some updates on bat symbolism. African folklore:"bats are the souls of the dead returning to earth to watch over their loved ones at night" this idea sounds pretty cool to me Apache folklore: "he who comes to 'know' the bat becomes an excellent horsemen" Blood rodeo anyone? Christianity: "the bat is the devil bird an incarnation of the dark prince represents hypocracy and duplicity associated with melancholy places" Chinese folklore: "if a bat wing is displayed the owner will experience great luck where as those opposing him will not be granted with luck, this symbol is still used in chinese casinos to bring the house luck over the gamblers" POP culture: vampires and batman....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hergrmir Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 Do you know whereabouts in Africa? I think it'd be seriously awesome to use the bat thing as a jumping off point to explore and integrate something into the Blood Angel mythos without banging on about the usual suspects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy1391 Posted August 18, 2010 Author Share Posted August 18, 2010 Eastern africa according to the interwebs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Kovash Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 Maybe they just ran out of black and gold paint on the same day, and all they could find on their home world was white? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarpWalker Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 Of coarse! Silly me! :wacko: I knew it would have been the easier answer. I must have been smoking crack or something. :P :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy1391 Posted August 18, 2010 Author Share Posted August 18, 2010 Isn't that called an ahkams razor? Where the simplest answer is usually the right one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlauG Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 Occam's. :D But I like the idea of the white armour being a result of cultural influence, perhaps the Chapter's homeworld has those kinds of beliefs regarding purity and death... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy1391 Posted August 19, 2010 Author Share Posted August 19, 2010 Ok so since the only thing we know about angels encarmine is thy have a big DC and the sang guard and DC where alabaster armor, their chapter master is named castellan zargo..... So Let's put some stuff together.... Castellan is a governor or caretaker of a castle. Seen in Jerusalem Bats are souls watching over the living. From eastern Africa White is a color of mourning throughout Asia sooooo what connection do all these have for influence? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zealadin Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 The bats crapped all over their previously black/red/gold armour and now they are all white. How did I do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarpWalker Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 :P :rolleyes: :cuss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarpWalker Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 Two things I found while researching possible origins of their beliefs. Zargo is a Vampire king in the "Doctor Who" tv series. Zargo is also a name given to Kurdish males(Turkish/Iranians, more or less). A non-Arab Middle Eastern minority population. Kurdish culture is more akin to that of eastern Europe than to Middle East. Their culture is shaped by Muslim, Jewish and Christian religions. Hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy1391 Posted August 19, 2010 Author Share Posted August 19, 2010 So could the angels encarmine be maybe Jewish inspired??? Because there are a lot of Jewish people in Jerusalem, eastern Africa, kurdistan and eastern Europe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy1391 Posted August 19, 2010 Author Share Posted August 19, 2010 So could the angels encarmine be maybe Jewish inspired??? Because there are a lot of Jewish people in Jerusalem, eastern Africa, kurdistan and eastern Europe... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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