Link to blood Angels in real

[Mightykin]

Just curious if any one had any idea to how Blood Angels link into the history of man.

 

For example space wolves are closely related to Vikings. Black Templars iconography is similar to an order in 1100.

 

Forgive me if this was discussed along time ago.

[Xenith]

Vampires.

[Quixus]

Besides the vampire connotations, the writers drew inspiration from the Renaissance when creating the Blood Angels. Sanguinius himself has some similarities with Jesus.

[RedemptionNL]

Aye, Roman Renaissance angel vampires, basically.

 

And if anyone's the Jesus figure in 40k, it's gonna be the Emperor. I think some of the more obscure fluff even goes as far as saying Jesus is one of the Emperor's many appearances in history before he rose to unity mankind into the Imperium.

[sockwithaticket]

yep 17th/18th century Renaissance influences are strong. Sometimes with a more directly Italian infuence, but, like much of what inspires Space Marine iconography and naming, it's something of a European melange.

[Sir Perfluous]

I've heard lots of people put the BA down as being just "Space Vampires", which always irritated me because (besides bringing to mind certain heretical teen novels) it really completely ignores the Bangels' awesomer aspects. The Italian Renaissance is a factor, reflected in their artistic nature and brilliant Italian names - Machiavi, Borgio, Dante (not quite Renaissance, but still definitely Italian), as are many aspects of Catholicism and Christian imagery. It's an amalgamation of themes I really love. For me, "Renaissance Italian Space Catholics Who Happen To Be Pretty Big On Blood" is far better than just "Vampires in Spess!".

And RedemptionNL, if I remember correctly, it's implied that Big E was a lot more than "just" Jesus, but that he was basically the origin of all major world religions, as the Buddah, Abraham and then a guru on a freelance basis.

[RedemptionNL]

yep 17th/18th century Renaissance influences are strong. Sometimes with a more directly Italian infuence, but, like much of what inspires Space Marine iconography and naming, it's something of a European melange.

That's true. Some of the BA's armour design, like our beloved nipple armour and the pteruges are Greek in origin.

And RedemptionNL, if I remember correctly, it's implied that Big E was a lot more than "just" Jesus, but that he was basically the origin of all major world religions, as the Buddah, Abraham and then a guru on a freelance basis.

Yeah, although he looks more like a shaved Jesus than a slimmed Buddha.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

yep 17th/18th century Renaissance influences are strong. Sometimes with a more directly Italian infuence, but, like much of what inspires Space Marine iconography and naming, it's something of a European melange.

That's true. Some of the BA's armour design, like our beloved nipple armour and the pteruges are Greek in origin.

And RedemptionNL, if I remember correctly, it's implied that Big E was a lot more than "just" Jesus, but that he was basically the origin of all major world religions, as the Buddah, Abraham and then a guru on a freelance basis.

Yeah, although he looks more like a shaved Jesus than a slimmed Buddha.

Buddha is a TITLE, like "King." Just as there are many kings in history, so are there many Buddhas in Buddhism. The "Fat Buddha" you're thinking of, is Budai; the "Buddha" most Buddhists think of when they pray, is either Siddhartha Gautama or Guanyin.

[Sir Perfluous]

yep 17th/18th century Renaissance influences are strong. Sometimes with a more directly Italian infuence, but, like much of what inspires Space Marine iconography and naming, it's something of a European melange.

That's true. Some of the BA's armour design, like our beloved nipple armour and the pteruges are Greek in origin.

And RedemptionNL, if I remember correctly, it's implied that Big E was a lot more than "just" Jesus, but that he was basically the origin of all major world religions, as the Buddah, Abraham and then a guru on a freelance basis.

Yeah, although he looks more like a shaved Jesus than a slimmed Buddha.

Buddha is a TITLE, like "King." Just as there are many kings in history, so are there many Buddhas in Buddhism. The "Fat Buddha" you're thinking of, is Budai; the "Buddha" most Buddhists think of when they pray, is either Siddhartha Gautama or Guanyin.

At risk of going off topic, that's interesting. I knew that Siddhartha Gautama became the Buddha, but not that there were many different Buddhas (outside of iconography). You learn something new every day.

But anyway, yes Blood Angels are awesome.

[Lord Commander Scrymgeour]

For me the blood angels are heavily influenced by pre raphaelite art.

It's not hard to see how this:

And this

=http://image.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/gallery/album_9355/gallery_73284_9355_734.jpg

Lead to handsome Knights in ornate black armour having visions and battle trances of their beautiful angelic leader. Draw in wings and you're done

[Frater Antodeniel]

The Blood Angels iconography and fluff is constructed around three major theme :

 

- The Angelic Ascendance (Gold/White/Red, white winged, god emissaries/enforcers, idealistic idea of peace gardians and rewards for the true belivers).

- The Angelic Fall (Silver/Black/Red, black winged, rebel to god law, no more pure Angels, but no deamons either. Vampiric and soul dealer representation).

- Vampire (Who tend to represent Fallen Angels life style, akind to deamons one, but with the nobility of Angels)

 

Within the Christian iconography, Angels are represented using gold/white/red colors, Gold for the divine power their represent (Angels are God emissaries), White for the purity of soul they have, and Red for the Blood of the Christ (who also represent all mankind sufferings).

 

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If we look closely at some of the major Blood Angels Trait, we can easily figure their historical inspirations sources.

 

Sanguinius => The Angelic Primarch, both in soul and flesh. Said to be the most feared by the Arc-ennemy (Horus), and rumored to be Closer to his Father (God) than any other primarchs (Horus speech). Knowing his future, Sanguinius sacrified himself to save his father and mankind from apocalypse brought by the Chaos Force by Horus Heresy. (Sanguinius death represent Christ Sacrifice, who both died to protect mankind and to offer a chance of redemption to all humanity).

 

Blood Angels Flaw => Represent the dark and ressesses part of Sanguinius Blood/Soul that express itself far more easily through Sanguinius Sons.  With the Red Thirst, this Physic flaw, we meet the theme of the flawed and mortal flesh. While, with the Black Rage, we meet the theme of Fallen Angels, lost to their own brothers.

 

Nobility => Gold/Warm nobility of God Angels, and Dark/Cold nobility of Fallen Angels.

 

 

Also, it is very interresting to note that Sanguinius feared that his genetic flaw was known by the Emperor. Yet, un-officialy, due to the Blood Angels particular Primarch informations, some peoples have been wondering if the Blood Angels flaw wasn't in fact a creation of the Emperor, who himself could have feared to be outmatched in soul purity by Sanguinius, who in the end, could have been able to overtrow the Emperor (God) himself....

 

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Finally, within the Blood Angels and their successors, we find two major current :

 

The Conservators and The Iconoclasts. The Ascended Angels(Blood Angels/Angels Encarmine..etc) and the Fallen Angels (Flesh Tearers/Knights of Blood....etc).

 

The Iconoclast are the more interresting in the way that they understand best the world around them. Here are some exemples, both past and present :

 

 - Nassir Amit, the first Flesh Tearers chapter master, was the first to openly reveal the heresy of Horus to Sanguinius, this before the Signus Campaign. Sanguinius himself blindly refused to face the truth, and then fell to Horus Trap.

 

- In a recent novel, The Knights of Blood, having meeting with a Blood Angels team, openly claimed to play a game. Understanding the Imperium fonctionment.

[Lord Commander Scrymgeour]

I like the your duality there. I sometimes also postulate that there is in fact a triad. A faction within that keeps the other two apart and holds them together. To me they're represented by the millenarian cult of the reclusiam,the warrior cult of the sanguinor and the resurrection cult of the sanguinary priests. These are respectively the fall, the atonement and the transcendence of the chapter.

It also reads both ways, reminding one of the frailty of their existence, and how far there is to fall.

Throw in dark secrets, angelic hope, medieval Knights, renaissance craftsmanship, martial zeal, savagery and a preponderance for witchery and you've got the most complex, tragic, heroic and symbolic chapter

[Arkangilos]

As others had said, Blood Angels draw inspiration from 14-17th century Italy and European Renaissance. From Dante and his Inferno Pistol to Tycho and his disfigured face covered by a gold plate.

[Lord Commander Scrymgeour]

Tycho and his disfigured face were Danish in fact. But I suppose the theme is the same. I'm still not sure they look particularly renaissance. Obviously some of the naming and stuff, but in terms of visual symbolism I dont see it at all. Even something overtly angelic like fra angelico's annunciation doesn't really fit to me.

[Arkangilos]

Tycho and his disfigured face were Danish in fact. But I suppose the theme is the same. I'm still not sure they look particularly renaissance. Obviously some of the naming and stuff, but in terms of visual symbolism I dont see it at all. Even something overtly angelic like fra angelico's annunciation doesn't really fit to me.

Whoops you are right, I meant that as part of the Renaissance theme. I accidentally left that part off, my bad.

 

Also, their original theme was more Renaissance inspired. It's about the rebirth of humanity from a dark age (such as Baal), and is reflected in their love of art, weaponry, and style (such as the golden armor).

[Lord Commander Scrymgeour]

Ah I see. I get the baal thing actually. I guess it's quite a nice multi layered chapter that we have.

[Quixus]

I thought that Captain Erasmus Tycho was based on Erasmus of Rotterdam and Tycho Brahe, but I didn't know about Brahe's disfigurement and artificial nose. You always learn something new.

[Sir Perfluous]

I thought that Captain Erasmus Tycho was based on Erasmus of Rotterdam and Tycho Brahe, but I didn't know about Brahe's disfigurement and artificial nose. You always learn something new.

 

Who would've thought that a question about the themes of an organisation of future super soldiers could manage to educate people on the nature of Buddhist leaders and the lives of Danish astronomers!

 

Yep, Tycho Brahe had his nose cut off in a duel and replaced with an artificial silver one. It's probably the most metal thing ever to have happened to any astronomer ever.