The movie Hellraiser has to be one of the largest influences for the Dark Eldar. The idea of a hell where people are taken and tortured for eternity cannot be missed. The few pictures of Comorragh, with its claustrophobic streets, are very reminisant of the movie. The Haemonculus must be the Cenobites while the puzzle would be the basis for the crucible of malediction. Even the Warp Beasts could be based on the chatterer beast from Hellraiser: Bloodline.

The other influence would have to be ancient Rome, particularly the decadent Rome. Rulers like Caligula, Nero and Commodus come to mind. The Dark Eldar armed forces show similarities to the old Roman system. The Praetorian Guard and Incubi perform the same duties. In Rome a solders wages were paid by his general not the state, one reason why there were so many mutinies and assassination attempts. This is mirrored in the Dark Eldar with how cabals are loyal to their leader not their society in general. More of this influence is centred on the gladiatorial games. If you read up on this or watch a couple of documentaries, you’ll see what I mean. Wyches are gladiators with the different weapon combinations being similar to the specialization of the different types of gladiators. Unlike ancient Rome, the Dark Eldar do not have a central government in which unites them.

Another potential source for Dark Eldar is the Carthaginians who offer a few tidbits for your pleasure. Carthage had a practice of human sacrifice, particularly children, to appease the gods. You were supposed to sacrifice one of your own children. However, if you were wealthy, you could afford to sacrifice a substitute child. Similar to the way death is cheated by consuming souls of the sacrificed.

Comorragh, with the changing of a couple of letters this could be the name of the ancient city Gomorrah which was destroyed with Sodom in the Old Testament. Classical Jewish texts hold that God did not destroy Sodom and Gemorrah for the reasons we normaly think of, but for economic crimes, both against each other and to outsiders. We, ofcourse, will stick with the modern view of their “sins” as this fits in better.

Most of the names of troop types or characters have more specific meanings. Succubi are female demons that make men fall in love with them then eat their souls while incubi are the male version. A person addicted to luxury and pleasures of the senses is a sybarite. While Talos was a bronze giant created by Hephaestus, the god of smiths, as a gift for Minos the King of Crete. The giant protected the island by casting stones at passing ships keeping the pirates which plagued the Aegean Sea at bay. Now Mandrakes must take their name from mandrake roots. The mandrake, when picked, produces a high pitched wail that kills. The only real connection here is what happens to anyone who gets too close to them in the game. Haemonculus may be a take on the word homunculus, which is a being artificially created through magic. However this is a better description of the grotesques. Cenobites make better candidates for haemonculus. Though the two are connected like Dr. Frankenstein and his monster.

An Athenian politician named Draco drafted the first code of laws of Athens c. 621 BC. It's from his name that we get the word "draconian," meaning exceedingly harsh, usually only used in reference to rules or regulations of some kind but in this case for Dracon. While we’re on ancient Athens we have the Archon, who was a ruler elected by the people to take charge when the democracy couldn't handle things. Of course, this led to some very bad people ending up in power at times, but it also saved the Athenians from the Persians. The archon is also one of the seven spirits in Gnosticism who try and force human spirits back to Earth rather than letting them reach heaven. The Greek word “archons” simply means governors or rulers but in Gnostic mythology they are the evil rulers of the lower levels of existence.

Now on to the special characters. Asdrubael Vect, his first name is the Spanish form of Hasdrubal, a Carthaginian general and the brother of Hannibal. Lelith Hesperax may come from Lilith, who was according to Hebrew folklore, the first wife of Adam, before Eve. She left him as he wouldn’t treat her as an equal. There are some references to her being the mother of all monsters. There is a nymph with the name Hesperia, who was one of the Hesperides, which could be the source for Hesperax. Urien Rakarth, a master and greatest of the haemonculus, has the Welsh name; Urien, which means privileged birth. Last but not least we have the very twisted and evil Kruellagh the Vile from Dodie Smith’s Cruella De Vil in her book 101 Dalmatians.