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"No Man can be judged until he stands alone before his god."

Alaric, Grand Theogonist of Sigmar[2a]

The mortal world of Mallus is watched over by many different supernatural entities, most of who draw their power and portfolios from the Aethyr, and are worshipped by the myriad mortals and cultures of the world as deities, gods and goddesses in one form or another.

Human Gods[]

There are a great many individual gods worshipped by the different Human cultures, and which ones are known and worshipped differs widely depending on the individual Human society and local custom.

Old World Pantheon[]

Main article: Old World Pantheon


Warhammer Gods

Some of the major gods of the Old World, including Rhya, the goddess of agriculture and fertility, Taal the god of nature and beasts, Morr, the god of the dead, Verena, the goddess of knowledge and justice and Ulric, the god of war, winter and wolves.

Of the gods and goddesses worshipped by Men in the Old World, perhaps the most important are Sigmar, the patron god of the Empire, the Lady of the Lake, patron goddess of Bretonnia, and Ursun, the patron bear god of Kislev.[5a]

Other important deities of the Old World originated from the fusion of the cults of the first Human tribes coming from the east with those of the already civilised Tilean cities in the south. These deities are still worshipped across the Human realms of the Old World. The Old World Pantheon is actually comprised of two separate pantheons, the Classical and Elder Pantheons, which together include the deities: Morr, Shallya, Taal, Rhya, Ulric, Verena, Ranald , Manann and Myrmidia, who has the largest organised religious cult in the Old World.[5a]

The people of the mist-shrouded island of Albion are known to worship even more ancient entities, seven "Gods of Light", who are part of the Old Faith. Some of the gods of the Old World Pantheon are also known on Albion, although they are regarded more like guardian spirits than divine beings.

Nehekharan Pantheon[]

Main article: Nehekharan Pantheon


The Humans of the ancient empire of Nehekhara worshipped a polytheistic pantheon of deities. At present, many of the Tomb Kings still hold to these ancient beliefs. Some of the most well-known Nehekharan deities are Ptra the creator god of the sun, and Asaph the asp goddess of purity and vengeance. Other important Nehekharan deities included Tahoth, Basth, Usirian, Geheb, Djaf and Khsar.

Southlands[]

The people of Araby are primarily known to worship a single creator god, Allah, who is manifested in the mortal world by his chosen prophets.

From the Southlands, war masks are sometimes brought to collectors in the Old World adorned with the three sigils of the Black Gods of Tharoum.[9a]

New World[]

The Amazons of Lustria worship the goddess Rigg, the outcast Old One. It is also hinted that they worship the serpent-god, Sotek.

The Pygmies of Lustria worship the twin gods Brobat and Beesbok.[6a]

Far East[]

The people of Ind are said to worship "a thousand gods." One of these is called Gilgadresh, while another is the eight-armed tiger god She'ar Khawn.

Around -1200 IC, the worship of Chi'an Chi (Tzeentch) became popular among the aristocracy of the city of Beichai in Grand Cathay.[7a] The Dragon Emperor, however, forbids the worship of any gods, and so the worship of Chi'an Chi is also outlawed.

Little is known about the religions of Nippon or Khuresh but some Far Easterners worship a common god called the Orange Simca, whose monks wear orange robes and spend most of their time in contemplation. Vim-to as a faith is the martial version of Simcism.[2][3a]

Dwarf Ancestor Gods[]

Main article: Ancestor Gods


The Dwarfs practice a form of ancestor worship, where they believe that certain famous Dwarfs from early in their history have ascended to become Ancestor Gods. The most well-known Ancestor Gods are Grimnir, Grungni and Valaya, but several others have been mentioned in various materials.

This is similar to how the Men of the Empire consider Sigmar, the first Emperor of Man and founder of their nation to have ascended to godhood.

Grombrindal, "the White Dwarf," is a semi-mythical figure, a sort of legendary hero who is sometimes called "The Living Ancestor". He is comparable with the legendary figure of Nakai who holds a similar place in the culture of the Lizardmen.

Elven Gods[]

Main articles: Elven Pantheon, Cytharai, Cadai


The polytheistic Elven Pantheon is divided into two main groups: the Cadai (Gods of the Heavens) and Cytharai (Gods of the Underworld). Depending on the source, Morai-heg may be listed as a member of the Cadai, Cytharai or in a unique position between the two pantheons. The various kindreds of Elves place a different emphasis on the worship of different deities. The Dark Elves give greatest glory to Khaine, the High Elves hold Asuryan the highest, while the Wood Elves place the greatest importance on Kurnous and Isha.

In certain versions of the lore some Elves, such as Morathi, worship the Chaos God Slaanesh. In the lore of the most recent 8th Edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battles, Doomfire Warlocks offer their souls to Slaanesh to save their own.

Old Ones[]

Main article: Old Ones


The Lizardmen worship as deities the Old Ones, magically and technologically highly advanced beings who travelled to the world of Mallus long ago, built the Polar Gates, moved the world closer to its sun to reshape its climate and geography more to their liking and created the Lizardmen, Elves, Dwarfs, Humans, Halflings and Ogres.

There are many Old Ones, but some of the more well-known Old Ones are Chotec the Solar God, Tepok the Inscrutable, Tzunki the Water God, Itzl the god of cold-blooded beasts, and Quetzl the Protector.

Sotek the Serpent is technically not an Old One, but has risen to become the most important god of the Lizardmen.

Ogre Kingdoms[]

  • Great Maw - The Great Maw is the most important god of the Ogres. It is a cruel god which represents endless hunger, and may in fact be a huge, magical warpstone meteorite crater lined with teeth that gained some form of limited self-awareness and is located in the territory of the Ogre Kingdoms.
  • Fire Mouth - A sentient volcano worshipped as a secondary god by many Ogres, whose chosen followers are called the Firebellies.

Greenskin Gods[]

The gods of the Greenskins are twins and closely intertwined with one another:

  • Gork and Mork - Gork and Mork are the twin gods of both the Orcs and Goblins. One is cunningly brutal, the other brutally cunning. Orcs can never quite agree which god is which, and many battles have been fought as a result.

Chaos Gods[]

Main article: Chaos Gods


Warhammer Chaos Symbols

The Star of Chaos, the most common icon used to represent Chaos and the entities that embody it.

The many followers of Chaos devote themselves to one of the Daemonic entities of the Realm of Chaos. Some worship the force of Chaos Undivided itself. There are many minor Chaos Gods, most of which are not named, but the four major Ruinous Powers are known across the mortal world:

  • Khorne - The Blood God is the Chaos God of war, hate, rage, murder and bloodshed.
  • Nurgle - The Plague Lord is the Chaos God of disease, death, despair, inevitable decay and rebirth.
  • Slaanesh - The Dark Prince is the Chaos God of pleasure, pain, excess, self-indulgence and perfection.
  • Tzeentch - The Changer of Ways is the Chaos God of change, sorcery, ambition, hope and knowledge.

Chaos Dwarfs[]

  • Hashut - Hashut is a minor Chaos God worshipped by the Chaos Dwarfs as their patron deity. Hashut embodies fire, dark industry, and smouldering hatred and is associated with the iconography of bulls. The priests of Hashut are Sorcerer-Prophets, who also serve as the political leaders of the Chaos Dwarf empire in the Dark Lands.

Skaven[]

  • Horned Rat - The Horned Rat is the minor Chaos God worshipped by the Skaven. He represents the ruthlessness, greed, hunger and vicious in-fighting that defines Skaven civilisation. Clan Pestilens is a breakaway sect of the Skaven who worship the Horned Rat in his aspect as the bringer of plagues and disease, though they also have ties to Nurgle, the Chaos God of disease and ddespair.
  • Kweethul - Kweethul is a potential alias of the Horned Rat. However, the Skaven refer to him as "Kweethul the Vile," an ascendant Blasphemer. He may not in fact be the Horned Rat, but a rival god of the Horned Rat, similar to the rivalries observed between Khorne and Slaanesh or Tzeentch and Nurgle.[4a]

Demi-gods[]

Triton 2

The demi-god Triton in all his might.

A demi-god is a part-mortal and part-divine offspring of a deity and a mortal or a mortal so close to divinity in terms of power that they are worshipped by a cult of followers.[10a]

  • Periphata - Periphata is a powerful demi-god who is considered a divine servant of Myrmidia and is of especial importance in her cult.
  • Triton - Triton is lord of the sea, a wild, powerful demi-god in the shape of a man with the lower body of a fish who can control the elements and tame the monsters of the deep to his will. He seems to bear great ill-will to all the seafaring mortal races of the Known World, but especially to the Dark Elves for their enslavement and mistreatment of the creatures of the sea.

Canon Conflict[]

The worship of Chi'an Chi (Tzeentch) in the Cathayan city of Beichai is dated in ca. -200 IC in Warhammer Armies: Realm of Chaos (5th Edition), but ca. -1200 IC in Warhammer Armies: Realm of Chaos (7th Edition).[7a][8a]

Sources[]

  • 1: Liber Chaotica (Background Book)
    • 1a: pg. 22
  • 2 The Book of Battalions (1st Edition)
    • 2a pp. 18-19
  • 3 Warhammer Armies: Battle Bestiary (2nd Edition)
  • 4:Grey Seer (Novel) by C.L. Werner
  • 5: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Rulebook (RPG)
    • 5a: pg. 207
  • 6: White Dwarf 100 (September 1984)
    • 6a: pp. 11-12
  • 7 Warhammer Armies: Realm of Chaos (5th Edition)
  • 8 Warhammer Armies: Realm of Chaos (7th Edition)
  • 9:Vampireslayer (Novel) by William King
    • 9a Book 1, Ch. 2
  • 10 Warhammer Armies: Champions of Chaos (5th Edition)
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