Editing Dante (section)

==The Man, the Myth, the Legend==
[[File:Tearing wires.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Someone made up a drawing of Dante fucking up a motherfucking Titan. The Imperium approves.]]
{{topquote|You are the greatest hero of the Imperium! Who can claim to have lived so long or achieved so much?|Dante's equerry <s>Alfred</s> Arafeo}}
{{topquote|I have seen all the evil that the galaxy harbours, and I have slain all whose presence defiles the Emperor.|Dante to the Blood Angels}} 
{{topquote|My son, my greatest son.|Sanguinius to Dante}}
{{topquote|My historitors have struggled to create a concise history of your life.|Roboute Guilliman to Dante}} 

Fluffwise, the WotDM for Dante seems to push for a trinity of 'big three' Space Marine Commanders of M41, including [[Logan Grimnar]], [[Marneus Calgar]], and Dante himself. The fluff goes on to present Grimnar as the most beloved figure in a folk hero sort of way, while Calgar turns out to be a four-star badass that is most respected in his capacity as a Chapter Master. In comparison, Dante is presented as a distant hero figure to the people of the Imperium, an immortal golden warrior whose deeds have become indistinguishable from legend.
In fact, even the Space Marines are in awe of Dante. [[Tu'Shan]], Chapter Master of the [[Salamanders]], and his Firedrake elite, kneel to greet Dante in ''The Burden of Angels''. Aaaand do not forget the ''The Diadem of Dante'', a Golden Iron Halo forged in honour of Dante as a great hero of the Imperium, but now proudly paraded by the [[Blood Ravens|Magpies]]. It is said that all those wearing it hope that some of Dante's might would rub off on them.

The WotDM outlines the in-universe myths and legends surrounding Dante. He is basically to the Imperium what Calgar is to the [[Matt Ward|Dark Lord]]. According to the Imperium, he is the oldest Space Marine alive, whereas that distinction actually belongs to the Blood Angels Veteran Sergeant Cleutin. Who cares about sergeants, eh? (but note the Cleutin fluff was 2nd ed, maybe retconned). Much is also made of the fact that Dante has basically got more shit done than several entire chapters founded in M41. AND the WotDM goes on to state this is not enough for the Imperium, they go full ham in which legend is intertwined with truth à la 'if-it-didn't-happen-it-should-have-happened" myth-making. Funnily enough, the [[Matt Ward|Dark Lord]] is very meta about Dante's legend in the Blood Angels 5th ed. It is noted that Dante has lived so long that "his exploits have passed into myth". Thus, it is now "now impossible to say" how many Ork he slew single-handedly during Liberation of Canau, and that the "tally grows greater each time the story is recounted". The Dark Lord also questions if Dante "truly" defeated Skarbrand before the Gates of Pandemonium?, and if it was "indeed a single mighty blow that clove the Daemon in twain"? Finally, it is noted that only Dante himself could reveal whether there is truth to these stories, and how much is just Imperial legend and propaganda that Dante tolerates for the sake of providing a hero. The Dark Lord's own view is quite apparent since it is claimed that the "exaggerated nature of such tales must rankle" Dante. There is some truth to this, for it turns out that the Grey Knights needed to team up with Dante and the Blood Angels to defeat [[Ka'bandha]] on Kalagazaar in 911.M41. While Haley would also take this stance in the novelisation, you have to wonder if the [[Matt Ward|Dark Lord]] was truly writing clever meta, or he was just taking the shine off the major threat to his beloved [[Marneus Calgar|spiritual liege]].

Note that Dante's legend is not just the result of deliberate Imperium propaganda. The Imperium is a decentralised empire of a million worlds, and Dante's legend has been distorted by time and flawed retellings across the galaxy. The WotDM goes on to offer Dante's possible reaction to his legend. One view is that Dante lets his legend grow because he knows mankind needs heroes in the Dark Millenium. Another is that Dante has better things to do than pay heed to the words of mortal men and women.

The novelisation ''Dante'' basically states outright that Dante has tolerated the embellishment of his legend to provide humanity with a hero. In the words of Dante himself "I allow my legend to grow beyond all measure of truthfulness. I allow men to think me infallible and potent beyond my means. I embrace it gladly for the service it gives mankind".

Dante himself remains grounded, and tired of the hero worship. He thinks he is no saint and that he has had to pretend to be something he is not. In his words, "...although I am mighty and wise, and of the Adeptus Astartes, I am just a man. Under my armour beats a human heart alongside the one gifted me by the Emperor". [[Awesome|Daaaamnn]].