Warhammer 40K Thories: Who Really Scattered the Primarchs?
The scattering of the Primarches by Chaos is one of the major events in 40K History, but did it really happen as we’ve been told?
The Primarchs are major players in both the past and present of Warhammer 40,000. The major event that kicks off the “main” 40K story, the Horus Heresy, is focused on the conflict between the Primarchs and their godly father. Those that survived that turbulent time continue to influence the fate of the galaxy. On the tabletop they are some of the strongest models you can come across. Central to their story is the tale of how they were scattered. And yet, despite being a tale told many times, there remains some doubt, and many theories about what really happened and who scattered them. Let us take a look at these theories.
Theory 1: The Chaos Gods Scattered the Primarchs
This is the most common and generally known story about the scattering. The Emperor created twenty Primarchs. There were his sons, using his genetic material and strange and arcane arts. These beings were meant to be raised by the Emperor and lead His armies. However, while they were still “unborn” (seemingly in test tubes or something of the sort), the Emperor’s plans were undone by the Chaos Gods. They breached the Imperial laboratory and caused the Primarchs to be scattered across the void, each one landing alone on a different, often brutal world.
Even the Twins Alpharius Omegon were separated, though they seemed to have come from the same “tube”. The Primarchs were shaped by their worlds and the struggles they faced there. Eventually, over the course of the Great Crusade the Emperor found and recovered his lost sons. It is possible that the powers of Chaos managed to tamper with them when they were scattered and lost. It may even be that this tampering led to the fall of Horus and the traitors. Some novels have even seemed to show parts of these events, and it was widely considered canon for a long time.
Theory 2: Erda Scattered Them
In recent years there has been another theory about the scattering of the Primarchs. Erda, the female genetic donor to the Primarchs, and the second most powerful perpetual after the Emperor, has shared a different version of the scattering. After millennia of working with the Emperor, she became horrified by His plans for the Primarchs. Unwilling to let her “sons” be used in His master plan, Erda took action. Erda, as she says, undid the Emperor’s works and scattered the Primarchs. This was done to keep them out of His hands, or at least allow them to develop on their own a bit.
Erda’s story is vastly at odds with the other versions of events we’ve been told and seen. It has given rise to a number of theories. Now, maybe Erda is totally lying about what happened, but there doesn’t seem to be any reason for that. So maybe she and the forces of Chaos worked together to scatter the Primarchs. Another theory is that either Erda or Chaos used the other one to accomplish their own goals without the other knowing. Or maybe it was all Erda, and Chaos is lying. However there remains yet another theory about the scattering.
Theory 3: The Emperor Did It
The two stories we’ve been outright told are that either Forces of Chaos or Erda scattered the Primarchs against the Emperor’s will. Both have claimed responsibility for it. However, a rather persistent theory has gone around that the Primarchs were never, in fact, lost. That, in fact, the Emperor caused or wanted them to be scattered. This theory might, despite never being directly told to us, might have the most evidence to support it.
To start with, each Primarch landed on a habitable world (one with human civilization no less). None were lost in the void or simply vanished. In addition, despite them seemingly being “lost,” the Emperor doesn’t actually have much trouble finding them. Alpharius at least, landed on Terra and was seemingly found at once. For the others, it certainly took time, but it’s not clear The Emperor made finding them a huge priority.
Off The Map
If you look at a map of the worlds the Primarchs landed on you can see they are scattered across the Galaxy. Yet within a span of time well under 200 years the Emperor traveled to each world and found them. There was no logical order cartographical order to this. Baal for instance, where Sanguinius was the 10th Primarch to be found is much further from Terra than Nuceria, yet Angron was the 17th Primarch to be found. Guilliman, the 8th found, was almost certainly located the farthest from Terra.
On top of this, the Emperor normally seemed to arrive right at some pivotal moment in the Primarch’s life. For Angron, it was right as he was preparing to die with his rebel followers. For the Khan it was shortly after the Khan unified his world. Mortarion was preparing for the final battle with his adopted father. This represents either incredible luck or active planning on the Emperor’s part.
Worlds Picked For them?
Then, of course, there is the fact the worlds the Primarchs are sent to seem to fit them and their nature well. Even the humans from each corresponding world are a good genetic match. This is brought home to the Primarch Leman Russ in the novel Wolfsbane. As part of a Wyrd journey, almost certainly to the Warp, he is confronted with a being, almost certainly a daemon of some sort, though not necessarily hostile. The daemon takes the form of a Leman Russ never born. A Russ raised on Terra, rather than Fenris, the following conversation ensues:
“‘you are as I should have been,’ said Russ.
AdvertisementThe false Russ displayed his human teeth in a perfect smile, as if lecturing a student who had, in their naivety, said something foolish but amusing.
‘I did not say that. I appear to you as you supposed you should have been, not necessarily as wyrd demanded. Has it never occurred to you that you are as you were intended to be?’
‘I was stolen away,’ said Leman Russ. ‘I was taken from my father’s laboratories along with my brothers.’
‘Were you?’ The false Russ smiled. ‘The primarch-executioner arriving here on this harsh world of wolves? A being whose genetic gift meshes perfectly with the strain of mankind found here? This playground world of sagas and ancient stories made real, welcoming a hero to rule it?’ He laughed softly, a guttural purr that remembered sharp teeth and claws and diets of hot, raw meat. ‘Do you not think any of that is odd, or, dare I say it, convenient?'”
Did the Emperor Create Worlds?
This is another very strong hint that the Primarchs were never lost. Or maybe a trick of Chaos. Indeed, several Primarchs, including Guilliman and Sanguinius, also thought that their scattering could have been part of the Emperor’s plan. Of course, this would imply that the Emperor knew of the worlds his Primarchs were going to beforehand, so he could pick good matches. Wolfsbane implies just this as well, with the Emperor telling Horus that Fenris is, in fact, a manufactured world from the Dark Age of Technology- designed to emulate Norse myths. Could it be that the Emperor Himself actually designed and built Fenris and the other Primarch homewards for his sons? This could mean that nothing about the scattering at all was random or unplanned.
The Various Theories
It seems pretty clear that the Primarchs were not scattered at random. The locations they landed were chosen. Whether by the Chaos Gods, as we were led to think, Erda, or by the Emperor is a matter of debate. This does leave the question of who and why they were scattered- so let’s sum up the options.
- The Chaos Gods Scattered the Primarchs on their own- possibly they picked the worlds they landed on, or the Emperor was able to intervene.
- Erda, either on her own or with the help of Chaos Scattered the Primarchs. She, as a vastly old and powerful being, may have been able to pick the worlds they went to. She may have picked worlds where she thought they would fit in or even be happy.
- The Emperor did it to throw off Chaos. Hiding the Primarchs to make the Chaos gods think he wasn’t a big threat.
- the Emperor manipulated Erda into doing it, possibly blaming it on Chaos in order to rally support.
- The Master of Mankind did it as part of his plan to raise the Primarchs. Each Primarch was sent to a world that fit their nature and would shape them how the Emperor wanted. It allowed Him a subtle level of control while giving the Primrachs experience and confidence. It shaped them to His vision without their knowing. By doing this, he was able to control the manner of their meeting and create a narrative of the “father” finding his “sons”. This would endear most Primarchs to him (as opposed to the cold creator placing them in danger to suit his own ends).
Which is Right?
Given all the recent evidence, I’ve greatly come to doubt that the #1 or the established lore that Chaos did is the truth. I think the bulk of the evidence at this time points to #5, with it all being the Emperor’s plan. Not only does it make sense, but it plays into the Emperor being the master manipulator and possibly the real big bad of 40K. I do personally really like #2, however, as it shows off how powerful Erda was, and to a degree, how much she cared about the Primarchs if she sent to worlds she thought they would like. There’s also a bit of commentary if she’s the one who did the thing, but everyone else claims credit for it. However, for now, these all remain just theories.
Let us know which theory you think is right, down in the comments.
