Horus Lupercal, Primarch of the XVIth Legion, was the Emperor's favourite son and Warmaster of the Great Crusade, until Chaos turned him and he started the Horus Heresy, the civil war that broke the Imperium and ended with his death at his father's hands.
Horus Lupercal at a glance
| Primarch of | the XVI Legion |
| Legion | XVI: Luna Wolves, later Sons of Horus (now the Black Legion) |
| Homeworld | Cthonia, a mined-out gang world |
| Flagship | The Vengeful Spirit |
| Wargear | The Worldbreaker maul, the Talon of Horus, the Serpent's Scales armour |
| Allegiance | Traitor (Chaos Undivided) |
| Fate | Slain by the Emperor during the Siege of Terra |
Who was Horus?
Horus was the greatest of the twenty Primarchs: a born leader, a brilliant general and the son the Emperor trusted most. His brothers loved him, his Legion worshipped him, and the whole Imperium expected him to inherit the Great Crusade. That is exactly what makes his story the central tragedy of Warhammer 40,000: the best of the Emperor's sons became his deadliest enemy.
Origins on Cthonia
Horus's capsule landed on Cthonia, a world hollowed out by mining and ruled by murderous gangs. He grew up fighting in its tunnels, learning that only strength and loyalty kept anyone alive. He was the first Primarch the Emperor found. For decades Horus fought at his father's side, closer to the Emperor than any of his brothers, before the others were rediscovered one by one.
The Luna Wolves and the Mournival
Horus took command of the XVIth Legion, the Luna Wolves, who wore white armour and recruited from Cthonia's gangs. His inner circle of captains, the Mournival, advised him honestly: Ezekyle Abaddon, Tarik Torgaddon, Horus Aximand and later Garviel Loken. Under Horus the Luna Wolves became the most successful Legion of the Crusade, conquering world after world.
Ullanor and the title of Warmaster
Horus led the crushing campaign against the Ork empire of Ullanor. At the great Triumph that followed, the Emperor announced he was returning to Terra and named Horus Warmaster, commander of every army of the Great Crusade. The Luna Wolves were renamed the Sons of Horus in his honour. Some of his brothers, like Angron and Perturabo, resented him; most, like Sanguinius, were glad. All of them were now under his command.
The fall at Davin
The Word Bearer Erebus spent years planning Horus's corruption. On the moon of Davin, Horus was wounded by the Anathame, a daemon-touched blade. Dying, he was carried to a serpent lodge temple, where the Chaos Gods showed him visions: an Imperium worshipping the Emperor as a god while the Primarchs were forgotten, cast aside like tools. Horus woke healed, but convinced his father had betrayed him. He was no longer loyal.
Isstvan: the betrayal begins
Horus made his move in the Isstvan system. At Isstvan III he virus-bombed the planet to kill the loyal Space Marines inside his own Legion and three other traitor Legions; Loken and Torgaddon died there. At Isstvan V, the Drop Site Massacre, he lured seven loyal Legions into a trap: four of them turned traitor on the landing zone. The Iron Hands, Salamanders and Raven Guard were slaughtered, and Ferrus Manus was beheaded by Fulgrim.
The Horus Heresy
Nine Legions followed Horus: the Sons of Horus, Emperor's Children, Iron Warriors, Night Lords, World Eaters, Death Guard, Thousand Sons, Word Bearers and Alpha Legion. For seven years the civil war burned across the galaxy, from the betrayal at Calth to the ruin of whole sectors, as Horus marched on Terra. Each victory bound him tighter to the Chaos Gods, until the Warmaster was barely a man at all.
Death on the Vengeful Spirit
During the Siege of Terra, as the Imperial Palace was about to fall, Horus lowered the shields of his flagship, the Vengeful Spirit, daring his father to face him. The Emperor teleported aboard with his best warriors. Horus killed Sanguinius and mortally wounded the Emperor, who held back out of love for his son. When the Emperor saw a last flash of the old Horus, ashamed of what he had become, he understood his son could not be saved, and destroyed him completely, body and soul.
Legacy: Abaddon and the Black Legion
The Sons of Horus fled into the Eye of Terror and broke apart. Years later Abaddon, Horus's former First Captain, destroyed a clone of his father that the traitor Fabius Bile had grown, renamed the Legion the Black Legion and swore to finish what Horus started. As Abaddon the Despoiler, he has led Black Crusades against the Imperium ever since.
Horus Lupercal FAQ
Why did Horus betray the Emperor?
He was wounded and corrupted at Davin, where Chaos showed him visions of being cast aside by his father. Pride, Erebus's manipulation and real doubts about the Emperor's secrets did the rest.
Who killed Horus?
The Emperor of Mankind, aboard the Vengeful Spirit at the end of the Siege of Terra.
Is Horus coming back?
The Emperor destroyed his soul, so in current lore Horus is gone for good. His legacy lives on through Abaddon and the Black Legion.
What Legion did Horus lead?
The XVIth Legion: first the Luna Wolves, then the Sons of Horus. Today they are the Black Legion.
Books to read
- Horus Rising (Dan Abnett)
- False Gods (Graham McNeill)
- Galaxy in Flames (Ben Counter)
- The End and the Death (Dan Abnett)
We may earn a commission from links on this page.
Find them as Black Library paperbacks and audiobooks.
See all 20 Primarchs and the Emperor of Mankind.
Lore summarised in our own words from Black Library novels, codexes and community wikis. Warhammer and all related names are trademarks of Games Workshop; WIZY is an independent fan site.