Pre-Primarch legion colors

[baldur27]

So I was just wondering which legions had different color schemes and/or names before they found their Primarchs? I know the World Eaters were the War Hounds and the Death Guard were the Dusk Raiders were there any others?

[Cpt_Reaper]

The Dark Angels were simply called The First Legion. I think the Word Bearers had another name too. Imperial Heralds if I'm not mistaken.

[Kol Saresk]

Only four Legions had official(optimum word) pre-pRimarch names, and those were the Imperial Heralds(Word Bearers), Dusk Raiders(Death Guard), Luna Wolves, and the War Hounds(World Eaters). Some like the Iron Hands(I think they were the Storm Walkers) and the Salamanders(Imperial Rams) had "unofficial" names that allied Imperial Army units nicknamed them.

 

The Dusk Raiders had an alternate scheme of grey with one red hand IIRC, the Imperial Heralds were the stone grey the Word Bearers carried until the Heresy, and the War Hounds were the inverse of the World Eaters I think(?).

 

I don't recall any others off the top of my head.

[Sandlemad]

As a rule, all the legions started out wearing stormcloud grey armour. They usually got a new colour once they reunited with their primarch but in some cases at other times. For names, most had some sort of informal or casual title but only in a few legions had official or formal honoric titles.

 

The Dark Angels were 'The First' and before that the 'Angels of Death'. The latter was a formal honorific and sometimes appears as in high gothic. I would theorise that they might have wore black even early on, to symbolise that they had served the Emperor directly (like chaplains later on), but there's no actual proof of this.

The Emperor's Children didn't get the name until they met Fulgrim but alongside the right to bear the Palatine Aquila, their deeds during the Proximan betrayal won them the right to wear purple armour, though it seems only their standard bearers and honour guards wore it initially.

White Scars were informally called the 'Sons of Thule'. No idea why yet.

The Imperial Fists look to have incorporated elements of yellow to their armour prior to meeting Rogal Dorn; there's an image of early crusade armour with a yellow arm and helmet-stripe in Extermination.

The Terran recruits of the Night Lords were called 'Children of the Night' but there's nothing to say it was a name applied to the legion itself.

The 1st chapter of the Blood angels were called the 'Hell Riders' at some point in the crusade but it's hard to pinpoint if this was before they were reunited with Sanguinius.

The Iron Hands were unofficially known as the "Storm Walkers', particularly amongst imperial army units, but Ferrus showed up early enough in the great crusade and stamped that out.

The World Eaters were given the tile of 'Warhounds' either after the battle of Nova Shendak or the pacification of the Cephic Hives. Either way this was an official title given by Emperor himself, not just a common term. Possibly their blue colour scheme came from there too, changing to white when they met Angron.

The Ultramarines were referred to as informally as the 'Warborn' because they were recruited from the children of the Emperor's defeated enemies. Individual companies also had pre-primarch names, like the Nemesis or the Aurorans, as well as individual colour elements (bits of green on Auroran armour, bits of black for the Nemesis).

The Death Guard were officially the 'Dusk Raiders', as you pointed out. They wore grey but painted their right arm red.

The Sons of Horus were of course officially the 'Luna Wolves', a title they were granted by the Emperor. Their white armour could be a reference to the white of Earth's moon but this is just speculation.

The Word Bearers were officially the 'Imperial Heralds', a title given to reflect the role of their herald-officers during the unification wars and the early great crusade. They were also informally referred to as the 'Iconoclasts', which was considered perjorative but was more common.

The Salamanders were informally known as 'the Fearless' to the imperial army in the early crusade. If the example in Massacre is anything to go by, they fully painted their armour in a darker shade of green than the heresy or 40k scheme, and took the Saturnyne Ram as their insignia.

The Raven Guard were referred to by several names by the Luna Wolves, including the 'Dust Clad' and the 'Pale Nomads'.

With the Alpha Legion, all bets are off. Before they were reunited with Alpharius they were referred to as the 'Ghost Legion' but this was less a title than a term used by some imperial commanders to refer to an urban legend.

[baldur27]

As a rule, all the legions started out wearing stormcloud grey armour. They usually got a new colour once they reunited with their primarch but in some cases at other times. For names, most had some sort of informal or casual title but only in a few legions had official or formal honoric titles.

 

The Dark Angels were 'The First' and before that the 'Angels of Death'. The latter was a formal honorific and sometimes appears as in high gothic. I would theorise that they might have wore black even early on, to symbolise that they had served the Emperor directly (like chaplains later on), but there's no actual proof of this.

 

The Emperor's Children didn't get the name until they met Fulgrim but alongside the right to bear the Palatine Aquila, their deeds during the Proximan betrayal won them the right to wear purple armour, though it seems only their standard bearers and honour guards wore it initially.

 

White Scars were informally called the 'Sons of Thule'. No idea why yet.

 

The Imperial Fists look to have incorporated elements of yellow to their armour prior to meeting Rogal Dorn; there's an image of early crusade armour with a yellow arm and helmet-stripe in Extermination.

 

The Terran recruits of the Night Lords were called 'Children of the Night' but there's nothing to say it was a name applied to the legion itself.

 

The 1st chapter of the Blood angels were called the 'Hell Riders' at some point in the crusade but it's hard to pinpoint if this was before they were reunited with Sanguinius.

 

The Iron Hands were unofficially known as the "Storm Walkers', particularly amongst imperial army units, but Ferrus showed up early enough in the great crusade and stamped that out.

 

The World Eaters were given the tile of 'Warhounds' either after the battle of Nova Shendak or the pacification of the Cephic Hives. Either way this was an official title given by Emperor himself, not just a common term. Possibly their blue colour scheme came from there too, changing to white when they met Angron.

 

The Ultramarines were referred to as informally as the 'Warborn' because they were recruited from the children of the Emperor's defeated enemies. Individual companies also had pre-primarch names, like the Nemesis or the Aurorans, as well as individual colour elements (bits of green on Auroran armour, bits of black for the Nemesis).

 

The Death Guard were officially the 'Dusk Raiders', as you pointed out. They wore grey but painted their right arm red.

 

The Sons of Horus were of course officially the 'Luna Wolves', a title they were granted by the Emperor. Their white armour could be a reference to the white of Earth's moon but this is just speculation.

 

The Word Bearers were officially the 'Imperial Heralds', a title given to reflect the role of their herald-officers during the unification wars and the early great crusade. They were also informally referred to as the 'Iconoclasts', which was considered perjorative but was more common.

 

The Salamanders were informally known as 'the Fearless' to the imperial army in the early crusade. If the example in Massacre is anything to go by, they fully painted their armour in a darker shade of green than the heresy or 40k scheme, and took the Saturnyne Ram as their insignia.

 

The Raven Guard were referred to by several names by the Luna Wolves, including the 'Dust Clad' and the 'Pale Nomads'.

 

With the Alpha Legion, all bets are off. Before they were reunited with Alpharius they were referred to as the 'Ghost Legion' but this was less a title than a term used by some imperial commanders to refer to an urban legend.

wow thanks that was really informative

[malika666]

Oh yeah, and the Thousand Sons have always been the Thousand Sons...

[Sandlemad]

Oh yeah, and the Thousand Sons have always been the Thousand Sons...

And even Ahriman was just like 'I know, spooky, right?'

[lokkorex]

The iron warriors were nicknamed the 'Corpse Grinders' by accompanying imperial army elements due to their practice of using human soldiers as cannon-fodder.

[Reyner]

The Thousand Sons were named that way because of a failure in their geneseed or something weren't they? Since there were only 1000 left.

[hivey]

I think i once saw something about one of the legions being called children of eris, or something like that. Or maybe i just dreamed it, my memory is foggy on that.

[Skalpynock]

I think i once saw something about one of the legions being called children of eris, or something like that. Or maybe i just dreamed it, my memory is foggy on that.

One of the -minimum estimate- 740 names of the XX legion.