Sangheili: Difference between revisions

The '''Sangheili'''<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 189'' (''"Sangheili: the Elite name for their race"'')</ref> ('''Macto cognatus''' in Latin taxonomy,<ref name="Bestiarum">'''[[Bestiarum]]'''</ref> meaning "I glorify my kin") are a saurian<ref>[http://halo.bungie.net/projects/reach/article.aspx?ucc=enemies&cid=24611 '''Bungie.net''': ''Halo: Reach: Enemies - Elite'']</ref> sapient species known for their warrior culture and combat skill. Named after their home planet, [[Sanghelios]], they have historically been known to [[human]]s as '''Elites''' for their former role in the [[Covenant]]'s [[Covenant military|military]] hierarchy.<ref name="h2prima">'''[[The Official Halo 2 Strategy Guide]]''' ''page 43''</ref> Originally one of the Covenant's two founding species, the Sangheili formed the hegemony's military backbone until just before the end of its existence. They had a very strong rivalry with the [[Jiralhanae]],<ref name="ENC142">'''[[Halo Encyclopedia]]''', ''page 142'' (2011 edition)</ref><ref>[[Conversations from the Universe]]: [[Conversations from the Universe#Grunt Conversation|Grunt Conversation]] "And you have ears, you've heard the disrespect the Jiralhanae show the Sangheili. They hate each other. The Sangheili have lived too long under the shelter of the Covenant as the strongest of us. The Jiralhanae come stomping along and suddenly it's not so simple as it was."</ref> which finally led to open violence during the [[Great Schism]] at the conclusion of the [[Human-Covenant War]].<ref>[[Halo 2]], campaign level [[Uprising]] "By the Prophets ... what have these Brutes done? ...They have shed our brothers' blood... and for that, they must die!"</ref>

After the [[Prophet of Truth|High Prophet of Truth]] and the [[Prophet of Mercy|High Prophet of Mercy]] ordered the genocide of the entire Sangheili race during the Great Schism, the species was forced into civil war against the Covenant proper. This was established after the assassination of the [[Prophet of Regret|High Prophet of Regret]] at the hands of [[John-117]]. The two remaining Hierarchs held the Sangheili responsible for the Prophet of Regret's death, and the species was seen as "unfit" to continue to guard the [[San'Shyuum|Prophets]]. The Prophets sought to achieve this through the use of the other Covenant races, primarily the [[Jiralhanae]]. Consequently, the Sangheili led [[Covenant separatists|a rebellion]] against the Prophets. [[Fleet of Retribution|A significant number of Sangheili]] sided with the UNSC against the Prophet-led Covenant; this alliance continued to hold in the post-war era. The Great Schism formed the bedrock of the Covenant Empire's [[Battle of the Citadel|ultimate collapse]] and the end of the [[Human-Covenant War]].