Board Thread:Warhammer 40k General Discussion/@comment-7671639-20130406191336/@comment-6134883-20130408211615

Judging from the canonical Legions and Chapters the writers apparently start by taking a historical figure or culture (like Vikings and Mongol Hordes) or a pop culture Icon like Batman (l don't have to tell you do I?) and work from there.

For my Second Legion I combined Merlin and King Arthur to create the Primarch and pretty much everything followed from there. Shining armor, mystic arts, a fondness for harp music, etc.

For the Eleventh Primarch I took Moses' origin story and turned him into a Pharaoh instead of a prophet. Again the Egyptian/ middle eastern flavor followed naturally.