The Primarchs were the twenty super-human sons of the Emperor of Mankind, each made to lead a Legion of Space Marines in the Great Crusade. Nine of them betrayed their father in the Horus Heresy, two were erased from history, and only a few still walk the galaxy today. Here is every Primarch, with his Legion, homeworld and fate, and a link to his full story.
What is a Primarch?
A Primarch is a genetically engineered demigod created by the Emperor from his own genetic code, with a touch of the Warp woven in. Each was far bigger, stronger and smarter than any human, and each was meant to be a general who could lead armies across the stars. They were also the template for the Space Marines: every Space Marine carries gene-seed made from his Primarch, which is why each Legion shares its father's strengths, and sometimes his flaws.
Each Primarch had a different gift. Guilliman was a builder and lawmaker, Rogal Dorn a master of fortresses, Magnus the most powerful psyker, Sanguinius a winged angel, Corax a master of stealth and Perturabo a genius of siege warfare. Together they were meant to conquer the galaxy for humanity.
How the Primarchs were scattered
The Emperor grew the Primarchs in a secret laboratory under the mountains of Terra. Before they were ready, the Chaos Gods struck. A warp storm tore the twenty infant Primarchs from their capsules and flung them across the galaxy. Each landed on a different world, and each grew up shaped by it: a jungle world, a death world, a gang-ruled hive, a prison moon, a desert ruled by priests.
The Emperor then created the twenty Space Marine Legions from the Primarchs' gene-seed and set out on the Great Crusade to reunite humanity. One by one, he found his lost sons. Horus was the first, and the twins Alpharius and Omegon the last. Each Primarch took command of the Legion made from his own genes.
All 20 Primarchs
| No. | Primarch | Legion | Homeworld | Side | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Lion El'Jonson | Dark Angels | Caliban | Loyalist | Returned: awake again in the 41st Millennium |
| II | Unknown (erased) | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Erased from all records |
| III | Fulgrim | Emperor's Children | Chemos | Traitor | Daemon Prince of Slaanesh |
| IV | Perturabo | Iron Warriors | Olympia | Traitor | Daemon Prince |
| V | Jaghatai Khan | White Scars | Chogoris | Loyalist | Vanished into the Webway |
| VI | Leman Russ | Space Wolves | Fenris | Loyalist | Vanished into the Eye of Terror |
| VII | Rogal Dorn | Imperial Fists | Inwit | Loyalist | Believed dead; only his hand was found |
| VIII | Konrad Curze | Night Lords | Nostramo | Traitor | Killed by a Callidus assassin |
| IX | Sanguinius | Blood Angels | Baal | Loyalist | Killed by Horus |
| X | Ferrus Manus | Iron Hands | Medusa | Loyalist | Killed by Fulgrim at Isstvan V |
| XI | Unknown (erased) | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Erased from all records |
| XII | Angron | World Eaters | Nuceria | Traitor | Daemon Prince of Khorne |
| XIII | Roboute Guilliman | Ultramarines | Macragge | Loyalist | Alive: Lord Commander of the Imperium |
| XIV | Mortarion | Death Guard | Barbarus | Traitor | Daemon Prince of Nurgle |
| XV | Magnus the Red | Thousand Sons | Prospero | Traitor | Daemon Prince of Tzeentch |
| XVI | Horus Lupercal | Luna Wolves / Sons of Horus | Cthonia | Traitor | Killed by the Emperor |
| XVII | Lorgar Aurelian | Word Bearers | Colchis | Traitor | Daemon Prince of Chaos Undivided |
| XVIII | Vulkan | Salamanders | Nocturne | Loyalist | Fell in the Siege of Terra; his sons await his return |
| XIX | Corvus Corax | Raven Guard | Deliverance | Loyalist | Vanished into the Eye of Terror |
| XX | Alpharius Omegon | Alpha Legion | Unknown | Traitor | Alpharius reported killed; Omegon unknown |
The two lost Primarchs
The IInd and XIth Legions, and their Primarchs, were deleted from every Imperial record long before the Horus Heresy. Their names, homeworlds and fates are unknown. Only a few hints survive: the Emperor himself ordered the deletion, and some Primarchs remember brothers who are no longer spoken of. Games Workshop has kept the mystery deliberately open for decades, and it remains one of the most debated questions in Warhammer 40,000. We will not guess here: the honest answer is that nobody knows.
Loyal and traitor Primarchs
When Horus turned to Chaos, nine of the eighteen known Primarchs followed him.
The loyalists
Lion El'Jonson (Dark Angels), Jaghatai Khan (White Scars), Leman Russ (Space Wolves), Rogal Dorn (Imperial Fists), Sanguinius (Blood Angels), Ferrus Manus (Iron Hands), Roboute Guilliman (Ultramarines), Vulkan (Salamanders) and Corvus Corax (Raven Guard).
The traitors
Horus (Sons of Horus), Fulgrim (Emperor's Children), Perturabo (Iron Warriors), Konrad Curze (Night Lords), Angron (World Eaters), Mortarion (Death Guard), Magnus the Red (Thousand Sons), Lorgar (Word Bearers) and Alpharius Omegon (Alpha Legion).
The reasons were different for each. Lorgar was shamed for worshipping his father. Angron hated the Emperor for taking him from his gladiator brothers. Magnus was branded a traitor after trying to warn his father, and attacked by the Space Wolves. Others, like Fulgrim and Mortarion, were seduced or trapped by the Chaos Gods. The Heresy ended at the Siege of Terra, when Horus killed Sanguinius and was himself destroyed by the Emperor.
What happened to the Legions?
After the Heresy, Guilliman wrote the Codex Astartes and broke the loyal Legions into smaller Chapters of about a thousand Space Marines each, so no single commander could ever again hold so much power. The Ultramarines, for example, became the Ultramarines Chapter plus many successor Chapters. Some loyal Legions, like the Space Wolves, resisted and kept more of their old ways.
The traitor Legions fled into the Eye of Terror, where time and reality are twisted. Many of the traitors who fought in the Heresy are still alive there ten thousand years later. Today they are known as the Chaos Space Marines, and the Sons of Horus have become the Black Legion of Abaddon the Despoiler. Read our Chaos Space Marines lore guide for their story after the Heresy.
Which Primarchs are alive today?
In the current Warhammer 40,000 setting, two loyal Primarchs are active again. Roboute Guilliman woke from ten thousand years of stasis and leads the Imperium as Lord Commander, and Lion El'Jonson has returned from his long sleep to fight once more.
Several traitors live on as daemon princes of Chaos: Fulgrim, Perturabo, Angron, Mortarion, Magnus and Lorgar. Others are missing: Leman Russ and Corax went into the Eye of Terror, Jaghatai Khan vanished into the Webway, and the Salamanders still wait for Vulkan. Sanguinius, Ferrus Manus, Konrad Curze and Horus are dead.
Primarch FAQ
How many Primarchs are there?
Twenty were created. Eighteen are known; the IInd and XIth were erased from records.
How many Primarchs turned traitor?
Nine of the eighteen known Primarchs joined Horus.
Who was the first Primarch found?
Horus Lupercal was the first the Emperor found, on Cthonia.
Who is the strongest Primarch?
Fans argue about it endlessly. Horus was usually seen as the greatest overall, Magnus as the most powerful psyker, and Sanguinius, Angron and Lion El'Jonson as some of the deadliest fighters.
Are any Primarchs still alive?
Yes. Roboute Guilliman and Lion El'Jonson are active, and six traitors live on as daemon princes.
Books to read
- Horus Rising (Dan Abnett), the start of the Horus Heresy series
- The Primarchs novel series from Black Library, one book per Primarch
- The End and the Death (Dan Abnett)
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Find them as Black Library paperbacks and audiobooks.
Start with the Emperor of Mankind, or read our Space Marines lore guide.
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.