Warhammer 40K Theories: Horus Isn’t The One Who Injuried The Empeor
Who REALLY injured The Emperor? One theory would change a lot about what we “know” to be true in 40K.
The fight between the Emperor and Horus is one of the classic clashes of Warhammer 40,000 lore. It’s a core turning point in the history of the Grim Dark and one of the most talked about events. It’s also one of the most illustrated events, with a ton of art and dioramas of it done. But what if the story we’ve been told around it isn’t the real truth? Let’s take a look at one theory that reframes what happened on that fateful day.
The Story We Know
It’s a tale almost as old as 40K. The battle between Horus and the Emperor is one of the foundational myths of the 41st Millennium. After a long and destructive siege of the Imperial Palace on Terra, both Traitors and Loyalists had been pushed to the brink. The defenders had been pushed back to the inner sanctums and were staring defeat in the face. Unbeknownst to them, the Traitor Legions were also exhausted, with several of their Primarches having fled the battle. Worse for them, and unknown to the defenders, the relief force spearheaded by the Ultramarines had arrived and was threatening them with a enormous and fresh Legion’s worth of Loyalist reinforcements.
In a last gambit Horus lowered the shields on his flagship the Vengeful Spirit inviting attack. The Emperor took the bait, and He, Sanguinus and an elite force teleported to the ship to take down Horus. In the fighting that fallowed Horus slew Sanguinus and then fought the Emperor. For a time Horus seemed to have an advantage, then the legends say, a loyal Imperial follower intervened. Some say it was a Custodian Guard. Most story say it was Ollanius Pius. The legends agree that Horus quickly annihilated this interloper. This spurred the Emperor to use all His power and completely destroy Horus, though He Himself was gravel wounded. This the story we know.
What’s Pius Doing There
The involvement of Ollanius Pius in this confrontation is bit of a mystery. In the earliest sources, this interloper stepped between the Emperor and Horus and gave his life to give the Emperor a moment to gather Himself. It’s a little odd that any sort of random trooper would be there at all. But this story could make some sense. In the Horus Heresy novels we know that Ollanius Pius is not at all a random trooper but a Perpetual with goals of his own.
Now the novels do give one possible explanation for what happened. A trooper by the name of Ollanius Piers sort of symbolically plays this role, standing between a banner of the Emperor and Angron and then being killed. It’s possible the Ollianus Pius legend comes from this act. However if the perpetual Ollanius Pius is involved in the final fight with Horus, it might not be to save the Emperor.
To Stop His Ambitions
At this point in the published Siege of Terra books Ollanius Pius is on Terra and in the company of a group of powerful individuals. This includes John Grammaticus, an Alpha Legionary, who might be Alpharius, and several other powerful pyskers. They are seeking out the Emperor. However this group is not going to save Him but rather they seek to stop “His ambitions”. It’s not clear what this means, but the group is trying to reach Him for unclear reasons. Indeed they feel that they have a power that could stop Him.
A New Theory Of The Emperor’s Injury
This bring us to the main theory. That it is not Horus who wounds the Emperor, but Ollanius Pius or one of his companions. According to this theory the Emperor beats Horus without being horrible injuried. Yet having overcome the Warmaster and bested everything Chaos could throw at Him, He is betrayed. Pius and his companions, either after or during the fight, strike and cause the injury that puts Him on the Golden Throne. Maybe Pius is even killed doing this. John Grammaticus has after all just learned some Enuncia, the language of creation, which is said to be able to undo the Emperor.
In a way this would even make a lot of narrative sense. Ollanius Pius was the Emperor’s first Warmaster, in the dawn of time. Him being the one to bring down the Emperor would but be a major twist, and also still keep the original lore, that the Warmaster wounded the Emperor, true. Perhaps the Emperor’s ambition is to be a god, and Pius and his friends prevents this by putting Him on the Golden Throne. Overall it’s an interesting theory that could reframe how we think of 40K. Unlike a lot of theories, we might actually get an answer to this one soon. The final two books of the Siege of Terra are almost here.
Let us know what you think of this theory, down in the comments!
