What are Cherubim made from? A look at what the lore actually says (and a history of the concept and how it evolved within the lore)

Following on from a recent post about whether Servitors are mainly made from naturally-born or vat-grown people/bodies, this is just a follow-up on one specific type of Servitor: Cherubim. Often also called Cherubs.

You know the ones: the creepy little things that look like chubby, malformed babies, with angel wings attached.

Now, I haven’t actually found that many accounts of how exactly they are made, or what they are made from – but there are some clear descriptions.

The most recent statement is pretty conclusive:

Cherubim

A common sight in the upper ranks of the Imperium’s Adepta, Cherubim are regarded as a symbol of purity. They are a diminutive variant of Servitor, not truly alive but vat-grown to resemble genderless children with tiny feathered wings.

Imperium Maledictum Inquisition Player’s Guide (2024), p. 111.

And a decade and a half earlier, we were told:

The bio-constructs known as cherubim are of uncertain origin, but they are one of the few permitted examples of such bio-sculpted homunculi allowed within the Imperium. Taking the form most commonly resembling that of somewhat corpulent and unwholesome looking genderless children, they are also often implanted with augmetic feathery wings (and an anti-grav generator) allowing limited flight. Cherubim are not truly alive at all and their synthesised, bloodless and waxen flesh needs neither to eat nor sleep and is fed from their internal power-cell. They are controlled by an augmented cortex and nervous system usually harvested from some lesser creature such as a simian, bird, swine or felid, and implanted with a set of programmed commands that allows them to perform some simple tasks such as copying texts, fetching and carrying small items or tirelessly singing the Emperor’s praises with augmetic vocal chords.

Outside the rarefied noble houses and Imperial hierarchy (most notably the Ecclesiarchy) where they are used, most Imperial citizens view cherubim with a degree of distaste and superstitious fear. This is not entirely without cause as it is a matter of record that in rare instances cherubim have been known to "devolve," allowing some corrupted and mangled version of their organic cortex to take over their behaviour with unpleasant consequences.

Dark Heresy: Inquisitor’s Handbook (2008), p. 192.

Which, while not explicitly stating they used vat-grown flesh, definitely showcases that they are artificially produced from the ground up. It’s also nice to learn that even the maladjusted denizens of the Imperium have their limits, and Cherubim often overstep them… Also note how some Cherubim can seemingly transgress their basic programming and behave in unexpected ways – which will be relevant later.

It is interesting to look back at the development of the concept – to see how the notion of Cherubim entered the lore, and how the lore around them has remained pretty consistent across decades. 

As far as I can tell, Cherubim appeared in 40k for the first time in 2nd edition – which may be surprising, given how quintessentially 40k they now feel. (And, even more surprisingly, the general concept of Servitors wasn’t there from the start either – but I will explain that in another post). Though it does make sense, as 40k went through quite a big aesthetic evolution from 1st to second edition.

Cherubim seem to have first been introduced in visual form in the 2nd edition Core Rulebook, though they were not given a name. They were there on page 3 in John Blanche’s famous rendition of the Eternity Gate: https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2F4e3o8y737k231.jpg

They also appeared on page 15 in Blanche’s depiction of the Golden Throne and some Custodians: https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fpw09om8a1b271.png

And one was presented on page 46 accompanying some Dark Angel and assorted religious zealots.

Some of the same images then reappeared in the 3rd edition Core Rulebook, but no explanation was yet provided about what they were, nor a name for them given.

They were named as “cherub servitors” and “cherubs” in Eisenhorn: Xenos in 2001 (pp. 201, 203 in the omnibus version), but no explanation was provided as to what they were or how they were manufactured – they were just an aesthetic detail.

As regards appearing in rulebooks/Codexes, they were named for the first time and focused on in a bit more detail in the 3rd edition Codexes for Daemonhunters and Witch Hunters. This surprised me, as I though they surely must have appeared in either the 2nd ed. Codex: Sisters of Battle or the Rulebook for the game Inquisitor, which were both really pivotal publications in establishing the particular gothic, baroque form of grim dark which would come to define the Imperium from especially 3rd edition onwards. But I couldn’t spot any references, nor even any visual depictions of them – just lots of servo-skulls (there is a weird bat-like thing in Blanche’s iconic SoB painting from the cover of the 2nd ed. Codex, but I don’t think it is related to a Cherub).

The Witch Hunters and Daemonhunters Codexes built on the 2nd edition SoB Codex, Inquisitor and the gothic Blanche artwork of 2nd edition to further develop the lore around the Inquisition, and leaned into the aesthetics and concepts introduced and foregrounded in those prior publications.

In March 2003, on page 14 of Daemonhunters Cherubim (seemingly the first use of that term) were listed as a type of Familiar that could accompany an Inquisitor, though no specific description of them was provided. We did get a close-up sketch of one looking very grotesque, though: https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/mediawiki/images/2/25/Cherubim2.jpg

Likewise, in November 2003, Cherubim were again listed as a type of Familiar in the Witch Hunters Codex, but the same text as from Daemonhunters appeared and thus no specific info on them was provided. We did get another nicely gross illustration of one though, on page 17.

It took until 2006 for the lore about Cherubim to really be developed, in an article on Fanatic Online, a digital successor to the earlier Fanatic magazine which was used to support GW’s specialist games (like Necromunda, Blood Bowl, Mordheim, Battlefleet Gothic, and – in this case, Inquisitor).

As the article noted:

Ever since I first read about Cyber-Creature Familiars (the PsyberEagle etc) in the Inquisitor rulebook I knew I also had to see the Cherub appear in the Inquisitor-system. After waiting an age to see them introduced and eventually despairing that someone else would do it, I decided to put fingertip to keyboard myself to ensure that my fellow-gamers would no longer be deprived of small, floating, chubby children in their Inquisitor-games.

And some context was provided:

ICONIC

The Cherubim is one of the most iconic images in the Warhammer 40,000 universe; thanks mostly to the number of pictures in which they make an appearance. In these pictures, the Cherubim provide an air of both opulence and foreboding that is archetypal (for the Inquisitor game in particular). Despite these images, until recently, the Cherubim made little impact in the wargames of the 41st Millennium. That began to change with the introduction of the 40K Witch/Daemon-Hunter army-lists, where they make their first, brief appearance.

So, by this point the imagery of the Cherubim was already thought to be iconic, but the lore was lacking. The article sought to rectify this by explaining more about what they were, and, importantly foe our discussion, how they were made:

Cherubim are Servitors, despite being cuter and more independently-minded than most other Servitors. They are made of vat-grown tissue and given artificial-life by the bio-priests of the Adeptus-Biologicus. The creation of life, even the crudest Servitor parody of life, is no simple task. There are musculature and skeletal-structures, circulatory-systems and internal-organs to worry about, not to mention the 'spark' that must provide animation. The most complicated of all tasks though, is to form nervous-systems (even the most extensively programmed bionic-brain is useless without neurons to translate its programming into actions).

Mono-task Servitors have the simplest form of neural-system possible, meaning reactions are slow, movements preprogrammed and responses limited. Multi-task Servitors must have a greater range-of-movement and control, requiring more complex and fine nerve-clusters. Cherubim have the most complex of all Servitor neural-systems because their Masters expect them to fulfil a variety of tasks and to move fully, mimicking child-like mannerisms and even display appropriate emotional-responses. Unlike other Servitor-creations Cherubim are never mass-produced; almost all are tailor-built for their Master. It is no wonder then, that they are the most expensive and status-laden Servitor-constructs in the Imperium.

‘On Angel’s Wings’, Fanatic Online 43 (2006).

So, right from the first description of their creation to be found within the lore, they were explicitly stated to be vat-grown (the vast majority of the time at least, but not always…).

We also get some interesting history about the Cherubim:

No one knows when the first Cherub was created or why, but the Cherubim first enter Imperial-records 2000 years after the Horus Heresy and the final enthronement of the Emperor. In fact, the first mention is found in records of the 2000-year commemoration-pageant of the Emperor's ascendance to the Golden-Throne. The pageant lasted 2000 hours, that's over 83 Terran-days! One chronicle of the event reads: “…On the 39th day, the assembled Magos of the blessed Adeptus Biologicus went before the God-Emperor and gifted the Lord-of-Mankind with a Cherub for every year He has been watching over us from His Golden-Throne. Two-thousand angeluses to sing His praise for all-eternity; and at-once they all flew-up into the chamber and began to sing hymns of the Emperor's-might of such beauty that all present began to weep.” The Adeptus Biologicus have maintained and replaced this host throughout the millennia and it remains there still.

In more lore published after then, Cherubs have were shown to have existed during the Great Crusade era, though perhaps they were far less common common they were (a “herald cherub” in mentioned in Perturabo: Hammer of Olympia for example, and they also appear in other books like Prospero Burns). Guilliman was famously disgusted when encountering one after reawakening in M41, though whether this was because it used a baby body or just because of inferior craftsmanship is perhaps a bit unclear, though the way it is presented leans more towards the latter (you can read the relevant passages here: https://www.reddit.com/r/40kLore/comments/dnw4qi/comment/f5gp3s1/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button).

But getting back to the central topic of how Cherubim are produced, I did say Cherubim were near universally vat-grown. Because, of course, a disturbing exception exists:

NEPHILIM

Cherubim are without-doubt the most complex Familiar-constructs routinely created in the Imperium, but not all Cherubim are created equal. Some are more complex and versatile than others. Some are Nephilim.

Nephilim is a term used to describe any advanced-form of Cherubim; this could be caused by a quirk of the tissue-growth tanks, the work of a Master-Magos, a specially commissioned design or even the God-Emperor smiling upon His newly-created servant. Whatever the reason, Nephilim function at a higher-capacity than other Cherubim.

There is no consistent way to get a vat-grown Nephilim, it is as much a matter of luck and skill as any work of art and often it may not be apparent whether a Cherub is 'advanced' until it has been in service to its Master for some-time.

Nephilim is a term used almost exclusively by Adeptus-Biologicus Adepts and Cherubim-connoisseurs and is an abstract-label for an ideal not a class of Cherubim; even most Masters of Nephilim are unaware of the distinction or terminology.

Nephilim is a high-gothic word and literally-translates as 'Half-Breed' (though it has connotations of holiness). The reason for some Cherubim to be called this name is unclear even to most Biologicus-Adepts. Those who do know the origins of the term generally keep-quiet because the truth is less-than palatable.

TRUE NEPHILIM

Originally the term Nephilim applied only to a very-small number of Cherubim who were created not from vat-tissue but from children enslaved into Servitors, hence the practice of referring to them as an angelic 'half-breed'. Because Nephilim created in this way have already formed a natural neural-system that is infinitely more complex than any created by the Adeptus-Biologicus, they tend to produce the most advanced and capable Cherubim and eventually the label was corrupted to indicate any high-functioning Cherub.

To create a True-Nephilim, the child must be below age-6, due to problems with bone-density after this age. The child is then, for lack of better-terminology, lobotomised and embalmed. They are fed growth-retardant chemicals and what brain is left, is thoroughly mind-scrubbed. A set of wings is retrofitted to the spine, which must be severed in several-places before being respliced. Finally, they are implanted with inhibitors, fitted with cranial-pacifiers and other bionic-equipment as required.

The procedure is not without its problems though; there have been recorded-incidents where the embalming-process has resulted in death, as the skin suffocates under the chemical treatment. Other problems have led to persistent-vegetative states of the brain-stem so that not even an entire bionic-brain replacement will work, effectively leaving the child as an artificially-sustained carcass. Luckily the procedure is not common and there are only twenty-two recorded-cases of Nephilim being created in this manner in the last 4-millennia. In all but one case the procedure was done for the Master's personal-reasons, not to create better Cherubim. Some recorded-examples of True-Nephilim include:

Case-Study A:

Master: Inquisitor Sorrisant

When & Where: M39. 742; Belin IV, Segmentum-Pacificus.

Why: Sorrisant ordered Nephilim-procedures be performed on a young, uncontrollable-psyker (records show the girl's name only as 'L'), when it became clear her powers were so wild that there would be no safe-way to transport her through the warp on a Black-Ship.

The Nephilim: 'L' became Lucinius XI and the mind-scrubbing procedure reduced her psychic-power to manageable levels, though she remained a powerful psychic-battery and 'lightningrod' for the radical-Inquisitor.

What Happened: Inquisitor Sorrisant was branded Extremis-Hereticus some 157 years-later. Lucinius XI accompanied Sorrisant for 53 of those years before she was destroyed by psychic-backlash battling a daemonhost.

Case-Study B:

Master: Duke & Lady Torrington, House-Torrington.

When & Where: M41. 076; Mayasworld, Segmentum-Solar.

Why: The Torrington's were an old-family with a large-estate but only one heir, a boy they loved very much, called Tobius. Tobius was struck-down with an incurable mnemo-virus, which would have killed him within-weeks. Already in a coma, the Torrington's decided the only-way to avoid losing their child completely was the Nephilim-process.

The Nephilim: Tobius was created with highly-advanced behavioural-routines, his sole programming to be a happy, playful child forever.

What Happened: The Nephilim Tobius Torrington, by a quirk of Mayasworld law, has inherited the title of Duke from his father; his parents died without other heirs more than 350 years-ago. Since then Tobius has been the Duke in name, though his Uncle's line has been in effective-control of the estate. Due to the oath-of-fealty they must swear to Tobius, the de-facto head of household has the title 'Angel-Sworn'.

Case-Study C:

Master: Grand-Deacon Justinus of the Ecclesiarchy.

When & Where: M38. 449; Tapina, Segmentum-Obscurus.

Why: Justinus had risen to near total-control of the Cardinal-World Tapina and became very rich by seizing-land and having the residents 'disappeared'. When a young-boy (no name is recorded) appeared at sermons and accused Justinus of murdering his family, the crowd were shocked. Justinus denied this and publicly-promised to help the boy find his family. Later, in his arrogance, Justinus had the boy silenced via the Nephilim-process and placed in the Choir-of-Cherubim in the cathedral.

The Nephilim: The boy became a standard choral-Cherub but due to his naturally-developed vocal-chords he had a much sweeter-voice than the other Cherubim. This ultimately led to Justinus' downfall.

What Happened: Two months after the boy was put into the choir the crowd heard his sweet-voice singing-out amongst the Cherubs and a whisper ran-through the crowd that it was the boy. Suddenly, a shout went out and the mob rushed Justinus. When the carnage cleared, Justinus was dead along with twelve of the congregation. Of the Nephilim-boy nothing was ever found, it's believed he escaped into the city upon the death of his Master and from there, just vanished.

‘On Angel’s Wings’, Fanatic Online 43 (2006).

So, these were noted to be extremely rare. Though, with the Imperium’s notoriously poor record-keeping, we can imagine that other exceptions likely existed and were just not recorded or that the records were lost. And given that they produced superior results, I’m sure the odd Tech-Priest might be tempted to give it a go…

And note, for full disclosure, Fanatic Online often published material submitted by fans. Sometimes this material was accompanied by nothing to indicate it should be taken as non-canon, and as it was printed in an official GW publication, I personally take such material to be a valid part of the lore. In this case, though, there was a disclaimer: “Note that this is Ben’s take and house rules on the Cherubim and shouldn’t be considered as ‘official’.”

This lore is just delightfully macabre, so, personally, I wouldn’t want to discard it. A setting that doesn't feature Tobias Torrington is a poorer setting, in my view!

It is also interesting that while the timeline outlined in Fanatic piece has been contradicted by later lore (with the existence of Cherubim being pushed back to the Great Crusade, rather than 2,000 years after the end of the Horus Heresy), what it says about the nature and creation of Cherubim has remained pretty consistent: they are still produced via vat-grown or otherwise artificial materials (barring perhaps some extremely rare exceptions) and some of these Cherubim can somehow behave in ways which go beyond the norm expected of them.

(And, once again, maybe we can just take the incorrect information about when they first appeared to be the result of the Imperium's erratic record keeping).

Of course, the specific roles undertaken by Cherubim have been fleshed out a lot more since then, and they have become more ubiquitous in the lore and artwork - and a true staple of 40k.

As established in my previous post, there is no basis in the lore to think that most Servitors are vat-grown, yet claims that they are often get circulated. Perhaps this confusion is sometimes due to all Servitors being conflated with Cherubim? Because Cherubim are pretty much always vat-grown, some people perhaps presume that is true for all kinds of Servitor, make claims to that effect, and then those erroneous claims are in turned passed on and become part of the conventional wisdom?

Regardless, I hope you enjoyed this exploration of another element of the nutty grotty nitty gritty of life in the Imperium.