Space Marines

In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war.

This tagline is probably one of the greatest taglines ever put down to advertise a game. In just a few simple words, it lays out a sobering picture of the world of Warhammer 40K. The immensity of such a statement weighs upon the mind like an mountain of dead bodies, piled up so high that the pinnacle touches the edge of space.

Why Space Marines?

So, readers of my blog, why am I writing about Space Marines? Isn’t this the task of much more lore-friendly table-top gaming nerds (and I use the term nerd affectionately)? I have never even played the tabletop game. I have, however, played one of the computer games, and have seen some videos and read some of the lore on various sites, and even from the periphery of interest, I can see there is something that needs to be discussed of the Space Marines. Why? What does it have to do with my usual topics? It fits. Trust me.

First, a brief introduction. Space Marines are an imaginary class of super warriors created by Games Workshop for their line of fantasy role playing games. The Space Marines are super bioengineered men in advanced power armor, who carry weapons of immense power, and are capable of super-human feats of strength, endurance, and bravery. They are also giants: standing head and shoulders above normal, mortal men. They are the culmination of humanity’s need to defend itself from the unknown foes in the outer reaches of the universe. They can be thought of as knights, or Roman soldiers. They have a strict code of conduct and are arranged into different monistic chapters, each with its own heraldry. There is much more I could say, but there is plenty of literature out there on them if you care to look for yourself. I only included this introduction as a launching point.

The reason I am thinking about Space Marines is because of my recent interest in Cosmic Horror. My last blog was about what makes Cosmic Horror: what defines it, but most of all, what it ultimately represents.

In summary, the monsters of the Cosmic Horror genre are the denizens of the unconscious. They are chaotic. They are deep. They are unknowable. They are the antithesis of the rational, conscious mind. We fear them, which is why we erect the walls between consciousness and unconsciousness. The subconscious zone is the area near the wall, where we can hear the thumping, grinding, and dragging noises just beyond.

The Space Marine is therefore the antithesis of the monster from the chaotic maelstrom of the unconscious. He is our best defense against the unknown horrors that lurk in the abyss of the soul. As such, he represents ultimate order, the tyranny of the consciousness, as it were. He is the defender of that wall between the conscious and the unconscious, and the conscious mind, being fearful of what is lurking beyond the realm of awareness, had to construct a symbol of order, of brute force, and of absolute loyalty to the hierarchical organization of the conscious mind. Such a symbol is perfected in the Space Marine: an archon of might and piety. He leaves no room in his mind for unwanted thoughts, which would have the corrupting influence of chaos. He is an elemental form of purity of intent, singularity of purpose, mental focus, and absolute control. He may seem harsh and draconian, but only such a being is capable of standing against the arrayed forces of darkness and evil that lurk in the dark places of our minds.

The Space Marine’s mental strength comes form his simple faith in the Emperor of Man, who is a sort of representation of God, but who has a physical form. The Emperor could be said to represent consciousness itself, whom the Space Marine is dedicated, heart and soul, to protect. However, the Emperor also protects. When the Space Marine is in dire circumstances, and certain death looms, he calls upon the Emperor’s power for protection. Such power is naturally the power of the conscious mind, the power of focused attention, which, like a light, can dispel the darkness of fear and doubt.

The Space Marine, though wearing futuristic armor and carrying futuristic weaponry, is also bedecked in medieval heraldry, holy symbols, and ancient weapons, such as swords and the eponymous Warhammer. The Space Marine, a symbol of our conscious mind, must be instantly relatable and familiar. These ancient symbols are familiar to us and give us comfort, as they are symbols of strength, of tradition, and of a solid bedrock of warrior tradition. There is nothing “weird” or “outré” about the Space Marine. He is someone we can trust to defend the borders of our minds, because he knows which side of that border he belongs to, and there is no doubt.

So, if Great Chthulhu arose from the sleeping city of R’lyeh, we can imagine mortal men cowering in fear, running away, or being instantly obliterated. However, we can also imagine the Space Marines stepping forth to do battle with this monster. The conscious mind needs a symbol of strength with which to fight the unknown horrors of the subconscious. The Space Marine is the toughest thing we can imagine that is still human, still familiar, and therefore, still on our side. If any monster from a Lovecraft story came waddling in from the deep, we can be confident that the Space Marines would know how to handle it. The would kill it, fix the flat tire, navigate us safely home, and ensure that reason, rationality, and the hierarchy of the human soul was perfectly preserved and protected.

Whereas our ancestors might have envisioned winged angels to fight the demons of the middle ages, these long-haired, robe-wearing, sandal-footed fairies seem like they could use some testosterone. Demons are, after all, a kind of known quality, and for that reason, they no longer inspire the same level of dread or fear. We need someone not just to fight demons but to fight unspecific horrors, which might take any shape, any size, and have unknowable intention.

Cosmic Horror has opened the door to unplumbed depths of horror, so we need a new defender of our sanity.