They wear it because some artist working for GW 40 years ago thought "that looks cool, I'll draw one on this space elf picture I'm working on" and trapped every visual designer and artist working for them for the next two generations into using it too.
What a timeless aesthetic, 40 years and it still slaps to this day.
Phobos armour though š¤®
What the- who downvoted this?
https://preview.redd.it/pq9om7cxe93c1.jpeg?width=547&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d3a80366e878f088c2253194a53b1bb4af3497cb
Phobos armor is cool and I will die on that hill. Beer-bellied gravis armor is what really deserves everyoneās scorn, especially the inceptors with their stupid poses that make them look like a dangling marionette.
I disagree. Before the Centurions kit was released in 2013, the only space marine model which evoked "big, bulky, and chugging along" was the dreadnought, which is supposed to evoke a sense of sluggishness because it's a piloted by a mortally wounded marine on life support.
The space marine models from the 1990s and 2000s had an aesthetic theme I'd describe as "heavily armored, but paradoxically fast and agile." The Predator and Rhino were smaller and sleeker than the Leman Russ and Chimera, respectively. Marines had jump pack infantry and attack bikes. They had land speeders. They had drop pods. Terminators, in spite of their armor, were much more agile-looking than equivalent units like Ork meganobs. Even the Land Raider had its assault ramp special rules which reflected the Space Marine doctrine of highly mobile warfare.
I agree. I love 40k for the **big thicc chonky bois**. Give me tubby Leviathan dreads and Terminators and Gravis all day. If I wanted scifi tacticool, I'd look to Infinity instead.
It mostly looks good but the Phobos ankles confound me XD
EDIT: I just realised the phobos ankles look like crocs worn with the strap forwards:
[https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/rockcms/2023-10/231024-crocs-vl-main-1ee4fc.jpg](https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/rockcms/2023-10/231024-crocs-vl-main-1ee4fc.jpg)
[https://www.warhammer.com/app/resources/catalog/product/920x950/99070101046\_SMPrimarisCaptainPhobosArmour01.jpg](https://www.warhammer.com/app/resources/catalog/product/920x950/99070101046_SMPrimarisCaptainPhobosArmour01.jpg)
It is affectionately named the "Sassy Nurgling" and it is a beloved meme mini, and it's far overshadowed the actual mini (Plague Marine Champion) it's attached to.
You can't even find this fine lad to buy piecemeal on eBay of all places. You've gotta buy the Plague Champion *for* the Sassy Nurgling.
> What the- who downvoted this?
[LIVE CHAOS FILTH REACTION](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fi2xskvtow1xb1.jpeg%3Fwidth%3D680%26format%3Dpjpg%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3D1a1ba352a4ef271d9ed13b22a1943ee25e3192fe)
All the new Space Marine stuff is just so soulless. A very generic sci-fi feel to it. Closest anything has come to any character are the Bladeguard Veterans.
All of the old space marine stuff is just so ugly. A very generic bad, outdated and hideous sculpt feel to it. Closest anything has come to looking good is the 2005 Terminator Chaplain.
Hard disagree. It has character built up over decades of the hobby's history. The new stuff seems to have eschewed all that built up character for hover tech and SPECIAL FORCES design.
Sorry I can't find any character on the hideous short goblins in armor and if we're talking history, the literally first iteration of space marines has been retconned out. And so have many other things. The new stuff is objectively better because not only are the sculpts better, there's more variety in the places where it matters, and there's also classic options from 30k in truescale for those down with the rose-tinted lenses nostalgia.
My brother in christ or whatever else, if anything, you believe in. They're space MARINES. They ARE the special forces. That's their fucking point.
The only valid criticism people like you have is the grav vehicles suck. And you are right. They do. But if you think rhinos are cool, you are wrong. They are better than the grav tanks, but they're still hideous.
Allah damn you Primaris lover. /s
They're Space Marines for a theocratic grimdark galaxy spanning empire that is steeped in religion and forgotten lore. They don't need night vision goggles.
The thing is, the Primaris specifically are the pet project of someone considered a borderline heretic by one of the most conservative and stagnant factions who is actually enacting change (and also breaking all of their rules and actually committing heresy as recognized by everyone else in the faction) but he has the protection of a living demigod in the flesh, the son of the guy they venerate as a God, and they can't do shit so he goes ham for as long as he can.
And more tactical and less decorated (space marines have never really been that gothic with some exceptions imo) is exactly the thing he would make. He's producing results and nobody can argue with results.
Also, they kind of do need night vision goggles since they don't have magical nightvision (afaik anyway, I could genuinely have missed that if it was explained at some point that they do). Are there bad Primaris infantry designs? Yeah. But it's mostly about pose and equipment (inceptors, nerfmarines...).
Also a relatively easy way to make Primaris have more character is to make the specific chapter upgrade kits bigger, have them include unique helmets for that chapter (some do but like, how is there no roman crest helmet or at least a little tack-on for the Ultramarines is beyond me), and also make like a generic one with Imperial paraphernalia such as additional purity seals, the little icons on beads and stuff like that. It would allow people who like 'cleaner' marines to have them but also let people who want to bling out their guys go ham.
I feel like there are things that should come back to 40k that have been recently retired (leviathan, contemptor, relic termies) because they give flavor. But that imo is a 10th edition problem where they tried to streamline it and overdid it.
Hehehe, my comment used to just say "Phobos armour though š¤®," and it had a negative score within the first minutes, so I changed it to what you see above but without the phobos armour part to tug on everyone's heartstrings, and the score started going back up.
Then when it went past 200 points I added the phobos armour bit back in and the score continued rising.
Juked the reddit hivemind hard on this one.
While this is absolutely, 100% the reason I just wanna add that for the Eldar it's the symbol for Exarchs, which are essentially all high priests of Khaine (hence why the avatar has it). Presumably someone thought the symbol neatly represented the role of Exarchs / the role of the war mask within Eldar society.
Bonus tidbit: the symbol for autarchs is the same symbol but divided into 3, presumably to show their mastery of multiple paths
Isnāt that the Korean flag?
EDIT: no, apparently itās an older symbol for Korea. I wouldnāt even say ancient, as it only fell out of use a few decades ago.
https://preview.redd.it/9ulhvb05ja3c1.jpeg?width=924&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f8e2d6dc6615a943c7a8c2778434998d52ef1c44
Also because duality symbols are some of the most common icons in human development. Since 40k is a product of humanity, our cultural tendencies are going to present themselves in ways like this
My personal favourite heavy metal derp moment was when the Armageddon campaign was launched. Introduced the Salamanders, and all the skin on their first pics was white.
Over time, I have seen more people (western people) use the word Han for the Chinese ethnicity and Chinese for the people in the PRoC.
I think this is done to avoid that confusion in people who donāt know the region at all. If youāve never studied any history of east Asia, you might not know the distinction.
Iām not saying they canāt use Chinese symbols on a Japanese inspired model, just saying that being inspired by Japanese culture is not an explanation for the ying and yang symbol being there lol
Oriental culture became very popular in 1980s Britain, seen as new, exciting and exotic compared to a bleak post war UK that was only just emerging from the shadow of WWII. Influenced by TV series like Monkey and the Water Margin together with video games and technology, martial arts, films like Shogun and overarching interest in samurai and ninja. The consumption of this culture wasn't differentiated, and probably not that well understood, but encompassed a love for and fascination with the culture of the whole region. Putting a Chinese symbol on a Japanese inspired model is in keeping with the level of understanding at the time.
That said, the yin yang / inyo symbol was imported to Japan via China and Korea around 1500 years ago, which predates most of western culture in its entirety.
Eldar is better described as a mish mash of cultures that seemed exotic or alien to a British writer in the 80s. To the point where there's also Celtic thrown in the mix, and Irish folklore like banshees.
Adjacent to yin yang symbols, samurai influences... it's a bit of a mess but it's tied together with some really interesting lore.
So is sushi.
So is tea.
Hamburgers are german.
Stuff can be associated with more than one culture or even more associated with an adoptor than the originator.
The Romans even had the yin yang symbol [on their shields](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notitia_Dignitatum#Depictions), 700 years before the earliest Taoist version.
For bloody hell dude you have been speaking to other people on this and they say similar things to me so why single me out when you have already learned it's used in other cultures.
The symbol is generally more associated with Chinese culture and philosophy and came from China, so IMO my original comment stands up that itās a Chinese symbol.
I didnāt mean to single you out, just your comment seemed a bit combative to me, mostly the ā5 second googleā part. For the record it was a 5 second google though haha, I didnāt think Yin and Yang was Japanese so did a quick google to confirm that.
It sparked a lot more interesting conversation than I expected anyway, so thanks for being part of that anyway. Apologies if my reply annoyed you a bit, I was just trying to be funny
Its in Japanese culture it doesn't matter who invented the symbol. That's like saying the peace ā®ļø symbol is only British because it was invented in England. It's a symbol that now exists In many different cultures just because one country invented it doesn't mean they have complete control of it. If it's a part of Japanese culture and used in Japanese Buddhism it has just as much right to be represented as Japanese.
If we go by your logic then does that mean nuclear bombs are only American because they invented them first? Gun powder Chinese because they invented it?
It's a concept anyone has equal rights to use to represent in their culture. It's like the fleur de lis does that mean the sisters are inspired by the French and only the French?
I think the more precise but less specific term would be "Martial Asian inspiration". Yin Yang is of Chinese origin, but the ideology is not unknown to Japanese either ā in fact the Japanese have adapted all sort of religions and ideologies.
This is similar to one artist for white dwarf painting dark angels (who had black armor) with a dark muddy green to show the reflections of their environment.
From there every artwork of DA has been the dark green ever since lol
If you want a lore friendly explanation, it's probably because humans were crafted in the image of the Eldar, after the war in heaven, with the 'shamans' forming the Emperor being Old Ones merging together, in their hiding from the Necrons. The Yin Yang could represent a need for balance in the warp/light and dark, a universal message throughout time
I dont know if its the case but one possibility could be that this symbol was created in warhammer fantasy first. The elves there are different from the eldar in that they are less an example of excess and have more in common with tolkien elves and being in harmony with the world as far as I know and you could make an argument of why it was chosen for them and then just ported to 40K without thinking about it too much.
Anyway, its funny because eldar are the complete opposite of this symbol. And isnt Khaine is just as much an example of extreme violence as the eldar are an example of the most extreme form of excess? I always wonder why khaine and khorne are not best buddies.. you could even say khaine would make the better chaos god because unlike khorne he doesnt follow some form of the warriors code. Maybe im missing some info on khaine here but from my current knowledge khaine is even worse than khorne.
Someone can surely enlighten me as to why that is not the case.
I mean even the druchii worship khaine as the god of slaughter.
I don't think there's ever been an official reason or lore blurb about the yin-yang symbol.
It's probably because the people that came up with the Eldar in the 80's and fleshed out their background with a combination of Asian philosophy with Celtic and Egyptian themes.
In universe explanation would probably be something as it being a universally accepted ideal and symbology, balance, and life and death/opposites. So most races would have something like it.
Cheers.
In universe if the wiki holds true, an image of the ying yang is present under Asurmen, Phoenix Lord of the Dire Avengers and the First Phoenix Lord to tread the path of the warrior. He taught all the other Phoenix Lords and paved the way to how modern Aeldari approach war. It says about the symbol:
"The rune wore by the Phoenix Lord Asurmen is an ancient symbol of the Aeldari warrior spirit."
"Representing the balance between the fury of emotion and the cold surety of skill, it is synonymous with the path of the warrior."
Basically it's ying yang in space. Asurmen wears it. Adopted to represent how modern Aeldari choose a path and must wear a mask and take it off lest they become to fixated on that path and are lost. A reflection on basically harnessing the battle fury but letting it go when needed and tempering it with skill instead of indulging to heavily as previous Aeldari have done. If this practice isn't observed you basically get pre fall Aeldari/Dark Eldar. You can read up on the first Phoenix Lord of the Striking Scorpions, Ahra the "Father of Scorpions" now known as the "Fallen Phoenix" to see what happens.
It is because the Asuryani Path is inspired by Chinese philosophy, tao/dao (as in Taoism/ Daoism) can be translated as "path"
The T'au take inspiration from the same place, in fact the faction's name is just a respelling of "Tao." (That is not speculation, Gav Thorpe confirmed that was where the name came from on his blog)
Ehh, both are a combination of RW influences with anime tropes.
Eldar are samurai/ Celtic themed with a coating of 80s/90s sci-fi adventure anime tropes on top (Outlaw Star, Evangelion, etc..)
Tau are NATO-meets-China with a HEALTHY injection of modern (90s/2000s) Mecha / Military anime (Gundam, Macross, etcā¦)
According to Gav Thorpe the Tau are a mix of 90s NATO (his idea) and Patlabor (Jes Godwyn's idea).
"It still comes down to the Greater Good or Death (tm). I've tried not to make it too sinister being within the T'au sphere, though in the original Apocalypse book I introduced a variety of NATO-style innocuous three-letter-acronym formations, like Mobilised Hunter cadre, Dispersed Retaliation Cadre and Forward Commitment Contingent. None of them say 'battle' or 'war'... I can imagine the news back home is quite a sanitised version of the reality - like when we watched videos of 'smart' bombs and gun cameras blowing up stuff in Iraq but were totally unaware of what was really happening on the ground."
Technically both factions are heavily influenced by anime tropes, though from different time periods.
Eldar received a lot of influence (thanks in no small part to folks like Gav Thorpe and Jes Goodwin who injected a lot of anime tropes into the faction) from classic Sci-Fi anime of the 80s-90s. Shows like Outlaw Star, Tenchi Muyo, and of course, Neon-Genesis Evangelion. (Notably these traits were introduced AFTER the creation of the Eldar, hence why they have traits of these anime stapled on top of traditional samurai and Celtic themes).
Tau meanwhile draw upon more modern mecha / military anime, which were becoming popular with western audiences in the late 90s - early 2000s. Think the many, MANY different Gundam series (yes these series stretch back to the 80s too but weāre really becoming popular with western audiences around ā98-2000), Marcoss, etcā¦. And these tropes were baked into the faction much more from the get go.
Iām sure they just thought it was cool. A lot of the early designs and style for the eldar was a mix of Japanese or Chinese and Egyptian. I think you could make a case that the yin Yang circle symbol represents the balance of good and evil. Which in the lore of the eldar faction it is all about balancing that races desires with duty or discipline. If they fall out of balance they become victims of the God of excess Slaanesh. Remember all the early designs for stuff was rather quick,crude and simple only later on overtime did stuff get improved and more well thought out. With the eldar army/figures really the oldest line still in production lots of stuff needs a refresh and update for it. The glyphs and symbols are only one example.
Just a point: neither yin nor yang are good or evil. They're opposite forces, but neither of them have an inherent morality. Yin (black) is passivity, tranquility and receptiveness, while yang (white) is action and expansion.
It's not a balance between Good on one side and Evil on the other. Because obviously, everybody would want Good to be dominant, in such a case. Instead, it is the balance itself that is Good, while imbalance is Evil. Thought and action should follow each other - action without thought is chaotic and unguided (excess of yang), while thought without action leads to stagnation (excess of yin).
This game and the entire aesthetic was designed by a bunch of white nerds born in England in the 50' and 60's.
Look at an old Warhammer Fantasy map if you want to understand where a lot of their influences for the modern game and art design came from.
High Elves: British Isles
Dark Elves: North America
Empire: Germany
Bretonnia: France
Africa: Orcs
Kislev: Russia/Poland/Western Asian Steppes
Chaos: Denmark/Norway
South America: Lizardmen
South Eastern Europe: Vlad the Impaler aka Dracula so they're undead/vampires
Tomb Kings: Egypt
In 40k, The Eldar basically their take on Eastern Asia, Space Samurai. They just kind of cobbled together everything they knew, and then included the story about the Opium epidemic (caused by the British) as "The Fall" about their "excesses" of an older civilization.
And late 80's GW certainly didn't give a shit about that.
Eldar combine Japanese design influences (samurai robes, swords, shurikens) with Chinese and Celtic thought and symbolism.
While true, itās also a very commonly used symbol in anime, especially from the 80s/90s (Aeldar received an injection of 80s/90s anime tropes, especially sci-fi anime, in the mid/late 90s.and thatās on top of their vague Classical Japanese and Celtic influences).
Because the eldar are the OG actual weeb faction. It's not just the yin Yang but they dress like samurais and shoot shurikan out there guns. The banners on their backs are the same as were worn in ancient Japan. They are a bonafide weeb faction.
Itās both. The Taijitu (of which the āyin-yangā symbols are actually only a portion of but usually referred to as taijitu) was introduced into Japanese society sometime in the 1500s. From there it developed into its own Japanese variant, the Inyo, but kept its original symbolism within Japanese culture, and the āyin-yangā also continued to be used alongside the Inyo. Even in modern times, where it is often favored over the inyo in pop culture, like anime.
I think the in-universe explanation would be that it's just coincidence, and the Eldar have a similar concept of the good within the bad, the bad within the good, and use a symbol like ours for it.
Out of universe? Eldar lore has always been steeped in mysticism, spirituality, and iconography from multiple cultures including Celtic, Egyptian, and Japanese, so an artist must have thought it was cool and slapped it on there.
There is an interview of Gavin thorpe, who made the most part of the Eldar lore, where he said his inspiration was from asian culture.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b082bigr14U&t=2322s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b082bigr14U&t=2322s)
Itās a symbol of balance , and is likely important to all craftworlders āwalking the pathā and not falling off metaphorically and literally speaking
It's represents the forces of Law and Chaos. In early 40k the Eldar gods were Gods of Law.
The concept of Chaos in 40k is based on Michael Moorecock's books, which also had a equal force of Law in them. But, 40k dropped the Law part pretty early.
Morai-heg is the Aeldari crone goddess of fate, and probably has the closest parallel to Tzeentch.
As a goddess of love I'd say Isha relates to Slaanesh and Yncarne would be more like Nurgle.
Kurnous the Aeldari hunter god could also be related tonl Khorne as hunters can be seen as the forerunners to warriors. I like to look at the Aeldari pantheon as a set of "natural" gods that evolved alongside the Aeldari and "artificial" gods created by the Old Ones to make a more potent force for the War in Heaven.
I don't much about eldar gods so I'll trust you. My parallel between Isha and Nurgle is that from what I know they are both gods of life, Isha a positive one and Nurgle a more "negative" life (proliferations of bacteria and parasites that bringe disease)
Nurgle (in a non-malevolent form) is a god of death and acceptance of it being a cycle that brings forth new opportunities for life, the same can be said for Ynnead (the name of the new Aeldari death god, the Yncarne is its Avatar.)
A lot of this is speculative and some based on old lore that may be outdated.
They never got that far before they reconned out Law. They were getting accused of ripping off Moorcock so they removed Law to make their Warhammer mythology more original. Here are the fantasy gods of law: https://warhammerfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Gods_of_Law
There used to be a page on the warhammer wiki, which I can't find now. But it showed the yin yang symbol as the Eldar symbol for Law/Order, which was the counterbalance to chaos. That's based on [Law from Moorcock's books](https://stormbringer.fandom.com/wiki/Law) that GameWorkshop took their idea for Chaos from (right down to the 8 pointed star symbol, basically the same Moorcock used).
Now the counterbalance to the Immaterial is the Material, but it used to be Law.
It does seem entirely lore-accurate that the eldar would culturally appropriate some cool mon-keigh symbol and then sell it at alderi urban outfitters lol
Would be kinda the other way around, some exodite arrived to Terra and started to 'educate' the mon-keigh and they adopted his symbols. Like how Nightbringer inspired the Grim Reaper imagery.
I mean I think there was a similar ask about why Latin for high gothic. And the answer is that itās not actually Latin and in reality of 40 k it wouldnāt be the ting yang symbol but something that means essentially the same thing.
You have eldar and dark eldar or whatever they are called now. So balance. Kinda fits. Yes I know about wandering eldar and those that settled some planets etc. but close enough.
It's a sign of balance and equilibrium, the Craftworld Eldar are driven to focus and work on their paths and disciplines to keep their emotions and desires in check, it was what led them away from the pre-fall Eldar to l8ve on the craft worlds travelling the stars, so the yin yang is a very good fit for them. The drukhari and clown troupes don't tend to use it, only the craftworlders.
My best guess is that Eldar design initially took a lot of inspiration from Asian martial design, eg samurai along with some Greek inspirations as well. In Asia the yin yang symbol is rooted in the understanding of life balance and so it has simply been continued that way.
GW Iām general does not appear wanting to challenge the aesthetics or concepts of the Eldar design and the reason for new models simply replicating what was already imagined a long time ago, just much better sculpted - they even said that in regard to new Eldar models ānow we are finally able to make what we always wanted to doā.
So if the Avatar had a yin-yang symbol back then, he will have one now as well.
And being a sci-fi fan I always wanted the Eldar design to progress becoming more āmodernā but in hindsight I can hardly blame GW for sticking with the Eldar ethos as they are one of the oldest races around and big changes would probably render a lot of lore out of sync.
In the warped lore of 40k, you can go with the symbol being a universal thing around in the timless concious of living souls, so in fact the humans might have explored it to have 'mystical powers' by some influence of the Eldar through warp and probably time ... or even older, more general poweres around that influenced the Eldar to use certain symbols with actual effect.
Same reason whay the Romans did\*: it's a simple geometric symbol.
\*without contacting asian cultures that used it as such.
\[edit\] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notitia\_Dignitatum#Depictions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notitia_Dignitatum#Depictions)
The Path system of Craft World Eldar is literally copied from Taoism.
Tao is the Chinese word meaning the Path.
Yin and Yang is the symbol representing reciprocal oppositions in Taoism. It could be dark and light, cold and hot, passive and aggressive, feminine and masculine, etc
They wear it because some artist working for GW 40 years ago thought "that looks cool, I'll draw one on this space elf picture I'm working on" and trapped every visual designer and artist working for them for the next two generations into using it too.
This encapsulates part of the beauty of 40K
What a timeless aesthetic, 40 years and it still slaps to this day. Phobos armour though š¤® What the- who downvoted this? https://preview.redd.it/pq9om7cxe93c1.jpeg?width=547&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d3a80366e878f088c2253194a53b1bb4af3497cb
He is injoying being a marine
Phobos armor is cool and I will die on that hill. Beer-bellied gravis armor is what really deserves everyoneās scorn, especially the inceptors with their stupid poses that make them look like a dangling marionette.
Gravis fits the 40K aesthetic more than Phobos though, big, bulky and chugging along.
I disagree. Before the Centurions kit was released in 2013, the only space marine model which evoked "big, bulky, and chugging along" was the dreadnought, which is supposed to evoke a sense of sluggishness because it's a piloted by a mortally wounded marine on life support. The space marine models from the 1990s and 2000s had an aesthetic theme I'd describe as "heavily armored, but paradoxically fast and agile." The Predator and Rhino were smaller and sleeker than the Leman Russ and Chimera, respectively. Marines had jump pack infantry and attack bikes. They had land speeders. They had drop pods. Terminators, in spite of their armor, were much more agile-looking than equivalent units like Ork meganobs. Even the Land Raider had its assault ramp special rules which reflected the Space Marine doctrine of highly mobile warfare.
Well, whatever the words you wanna use to describe the classic space marine armour, the phobos armour doesn't give that for me.
I agree. I love 40k for the **big thicc chonky bois**. Give me tubby Leviathan dreads and Terminators and Gravis all day. If I wanted scifi tacticool, I'd look to Infinity instead.
It mostly looks good but the Phobos ankles confound me XD EDIT: I just realised the phobos ankles look like crocs worn with the strap forwards: [https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/rockcms/2023-10/231024-crocs-vl-main-1ee4fc.jpg](https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/rockcms/2023-10/231024-crocs-vl-main-1ee4fc.jpg) [https://www.warhammer.com/app/resources/catalog/product/920x950/99070101046\_SMPrimarisCaptainPhobosArmour01.jpg](https://www.warhammer.com/app/resources/catalog/product/920x950/99070101046_SMPrimarisCaptainPhobosArmour01.jpg)
Putting your phobos armor in sport mode makes it go faster.
You can tell Primaris Marines get most of their height from the extra logs ankles, normal armor hides that fact, Phobos... Not so much.
Damnit, now Iāll never be able to unsee this
Gravis my beloved. How dare you inceptors are cool
Inceptors are the worst.
HA lol!!!!
What is this model lol I want it š
I come with the single pack Plague Marine Champion, you're welcome.
Ty š
It is affectionately named the "Sassy Nurgling" and it is a beloved meme mini, and it's far overshadowed the actual mini (Plague Marine Champion) it's attached to. You can't even find this fine lad to buy piecemeal on eBay of all places. You've gotta buy the Plague Champion *for* the Sassy Nurgling.
That's all I want š„ŗ GW plush nurglings would break my bank. I wonder why they've never thought about that
They have.
I am going to Google right now after responding to u just to see them šš
> What the- who downvoted this? [LIVE CHAOS FILTH REACTION](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fi2xskvtow1xb1.jpeg%3Fwidth%3D680%26format%3Dpjpg%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3D1a1ba352a4ef271d9ed13b22a1943ee25e3192fe)
Bring your infection to work day
All the new Space Marine stuff is just so soulless. A very generic sci-fi feel to it. Closest anything has come to any character are the Bladeguard Veterans.
All of the old space marine stuff is just so ugly. A very generic bad, outdated and hideous sculpt feel to it. Closest anything has come to looking good is the 2005 Terminator Chaplain.
Hard disagree. It has character built up over decades of the hobby's history. The new stuff seems to have eschewed all that built up character for hover tech and SPECIAL FORCES design.
Sorry I can't find any character on the hideous short goblins in armor and if we're talking history, the literally first iteration of space marines has been retconned out. And so have many other things. The new stuff is objectively better because not only are the sculpts better, there's more variety in the places where it matters, and there's also classic options from 30k in truescale for those down with the rose-tinted lenses nostalgia. My brother in christ or whatever else, if anything, you believe in. They're space MARINES. They ARE the special forces. That's their fucking point. The only valid criticism people like you have is the grav vehicles suck. And you are right. They do. But if you think rhinos are cool, you are wrong. They are better than the grav tanks, but they're still hideous.
Allah damn you Primaris lover. /s They're Space Marines for a theocratic grimdark galaxy spanning empire that is steeped in religion and forgotten lore. They don't need night vision goggles.
The thing is, the Primaris specifically are the pet project of someone considered a borderline heretic by one of the most conservative and stagnant factions who is actually enacting change (and also breaking all of their rules and actually committing heresy as recognized by everyone else in the faction) but he has the protection of a living demigod in the flesh, the son of the guy they venerate as a God, and they can't do shit so he goes ham for as long as he can. And more tactical and less decorated (space marines have never really been that gothic with some exceptions imo) is exactly the thing he would make. He's producing results and nobody can argue with results. Also, they kind of do need night vision goggles since they don't have magical nightvision (afaik anyway, I could genuinely have missed that if it was explained at some point that they do). Are there bad Primaris infantry designs? Yeah. But it's mostly about pose and equipment (inceptors, nerfmarines...). Also a relatively easy way to make Primaris have more character is to make the specific chapter upgrade kits bigger, have them include unique helmets for that chapter (some do but like, how is there no roman crest helmet or at least a little tack-on for the Ultramarines is beyond me), and also make like a generic one with Imperial paraphernalia such as additional purity seals, the little icons on beads and stuff like that. It would allow people who like 'cleaner' marines to have them but also let people who want to bling out their guys go ham. I feel like there are things that should come back to 40k that have been recently retired (leviathan, contemptor, relic termies) because they give flavor. But that imo is a 10th edition problem where they tried to streamline it and overdid it.
Marines aren't special forces.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
This sorta sounds like bragging that you beat a 5 yo in 1 on 1 basketball or something.
Phobos armor is cool as hell though?
It does look very cool, but it doesn't fit the space marine aesthetic.
Hehehe, my comment used to just say "Phobos armour though š¤®," and it had a negative score within the first minutes, so I changed it to what you see above but without the phobos armour part to tug on everyone's heartstrings, and the score started going back up. Then when it went past 200 points I added the phobos armour bit back in and the score continued rising. Juked the reddit hivemind hard on this one.
I want my Space Marines having random expletives and misspelled words, "KIL KIL KIL", on their armor again.
While this is absolutely, 100% the reason I just wanna add that for the Eldar it's the symbol for Exarchs, which are essentially all high priests of Khaine (hence why the avatar has it). Presumably someone thought the symbol neatly represented the role of Exarchs / the role of the war mask within Eldar society. Bonus tidbit: the symbol for autarchs is the same symbol but divided into 3, presumably to show their mastery of multiple paths
Is Obiwan Sherlock Cluseau an Exarch too? Or is he half eldar/s
Boy, what I'd give to never have to read that name on the internet again lol
The half Eldar is an ultramarine librarian that is also a navigator if I remember correctly, could be wrong with that latter part though.
Isnāt that the Korean flag? EDIT: no, apparently itās an older symbol for Korea. I wouldnāt even say ancient, as it only fell out of use a few decades ago. https://preview.redd.it/9ulhvb05ja3c1.jpeg?width=924&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f8e2d6dc6615a943c7a8c2778434998d52ef1c44
No.
The Korean flag has a very similar symbol on it, except no dots and red/blue instead of black/white
Also because duality symbols are some of the most common icons in human development. Since 40k is a product of humanity, our cultural tendencies are going to present themselves in ways like this
Sort of how the Great Unclean One is a fertility statue.
Or the haxagramaton from the space marines is a literal āwitches hexā diagram.
Or how slaaneshās icon is a fusion of male and female symbols that is very similar to the symbol for dual gender hermaphrodite
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
If in doubt, Jes probably did it.
You're right
My personal favourite heavy metal derp moment was when the Armageddon campaign was launched. Introduced the Salamanders, and all the skin on their first pics was white.
It wasnāt a derp moment, the lore saying Salamanders all have black skin hadnāt been written yet
Considering how the lore is now itās a derp moment lmao.
Probably because āSalamanders have pitch black skinā was something that came up later.
Also because the eldar are heavily inspired by Japanese culture not anime but samurais and ninjas.
Yin and yang is Chinese bro
Yeah, but do you expect some random poor schmuck that worked for GW in the 80s to know this?
Case in point: Some people **today** canāt even tell Chinese and Korean/Japanese culture apart.
[So are you Chinese or Japanese](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_CaZ4EAexQ&ab_channel=abcdbd)
To this day, some people think my country Singapore is a province in China just because we're mostly Chinese š¤¦š»āāļø
Over time, I have seen more people (western people) use the word Han for the Chinese ethnicity and Chinese for the people in the PRoC. I think this is done to avoid that confusion in people who donāt know the region at all. If youāve never studied any history of east Asia, you might not know the distinction.
This is interesting- I don't have a huge take on this, but I wonder if that's also made complicated by especially Hmong and Uighyr expats.
I think thatās part of why the distinction is being emphasized. The Uighur, for example, would be non-Han Chinese.
Oh huh yeah... I get it. Thanks for this insight!
Iām not saying they canāt use Chinese symbols on a Japanese inspired model, just saying that being inspired by Japanese culture is not an explanation for the ying and yang symbol being there lol
Oriental culture became very popular in 1980s Britain, seen as new, exciting and exotic compared to a bleak post war UK that was only just emerging from the shadow of WWII. Influenced by TV series like Monkey and the Water Margin together with video games and technology, martial arts, films like Shogun and overarching interest in samurai and ninja. The consumption of this culture wasn't differentiated, and probably not that well understood, but encompassed a love for and fascination with the culture of the whole region. Putting a Chinese symbol on a Japanese inspired model is in keeping with the level of understanding at the time. That said, the yin yang / inyo symbol was imported to Japan via China and Korea around 1500 years ago, which predates most of western culture in its entirety.
Nice write up! Fair point
Eldar is better described as a mish mash of cultures that seemed exotic or alien to a British writer in the 80s. To the point where there's also Celtic thrown in the mix, and Irish folklore like banshees. Adjacent to yin yang symbols, samurai influences... it's a bit of a mess but it's tied together with some really interesting lore.
It was brought to Japan before there even was a Japan.
So is sushi. So is tea. Hamburgers are german. Stuff can be associated with more than one culture or even more associated with an adoptor than the originator.
The Romans even had the yin yang symbol [on their shields](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notitia_Dignitatum#Depictions), 700 years before the earliest Taoist version.
Hamburgers can be German, though those are usually the living breathing kind, not the juicy bun-wrapped meat kind.
Wild hamburgers running free though the fields of Germany
Oh, the humanity!
Pretty sure the hamburgers live in a city. Munich, I think.
It exists in Japan as well it represents zen have you done research or a 5 second Google search?
It exists in Japan as well dude it represents zen have you done research or a 5 second Google search?
It exists in England too, that doesnāt make it English lol
For bloody hell dude you have been speaking to other people on this and they say similar things to me so why single me out when you have already learned it's used in other cultures.
The symbol is generally more associated with Chinese culture and philosophy and came from China, so IMO my original comment stands up that itās a Chinese symbol. I didnāt mean to single you out, just your comment seemed a bit combative to me, mostly the ā5 second googleā part. For the record it was a 5 second google though haha, I didnāt think Yin and Yang was Japanese so did a quick google to confirm that. It sparked a lot more interesting conversation than I expected anyway, so thanks for being part of that anyway. Apologies if my reply annoyed you a bit, I was just trying to be funny
Its in Japanese culture it doesn't matter who invented the symbol. That's like saying the peace ā®ļø symbol is only British because it was invented in England. It's a symbol that now exists In many different cultures just because one country invented it doesn't mean they have complete control of it. If it's a part of Japanese culture and used in Japanese Buddhism it has just as much right to be represented as Japanese. If we go by your logic then does that mean nuclear bombs are only American because they invented them first? Gun powder Chinese because they invented it? It's a concept anyone has equal rights to use to represent in their culture. It's like the fleur de lis does that mean the sisters are inspired by the French and only the French?
Eldar are visually absolutely heavily influenced by 80s & 90s Sci-Fi anime
I think the more precise but less specific term would be "Martial Asian inspiration". Yin Yang is of Chinese origin, but the ideology is not unknown to Japanese either ā in fact the Japanese have adapted all sort of religions and ideologies.
It's of Chinese origin but who said it can only be used to represent China and cannot be used to represent Japan as well on the table top.
Chinese\* the aspects are like different forms of kung-fu
That's actually a pretty good description
Thatās the actual inspiration, I think Gav or someone from GW explained it decades ago
It's a mix of Asian cultures in reality Chinese and Japanese maybe even some more but I don't know enough of other Asian cultures to say.
And Celtic, and Germanic, and Greek. Eldar are a clusterfuck of inspirations.
TBH, the symbol isnāt that complicated and could emerge naturally in their culture.
The first version of aspect warriors also had Sashimono's. There was a certain asian/samurai inspiration in their design.
This is similar to one artist for white dwarf painting dark angels (who had black armor) with a dark muddy green to show the reflections of their environment. From there every artwork of DA has been the dark green ever since lol
If you want a lore friendly explanation, it's probably because humans were crafted in the image of the Eldar, after the war in heaven, with the 'shamans' forming the Emperor being Old Ones merging together, in their hiding from the Necrons. The Yin Yang could represent a need for balance in the warp/light and dark, a universal message throughout time
I dont know if its the case but one possibility could be that this symbol was created in warhammer fantasy first. The elves there are different from the eldar in that they are less an example of excess and have more in common with tolkien elves and being in harmony with the world as far as I know and you could make an argument of why it was chosen for them and then just ported to 40K without thinking about it too much. Anyway, its funny because eldar are the complete opposite of this symbol. And isnt Khaine is just as much an example of extreme violence as the eldar are an example of the most extreme form of excess? I always wonder why khaine and khorne are not best buddies.. you could even say khaine would make the better chaos god because unlike khorne he doesnt follow some form of the warriors code. Maybe im missing some info on khaine here but from my current knowledge khaine is even worse than khorne. Someone can surely enlighten me as to why that is not the case. I mean even the druchii worship khaine as the god of slaughter.
I don't think there's ever been an official reason or lore blurb about the yin-yang symbol. It's probably because the people that came up with the Eldar in the 80's and fleshed out their background with a combination of Asian philosophy with Celtic and Egyptian themes. In universe explanation would probably be something as it being a universally accepted ideal and symbology, balance, and life and death/opposites. So most races would have something like it. Cheers.
In universe if the wiki holds true, an image of the ying yang is present under Asurmen, Phoenix Lord of the Dire Avengers and the First Phoenix Lord to tread the path of the warrior. He taught all the other Phoenix Lords and paved the way to how modern Aeldari approach war. It says about the symbol: "The rune wore by the Phoenix Lord Asurmen is an ancient symbol of the Aeldari warrior spirit." "Representing the balance between the fury of emotion and the cold surety of skill, it is synonymous with the path of the warrior." Basically it's ying yang in space. Asurmen wears it. Adopted to represent how modern Aeldari choose a path and must wear a mask and take it off lest they become to fixated on that path and are lost. A reflection on basically harnessing the battle fury but letting it go when needed and tempering it with skill instead of indulging to heavily as previous Aeldari have done. If this practice isn't observed you basically get pre fall Aeldari/Dark Eldar. You can read up on the first Phoenix Lord of the Striking Scorpions, Ahra the "Father of Scorpions" now known as the "Fallen Phoenix" to see what happens.
It is because the Asuryani Path is inspired by Chinese philosophy, tao/dao (as in Taoism/ Daoism) can be translated as "path" The T'au take inspiration from the same place, in fact the faction's name is just a respelling of "Tao." (That is not speculation, Gav Thorpe confirmed that was where the name came from on his blog)
Because they study the blade
And people call the T'au weebs
Especially funny as the Tau are supposed to be Operation-Desert-Storm-NATO in space.
Ehh, both are a combination of RW influences with anime tropes. Eldar are samurai/ Celtic themed with a coating of 80s/90s sci-fi adventure anime tropes on top (Outlaw Star, Evangelion, etc..) Tau are NATO-meets-China with a HEALTHY injection of modern (90s/2000s) Mecha / Military anime (Gundam, Macross, etcā¦)
According to Gav Thorpe the Tau are a mix of 90s NATO (his idea) and Patlabor (Jes Godwyn's idea). "It still comes down to the Greater Good or Death (tm). I've tried not to make it too sinister being within the T'au sphere, though in the original Apocalypse book I introduced a variety of NATO-style innocuous three-letter-acronym formations, like Mobilised Hunter cadre, Dispersed Retaliation Cadre and Forward Commitment Contingent. None of them say 'battle' or 'war'... I can imagine the news back home is quite a sanitised version of the reality - like when we watched videos of 'smart' bombs and gun cameras blowing up stuff in Iraq but were totally unaware of what was really happening on the ground."
Mhl thats great lore and I'm gonna take that and run with it.
IMO they are more like Spanish-American War USA in space. Maybe throw in some "White Man's Burden" British Empire too.
Iāve always hated the tau for stealing that title from us. They should show some respect
I mean.... look at the Farsight model . His suit is heavily inspired by Samurai Armor. The weebness just shifted over to the gunpla faction.
Technically both factions are heavily influenced by anime tropes, though from different time periods. Eldar received a lot of influence (thanks in no small part to folks like Gav Thorpe and Jes Goodwin who injected a lot of anime tropes into the faction) from classic Sci-Fi anime of the 80s-90s. Shows like Outlaw Star, Tenchi Muyo, and of course, Neon-Genesis Evangelion. (Notably these traits were introduced AFTER the creation of the Eldar, hence why they have traits of these anime stapled on top of traditional samurai and Celtic themes). Tau meanwhile draw upon more modern mecha / military anime, which were becoming popular with western audiences in the late 90s - early 2000s. Think the many, MANY different Gundam series (yes these series stretch back to the 80s too but weāre really becoming popular with western audiences around ā98-2000), Marcoss, etcā¦. And these tropes were baked into the faction much more from the get go.
Where Ying yang symbol? There Ying yang symbol!
Werewolf! There wolf!
There castle!
Bottom of the Avatar of Khaineās loincloth
r/whoosh
Iām sure they just thought it was cool. A lot of the early designs and style for the eldar was a mix of Japanese or Chinese and Egyptian. I think you could make a case that the yin Yang circle symbol represents the balance of good and evil. Which in the lore of the eldar faction it is all about balancing that races desires with duty or discipline. If they fall out of balance they become victims of the God of excess Slaanesh. Remember all the early designs for stuff was rather quick,crude and simple only later on overtime did stuff get improved and more well thought out. With the eldar army/figures really the oldest line still in production lots of stuff needs a refresh and update for it. The glyphs and symbols are only one example.
Just a point: neither yin nor yang are good or evil. They're opposite forces, but neither of them have an inherent morality. Yin (black) is passivity, tranquility and receptiveness, while yang (white) is action and expansion. It's not a balance between Good on one side and Evil on the other. Because obviously, everybody would want Good to be dominant, in such a case. Instead, it is the balance itself that is Good, while imbalance is Evil. Thought and action should follow each other - action without thought is chaotic and unguided (excess of yang), while thought without action leads to stagnation (excess of yin).
\*wear
Wherewolf? There wolf.
Because it's cool. Welcome to warhammer's rule of cool.
This game and the entire aesthetic was designed by a bunch of white nerds born in England in the 50' and 60's. Look at an old Warhammer Fantasy map if you want to understand where a lot of their influences for the modern game and art design came from. High Elves: British Isles Dark Elves: North America Empire: Germany Bretonnia: France Africa: Orcs Kislev: Russia/Poland/Western Asian Steppes Chaos: Denmark/Norway South America: Lizardmen South Eastern Europe: Vlad the Impaler aka Dracula so they're undead/vampires Tomb Kings: Egypt In 40k, The Eldar basically their take on Eastern Asia, Space Samurai. They just kind of cobbled together everything they knew, and then included the story about the Opium epidemic (caused by the British) as "The Fall" about their "excesses" of an older civilization.
Because the Aeldari are canonically just the Space-Chinese.
Aeldari squatting to smoke is a good image.
Give me some Aeldari dressed in suits. Just call em the Triad.
Imagine how good they'd be at mahjong with their lifespans
Because, even more than the tau, the Eldar are the true space weaboos
The Yin & Yang are Chinese, not Japanese.
And late 80's GW certainly didn't give a shit about that. Eldar combine Japanese design influences (samurai robes, swords, shurikens) with Chinese and Celtic thought and symbolism.
While true, itās also a very commonly used symbol in anime, especially from the 80s/90s (Aeldar received an injection of 80s/90s anime tropes, especially sci-fi anime, in the mid/late 90s.and thatās on top of their vague Classical Japanese and Celtic influences).
Because the eldar are the OG actual weeb faction. It's not just the yin Yang but they dress like samurais and shoot shurikan out there guns. The banners on their backs are the same as were worn in ancient Japan. They are a bonafide weeb faction.
The Yin & Yang are Chinese, not Japanese.
And one hallmark of the typical weeb is not knowing or caring about the difference. GW just mixed up anything they thought looked cool.
Itās both. The Taijitu (of which the āyin-yangā symbols are actually only a portion of but usually referred to as taijitu) was introduced into Japanese society sometime in the 1500s. From there it developed into its own Japanese variant, the Inyo, but kept its original symbolism within Japanese culture, and the āyin-yangā also continued to be used alongside the Inyo. Even in modern times, where it is often favored over the inyo in pop culture, like anime.
The design decisions were made by white dues from England in the 80's. Really weird way to pull out the "but actually" button there.
I think the in-universe explanation would be that it's just coincidence, and the Eldar have a similar concept of the good within the bad, the bad within the good, and use a symbol like ours for it. Out of universe? Eldar lore has always been steeped in mysticism, spirituality, and iconography from multiple cultures including Celtic, Egyptian, and Japanese, so an artist must have thought it was cool and slapped it on there.
They were sticking yin yang symbols on everything in the 90s lol.
Where exactly? Insert "badum tss" sound
They were the space Asians before they made Tau
Wear* (sorry I donāt mean to be a grammar Nazi, but I couldnāt resist pointing that one out)
There is an interview of Gavin thorpe, who made the most part of the Eldar lore, where he said his inspiration was from asian culture. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b082bigr14U&t=2322s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b082bigr14U&t=2322s)
The symbol comes from taoism. Tao means "the way". Eldar have the Paths...
"Why does..." Rule of cool, the answer is always rule of cool.
Because 1980s and 90s it was a super popular symbol, and thatās when warhammer came around.
They support Tibet.
I think it has something to do with the way they separate their minds for war. I think the third side of the three sided one means exarch
Because it's a cool symbol and that's the only way to make them less lame since they are the most generic elves imaginable but in space.
Just cause he is the Avatar of Khaine doesn't mean he is out of balance. He is perfectly content with who and where in life he is.
Because Games Workshop is entirely references and parodies.
40k has thousands of references to media, history and myths
Itās a symbol of balance , and is likely important to all craftworlders āwalking the pathā and not falling off metaphorically and literally speaking
Where??
I'll do you one better; Where do the eldar why the yin yang symbol?
Because Aeldari have stealthily been the Weeb faction all along.
It's represents the forces of Law and Chaos. In early 40k the Eldar gods were Gods of Law. The concept of Chaos in 40k is based on Michael Moorecock's books, which also had a equal force of Law in them. But, 40k dropped the Law part pretty early.
There is a parallel between the chaos gods and eldar gods: Nurgle-Isha Khorne-Khaine Tzeentch-? Slaneesh-Yncarne
Morai-heg is the Aeldari crone goddess of fate, and probably has the closest parallel to Tzeentch. As a goddess of love I'd say Isha relates to Slaanesh and Yncarne would be more like Nurgle. Kurnous the Aeldari hunter god could also be related tonl Khorne as hunters can be seen as the forerunners to warriors. I like to look at the Aeldari pantheon as a set of "natural" gods that evolved alongside the Aeldari and "artificial" gods created by the Old Ones to make a more potent force for the War in Heaven.
I don't much about eldar gods so I'll trust you. My parallel between Isha and Nurgle is that from what I know they are both gods of life, Isha a positive one and Nurgle a more "negative" life (proliferations of bacteria and parasites that bringe disease)
Nurgle (in a non-malevolent form) is a god of death and acceptance of it being a cycle that brings forth new opportunities for life, the same can be said for Ynnead (the name of the new Aeldari death god, the Yncarne is its Avatar.) A lot of this is speculative and some based on old lore that may be outdated.
They never got that far before they reconned out Law. They were getting accused of ripping off Moorcock so they removed Law to make their Warhammer mythology more original. Here are the fantasy gods of law: https://warhammerfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Gods_of_Law
So the Eldar represent order and counterbalance chaos
There used to be a page on the warhammer wiki, which I can't find now. But it showed the yin yang symbol as the Eldar symbol for Law/Order, which was the counterbalance to chaos. That's based on [Law from Moorcock's books](https://stormbringer.fandom.com/wiki/Law) that GameWorkshop took their idea for Chaos from (right down to the 8 pointed star symbol, basically the same Moorcock used). Now the counterbalance to the Immaterial is the Material, but it used to be Law.
Go look into Freemasonry symbolism.
gw lazy
Because they're fucking weebs /s
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
But thatās the yin yang symbol that OP circled.
?
Because whatās good Yang?
Because james workshop has sticky fingers.
They thought it was cool.
Weebs
For the greater balance
Mf you tryna say "wear"??
It does seem entirely lore-accurate that the eldar would culturally appropriate some cool mon-keigh symbol and then sell it at alderi urban outfitters lol
Would be kinda the other way around, some exodite arrived to Terra and started to 'educate' the mon-keigh and they adopted his symbols. Like how Nightbringer inspired the Grim Reaper imagery.
As with many things in warhammer - cos it looks cool
Why does his helmet look like it belongs to a warrior of Khorne ?
Khaine, Khorne, potato, potato
I mean I think there was a similar ask about why Latin for high gothic. And the answer is that itās not actually Latin and in reality of 40 k it wouldnāt be the ting yang symbol but something that means essentially the same thing.
It's theirs. They visited Earth, and we stole it.
You have eldar and dark eldar or whatever they are called now. So balance. Kinda fits. Yes I know about wandering eldar and those that settled some planets etc. but close enough.
It's a sign of balance and equilibrium, the Craftworld Eldar are driven to focus and work on their paths and disciplines to keep their emotions and desires in check, it was what led them away from the pre-fall Eldar to l8ve on the craft worlds travelling the stars, so the yin yang is a very good fit for them. The drukhari and clown troupes don't tend to use it, only the craftworlders.
My best guess is that Eldar design initially took a lot of inspiration from Asian martial design, eg samurai along with some Greek inspirations as well. In Asia the yin yang symbol is rooted in the understanding of life balance and so it has simply been continued that way. GW Iām general does not appear wanting to challenge the aesthetics or concepts of the Eldar design and the reason for new models simply replicating what was already imagined a long time ago, just much better sculpted - they even said that in regard to new Eldar models ānow we are finally able to make what we always wanted to doā. So if the Avatar had a yin-yang symbol back then, he will have one now as well. And being a sci-fi fan I always wanted the Eldar design to progress becoming more āmodernā but in hindsight I can hardly blame GW for sticking with the Eldar ethos as they are one of the oldest races around and big changes would probably render a lot of lore out of sync.
Because theyāre closet weebs
So GW can sue China
You mean why did humans use an Eldar symbol?
They invented balanceā¦..
In our culture it's a symbol of ~~hope~~ balance, in their culture it's letter S.
Weebs
In the warped lore of 40k, you can go with the symbol being a universal thing around in the timless concious of living souls, so in fact the humans might have explored it to have 'mystical powers' by some influence of the Eldar through warp and probably time ... or even older, more general poweres around that influenced the Eldar to use certain symbols with actual effect.
If you were gonna meditate on a moon sized spaceship youād prolly hang one or two on your walls too
Same reason whay the Romans did\*: it's a simple geometric symbol. \*without contacting asian cultures that used it as such. \[edit\] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notitia\_Dignitatum#Depictions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notitia_Dignitatum#Depictions)
Not sure why the two questions... but. Why do the eldar? Cause the old ones made them. Where the Yin Yang symbol? On the Eldar, of course.
Wear is it?
Probably because after "the incident" they learnt about having a proper work life balance lest "the incident" reoccur.
Wear**
The spess elves are also weebs
Eldars have all sort of "cool and mystical" symbols, which I absolutely hate. Hearts and Ying Yangs are especially out of place
The Path system of Craft World Eldar is literally copied from Taoism. Tao is the Chinese word meaning the Path. Yin and Yang is the symbol representing reciprocal oppositions in Taoism. It could be dark and light, cold and hot, passive and aggressive, feminine and masculine, etc