Warhammer Day is just around the corner! Hopefully, you’ve made plans to head down to your local Warhammer or Games Workshop store this Saturday to join in the festivities and pick up exclusive loot.
As we've been getting ready for the big day, there’s been a retrospective twinkle in many an eye. We’ve already talked about the top 5 hammers in Warhammer, and today we turn our gaze to the top 5 eagles…
5. Storm Eagle
Storm Eagles are the bigger, nastier version of Stormravens that were widely used by the Legiones Astartes during the Horus Heresy. They’re not about to win any awards for sleek, aerodynamic design, but they certainly excel at getting Space Marines into battle, and in a galaxy of war, that's sometimes all you need.
4. The Elfheim Eagles
Eagles are a common choice for Blood Bowl team logos – after all, they’re easy to recognize from the stands and they’re generally mean-looking. But don’t mistake the Elfheim Eagles for being basic – they’re one of the very finest teams to grace the pitch. They’ve been praised for (or accused of, depending on your loyalties) being superbly accurate, fast, agile, and utterly devastating when the moment strikes, just like their namesake.
3. Inquisitor Coteaz’ Two-headed Glovodan Eagle
Few would ever describe Inquisitor Coteaz as subtle. Maybe it’s the in-your-face-with-its-two-faces eagle that sits upon his gleaming golden armour. And it's a real one, rather than the mere images and carvings you see on other servants of the Emperor. A gift from the Adeptus Mechanicus, this massive raptor has been fitted with augmetics to allow the Inquisitor to see and hear everything the eagle does. It also makes him look like an absolute boss, which is obviously half the point.
2. Aetherwings
There are tons of eagles and eagle-like monsters in the Mortal Realms, but one comes immediately to mind. The Vanguard-Raptors kit comes with a ‘quiver’ of Aetherwings (the totally official name for a group of them, naturally) that hang out and broadly look dangerous, whilst also granting uncanny battlefield awareness to their heavy-gunning companions. The two are such fast friends, in fact, the Vanguard-Raptors even make their homes amongst their bird bros.
1. The Aquila
Few icons or images call to mind the Warhammer 40,000 universe as readily and effectively as the stylised, angular double-headed eagle. It’s been around since the very dawn of the game, and enjoys pride of place as the most common Warhammer-themed tattoo subject.*
The symbol itself represents the totality of the government and military might of Humanity, and each piece corresponds to a specific branch or chamber of the Imperium. Of course, it’s no mistake the tip of one wing can be seen in the new Warhammer logo.
Honourable Mention: Gwaihir™ the Wind Lord
Even the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game has plenty of hammers-and-eagles imagery. We couldn’t fail to mention Gwaihir, the greatest of the Great Eagles. Despite being the most traditionally eagle-like of anything else on this list, he’s not an eagle at all – but rather an otherworldly being sent by the Valar to act as a sentry and spy.There are plenty of other eagles (and hammers) all throughout Warhammer – did we miss your favourites? Tell us all about it on the Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Age of Sigmar Facebook pages. But most importantly, don’t forget to stop by your local shop this Saturday, the 29th, to celebrate the new Hammer-and-Eagle logo on Warhammer Day!
* There’s no real data to back this up, as far as we’re aware.