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Adeptus mecanics

The Cog Mechanicum

The Cog Mechanicum, also called the Opus Machina, is the ancient symbol used to represent the pre-Horus Heresy Mechanicum, the present Adeptus Mechanicus and the religious faith of the Tech-priests known as the Cult Mechanicus.

The sigil has been in use since before the signing of the Treaty of Mars in 739.M30 that incorporated the Priesthood of Mars into the newborn Imperium of Man.

The emblem, a hybrid Human/cyborg skull in front of a mechanical cog, represents the fusion of Human flesh with the machine that is the goal of every Mechanicus adept.

The members of the Mechanicus believe that slowly replacing portions of their organic bodies with more "pure" bionic replacements leads to a greater spiritual union with the Omnissiah, the Machine God who represents the sum total of all knowledge in the universe.

Sign of the Cogwheel[]

The Sign of the Cogwheel is a universal hand gesture used to show one's allegiance to the Cult Mechanicus, similar to the Sign of the Aquila used in the wider Imperium of Man. It is used as a respectful neutral greeting or farewell gesture, mainly when one is unsure of the recipient's rank and/or the proper etiquette.

The Sign of the Cogwheel has its user splay the fingers of both hands wide and interlace them together, possibly rolling the hands against each other. This symbolises the meshing teeth of the cogwheels in the Omnissiah's sacred machines. The Cogwheel gesture is often accompanied by a nod or slight bow.

Sources[]

  • Codex Imperialis (2nd Edition)
  • Warhammer 40,000 Rulebook (5th Edition)
  • Mechanicum (Novel) by Graham MacNeill
  • The Emperor's Finest (Novel) by Sandy Mitchell
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