r/BlackVipers40k

Saw a post the other day that I’ve seen before of someone wanting the 9th edition symbol for the Black Vipers in SM2. And the same things were said that are usually said. But then I chimed in and I actually came up with a pretty good explanation, that being there has to be a lore reason behind it.

GW only drastically changes a chapter symbols when there’s major shifts, for example from the rogue trader era to the current space Marines, those were drastic changes. But they occasionally have done slight alterations with chapter symbols. For example, the symbol of the Carcharodons in sm2 vs the symbol of them in the actual lore/books, and more famously the Imperial Fist symbol, the symbols looked similar and the changes were only slight, they were nothing dramatic or crazy.

And so, from my knowledge in this modern era, the Black Vipers are the only chapter who’s symbol changed so drastically, it’s literally a completely different symbol, which is more similar to that of the Iron Snakes. The Vipers are mysterious and with their behavior I highly doubt that they are codex compliant, so my theory is that each company has a different symbol. There might be a Company where it’s a symbol of a snake eye or a snake fang or snake tail and so on. We already see the 9th edition symbol, which is the head of a snake and then the 10th edition symbol is the full body.

There’s lore examples that support this theory, with examples of other chapters of who have multiple or alternative symbols. As we see with the Dark Krakens, who actively use and flip-flop different chapter symbols throughout 9th, 10th and 11th edition. The Sons of Medusa, who literally have three different chapter symbols each of special markings for their three specific company purposes. Another chapter that does this, of course it’s a Space Wolves, who have a different symbol for each one of their great companies, but most people only see the Blackmanes symbol as GW uses that for marketing purposes for the overall Space Wolves faction, which is more of a in real life thing vs a in lore thing.

So for all those reasons, my belief is that is the thing behind the Black Vipers, until they finally get some additional lore apart from them being anti-Salamanders, antisocial and being chased by Cawl, those all the hint we got.