Hexagrammaton
The Hexagrammaton or Corpus Dextera[3c], colloquially known as the 'Six Hosts of the Angels of Death', 'Six Divine Ways', or the 'Six Wings', were specialized formations used by the First Legion (later known as the Dark Angels) of the Legiones Astartes.[1]
Contents
Overview
Existing outside of regular chain of command and organisation of Dark Angels Space Marine Legion, the Hexagrammaton was an amalgamation of Terran pre-Principia Belicosa era approach to organisation of Space Marines and of traditions of Caliban knightly orders.[1a] There were six Wings existing within Dark Angels Legion - Dreadwing, Deathwing, Ironwing, Ravenwing, Stormwing and Firewing although these terms are Calibanite in origin and the original Legion would have used different terminology.[1a]
History
Before creation of the First Legiones Astartes, the Uncrowned Princes who would one day become the Dark Angels, were organised into formations known as the Hosts of the Angels of Death during the Unification Wars.[1c][3a] First appearing in 603.M30 during the Third Siege of Antioch, each of these Hosts was dedicated its own specialisation and purpose. Adapting a myriad of doctrines to create a coda of battle that would fit the post-human armies of the Emperor. Laying the foundations for the future Principia Bellicosa.[3a]
The First Legion would go on to create a number of Hosts, with at least 18 existing by the end of the Unification Wars. Over time these Hosts came and went, either dissolved as their specialized talents were deemed obsolete by the young legion, or made extinct by the inadequacy of their methods of war. The loss of these Hosts did little to harm the First. Rather, this process of bloody evolution left it strong. Forging the legion into a well-honed weapon by the fighting on Terra.[3a]
The Hexagrammaton, a phrase in ancient Terran that loosely translates as 'The Six Divine Ways', is the title given to the modern form of the Dark Angels' great Hosts. It came into use throughout the Legion at some point around 830.M30, when the Legion first reached a nominal strength of 100,000 warriors and had excised many of the early Hosts by means of attrition in battle and the failure of their doctrines.[3b]
Those six Hosts that remained were regarded as the purest and most efficacious expression of the tactics and strategies forged by the First Legion over its long history, worthy of a permanent place within their order of battle. So successful were they that, when he took command of the Legion, Lion El'Jonson retained the Hexagrammaton virtually unchanged. The Primarch took steps only to re-organise their hierarchies and to structure the Hosts to more closely echo the Calibanite knightly cohorts with which he had conquered the dark forests of his adopted home world, symbolically changing the title of those forces to 'Wings' to mark his ascension to the position of Grandmaster.[3b]
Purpose and Organisation
While the First Legion organisation followed the principles of Principia Belicosa and the legion's strength was organised into Companies led by captains, Chapters led by masters and Orders led by paladins, members of the Wings were distributed amongst squads and companies. There they acted as line legionaries, sergeants, captains or in specialised functions and were assembled on orders from the voted lieutenant of the wing.[1a]
Lieutenants acted as both commander of their Wing and often as aide to primarch Lion El'Jonson.[2] Lieutenants were elected by peers rather than nominated by superior and have assigned their nominated successors so the command of the Wing is not interrupted in case of the lieutenant's death.[1a]
On battlefield, the intervention of the Wing had to be requested by commander responsible for area of operations or campaign. When such request is made and accepted, members of Wing are summoned from their duties where possible and assemble to conduct operations per their lieutenant's orders.[1b]
Hierarchy
The warriors of the Hexagrammaton adhered to their own system of titles, denoting both the bearer's authority and skill within the Wing to which he belonged. This system was in use with all six of the modern Wings with few variances between them. Some employed distinct honorary titles to distinguish warriors of particular renown, such as the title Eskaton, which is used within the Dreadwing to denote a warrior that has overseen the final death of an entire race or world.[3c]
A list of general rankings:
- Voted-Lieutenant - Commanders of the six Wings.[1a]
- Lieutenant-Ascendant - Second in command and personal student to the Wing’s Voted-Lieutenant, they would immediately take leadership over their respective Wing should the Voted-Lieutenant ever fall.[1a]
- Voted-Successor - Elected successors to a Wing’s Voted-Lieutenant.[1a]
- Master - Among the most senior and veteran members of the Legion, Wing masters were ideally suited to freely take part in the legion’s high level strategic planning, which they were trusted with by the Lion.[3c]
- Marshal - Among the most senior and veteran members of the Legion, Wing marshals served under their Wing masters, and were ideally suited to freely take part in the legion’s high level strategic planning, which they were trusted with by the Lion.[3c]
- Proctor - Senior members of a Wing, proctors would often be called upon to serve as advisors to other Dark Angels formations.[3c][3d]
- Initiate[3c]
Trivia
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- The symbol of the Hexagrammaton is a unicursal hexagram.
See also
Sources
- 1: Angels of Caliban (Novel):
- 2: The Unremembered Empire (Novel), Chapter 10
- 3: The Horus Heresy Book Nine - Crusade:
