The Chaos is one of the greatest and probably most well-known powers in Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000. The various Chaos gods each have their own domain, but one stands out: Nurgle, who seemingly only wishes the best for his followers. However, there might be a dark secret behind it.
In Warhammer, the Warp is the realm of emotions of psychic beings like humans and when enough of them accumulate, entities like the Chaos gods can arise.
Normally, the gods are associated with negative things: Khorne with hatred and bloodlust, Slaanesh with excess and desire, Tzeentch with the thirst for knowledge and the need to weave intrigues. Accordingly, they demand from their followers to behave in a way that promotes these things, as this ultimately makes the gods stronger.
Only Nurgle is… different. He is the creator of all diseases and views them as gifts. He grants his questionable blessings very generously, no one has to work hard for them. The Plague God is said to always be smiling kindly and humming to himself while creating the worst diseases imaginable.
However, behind the facade of the generous grandfather lies something else, for Nurgle is also the god of despair. A fan now has the theory that Nurgle is actually a rather tragic being.
“Nurgle is incredibly depressed, and that is the only thing he does not share”
Neither_Salt_6423 explains on Reddit that he recently read the “Dark Imperium” trilogy by Guy Haley and discovered some details about the Chaos gods, specifically regarding Nurgle. In the books, it states at several points: Nurgle’s garden is open to all, only his house is completely sealed. Every window is boarded up, every door locked, one cannot even take a look inside.
No one is ever allowed to enter the house, except perhaps Isha, the Eldar goddess and Nurgle’s captive, and only those whom Nurgle directly invites – which is extremely rare. For cultists, demons, and everyone else, the house is off-limits.
As Nurgle is the god of despair, there must be some despair in his realm. However, this contradicts the bliss he shares with his followers through his diseases.
The user’s response: Finding satisfaction in his role in the cycle of life and death is a way to combat despair. Instead of sharing it with the “family,” Nurgle keeps the despair within himself, after all, he is its embodiment. It is the only thing that is solely for him.
The gods can never get enough – literally
The post continues that people often do not show their depression. They are often funny, make jokes, and can be “the life of the party.” Only in an empty house can they let their “mask” fall.
Chaos gods apparently do not function like humans. Nurgle’s despair is thus not a problem for him but rather his entire essence. And he can never get enough of that. The same applies to other gods:
- Khorne’s nature is slaughter, and yet he seeks more and more violence.
- Slaanesh is the embodiment of excess and lust, but still needs more.
- Tzeentch is the master of all plans, and nevertheless, he must always keep forging new plans, that is his nature.
These needs can never be satisfied, for as soon as one of the domains stops growing, the corresponding god will also grow weaker. Since Chaos seeks ever more Chaos, that would be a death sentence for the Chaos god.
“Fascinating and really good writing”
The user explains that he does not want to imply anything here but is just sharing an observation. He adds: If Nurgle really wants to hurt you, he will take you to his house, cut off from the garden, the family, from everything, surrounded only by him and his despair.
The community gives hundreds of upvotes and expresses enthusiasm for the theory. Such details are exactly what makes Warhammer so exciting:
I find this really fascinating, that is good writing. To contribute something, I think that [the house] being boarded up and locked instead of simply overgrown by the garden is narrative. Nurgle could keep Isha so well sealed that even the other gods know nothing of her.
brevenbreven on Reddit
In another comment, it is mentioned that one can also interpret Nurgle’s behavior differently. Nurgle is only kind as long as one is in harmony with him – otherwise, he makes you feel his power, and not much remains of the friendly grandfather.
That the gods are playing their cruel games with their favorites is nothing new and not an exception. Nurgle has already punished his champion Mortarion with a very personal torture – which, of course, causes despair. Similarly, Slaanesh does the same with one of his favorites: A traitor in Warhammer 40,000 is constantly resurrected because his death is far too funny for a god
