[Warped Raptor]

I was having a read through my space marines codex and while i was skimming through Making of a Space Marine and i saw this:
Omophagea -The Remembrancer
Space marines can gain part of a person or creatures memory by eating his flesh.This special organ is implanted between the thoraic vertebrae and the stomach wall.It works by absorbing genetic material from the meal
How come i have never heard of this in any of the books or other fluff , and why dont the sapce marines ever use it? it would give huge tactical insight and be a big help to inquisitors, also does the Emperor have less morales than i thought? since when attacking rebels or in the great crusade:anti imperium civilizations, it would make the marines cannibals.uke: What do you think?

 

[Azezel]

Where do you think chapters like the Flesh Tearers or the Blood Drinkers got their name?

And the Emperor was not a nice guy - he was a pragmatist who made his Marines the ultimate killing machines in every way that he could.

 

[Barnster]

Its there but GW have been trying to civilise the space marines of late and left brain eating to tyranids and Kroot

 

[Shandathe]

There's also the fact that those enemies the Space Marines most need the knowledge about, like Necrons, Tyranid or Chaos Marine, just aren't safe to eat, no matter how you look at it.

 

[Tensiu]

Yeah, eatin' Necrons would be pretty problematic. Eating flesh is pretty a common practise for Marines, but chapters such like Sons of Malice were eating too much and excommunicated as cannibals.

 

[DestroyerHive]

"Mmmm... Would you like some salt with your Hive Tyrant?"

"Why yes, I believe I would. This one's rather tender, wouldn't you agree?"

"Ah shut it. I'm vegitarian!"

"Oh, quite right, quite right indeed."

 

[Lord of the Night]

Some Space Marines practice cannibalism but its strictly for ritual and ceremonial purposes. Eating human flesh outside of these isn't allowed, however during them some chapters like the Blood Drinkers and Flesh Tearers do consume human flesh.

Most Chapters dont practice cannibalism though, they regard it as repulsive.

 

[Baron Spikey]

From what I remember Sgt.Learchus eats the brain of a Tau in Courage and Honour.

 

[FatBoyFat]

In the old "space marine" by Ian Watson, a group of scouts ate a scout titans Crew I think, it was, and then managed to get one going, But this was before I think they had come up with that all titan crews are hard wired into their machines.

 

[Holmstrom]

What do you think happens to all of the old people in the Imperium when they retire?

 

[Baron Spikey]

Depends on the planet, culture, and what job they occupied before retiring- someone might be euthanised, other might get a pension ala the modern day.

As with Rule 34, if you can think it there's a better than average chance it happened.

 

[primarch-angron]

They can eat anything as long as it isnt tainted by Chaos

 

[Bionic-Weasel]

There are plenty of examples of marines doing this. Sarpedon from the Soul Drinkers ate the flesh of a particularly large mutant during the first book in the titular series. Some chapters eat the flesh of their dead as a means of disseminating their wisdom throughout the chapter. And others eat the flesh of their enemies for the same reason. Some just enjoy some tasty, tasty brains after a hard days genocidin’

Yeah, eatin' Necrons would be pretty problematic. Eating flesh is pretty a common practise for Marines, but chapters such like Sons of Malice were eating too much and excommunicated as cannibals.

That's not why they were excommunicated. They were excommunicated because an inquisitor, who was unfamiliar with the barbaric nature of Space Marine rituals, observed their rituals and called down the SoB to purge the chapter. They killed the attackers and ritually sacrificed the inquisitor; the reason why they did that didn't matter to everyone else. Cannibalism and eating flesh isn't likely to get a chapter in trouble, unless a very stupid inquisitor was watching over you.

 

[Fleshgolem]

actually the BAs (or at least their sanguinary high priest) do drink of their Primarch's blood which is held in the "Red Grail";

and we all know what they do when the black rage overwhelms them and they succumb to their red thirst...

eating organic materials für information gathering is a rather desperate measure, so it is only seldom used... since foes that can resist "ordinary" SM-tactics or weapons won't seldom leave them breath to gather and eat corpses

slain enemies are most often useless to eat, since they were inferior to the marines...

 

[Primarch Lorgar]

The sons of malice renegade chapter a cannibalistic, I'd know, they are my army!

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Sons_of_Malice

 

[diago]

marines often consume native beasts and gain information about local predators, environmental hazards such as toxic spores, solar flares ect.. and yeah they probably do eat people to gain info, its just a desperate measure.

my 2 cents