"May ravens alight upon you."
- —Morrian phrase meaning "may your death be easy."[5r]
A depiction of Morr, the god of the dead
Morr is the god of the dead, death, prophecy, dreams, and dreamers in the Old World Pantheon and originated in the pantheon of the Classical Gods.[11a] He holds sway over illusions and all things that are not what they seem. A contemplative god, Morr guards the souls of the departed from absorption by Chaos and unholy use by necromancers, just as his priests guard the corpses buried in the Gardens of Morr, and protects the dreams of the sleeping from Daemons that would pervert them.[1][2][3][4][5]
Morr and his devoted followers are the eternal enemies of the Undead, and guardians against grave and tomb robbers. The Cult of Morr is not a popular one, but is of singular importance in the religious life of the Old World, for all come to Morr's gate eventually.[1][2][3][4][5]
Morr is one of the Old Gods later absorbed by the Classical Pantheon of ancient Tilea.[7a] Some myths hold that Morr is the husband of Verena, the goddess of knowledge, brother of Khaine, the god of murder, and father of Myrmidia, the goddess of war and Shallya, the goddess of healing and mercy. He is usually depicted as a tall, aristocratic Human male with dark hair and an aura of intensity[7b] and sometimes as a faceless figure draped in a deep, black hood and cloak carrying a scythe.
Morr (in hooded cloak) fighting the Chaos Gods alongside Rhya, Taal, Verena, and Ulric.
The original name of Morr is lost in the depth of time, instead people of the Old World use his name derived from the Classical language of ancient Tilea.[5b] Pirates of Sartosa worship Morr near as much as they do gold, and they refer to him as "King Death" like other Tilean mariners.[6a]
Forsagh, the god of prophecy in the Old World, is an aspect of Morr worshipped as the minor deity of auguries within the Empire of Man.[1y] [10a]
"Saved by Morr," is a way to say "dead" by folk in the Empire.[5h] At the same time, "Morr damn you!" is a popular Imperial expletive.[8a]
Canon Conflict[]
Although Morr is called the god of the dead in all sources, there is an inconsistency in the sources in whether he is also the god of death.[9] In Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Tome of Salvation, page 16, the Cult of Morr made it clear that "Morr is the god of the dead, not the god of death," referencing the old legend of how Morr tried to claim dominion over the living world from his brother gods Taal and Ulric before settling on an agreement between the three gods to divide the worlds of nature, Men and the dead between them.[5c]
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Core Rulebook states that Morr was among the five gods which rose to prominence amongst the Old Gods, worshipped by dominant cults spread from one end of the Empire together with Ulric, Taal, Rhya, and Manaan.[7a] While other sources classify Morr as part of the Classical gods.[11a]
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Tome of Salvation specifies that Morr was a name that originated in the south, as the original northern names for the god of the dead have been lost to time, implying that Morr was an Elder god. It must be noted that Warhammer source material is often written from the perspective of characters within the setting, so this could be a discrepancy about the origin of the god, but sadly, the matter seems not to be definitively outlined in any book.
Another triviality is that the Old Faith worships an unnamed God of Death. Whether this deity is in some way linked to the god of death of the Imperial tribes is debatable.
Trivia[]
The name Morr is very similar to the real-world Latin word Mori, which means "to die" or "death."
Morr's appearance is very likely inspired by the Grim Reaper of real world Western iconography.
Sources[]
- 1 Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 1st Edition: Core Rulebook (RPG)
- 1a pg. 197
- 2 Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 1st Edition: The Enemy Within Vol. 1 (RPG)
- 2a pg. 21
- 3 Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Core Rulebook (RPG)
- 4 Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Sigmar's Heirs (RPG)
- 5 Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Tome of Salvation (RPG)
- 6: Fell Cargo (Novel) by Dan Abnett
- 6a: Ch. 1
- 7: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Core Rulebook (RPG)
- 8: Sword of Justice (Novel) by Chris Wraight
- 8a: Ch. 1
- 9: The Nagenhof Bell (Novel) by Jonathan Green
- 10: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 3rd Edition: Signs of Faith (RPG)
- 10a: pg. 28
- 11: Liber Chaotica (Lore Book)
- 11a: pp. 404-405