Space Wolves

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Space Wolves

The Space Wolves were one of the twenty Space Marine Legions, being led by their Primarch Leman Russ. After the Horus Heresy and the resultant reforms, the legion was divided into two chapters: the new Space Wolves chapter retained the name of their parent Legion, while the second chapter took on the name of the Wolf Brothers. The latter however suffered from mutation and was disbanded. It is currently unknown if there are any other descendant chapters of the Space Wolves at all.

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Space Wolves
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Legion Number	VI
Primarch	Leman Russ
Homeworld	Fenris
Fortress-Monastery	The Fang
Chapter Master	Logan Grimnar
Colours	Grey-blue (pre-heresy, Grey)
Specialty	Assault
Strength	12 Great Companies, at least 1440 battle-brothers
Battle Cry	"For Russ and the Allfather" or a feral howl
Successor Chapters: Wolf Brothers

Homeworld

Fenris is the homeworld of the Space Wolves. A planet locked in cold much of each year and wracked by tectonic shifts that change the landscape of the planet greatly each year. The constant shift and harsh conditions shape the people of Fenris into a hardy and strong breed. Tempered for battle in the constant war for survival against the elements, the monsters of the great seas, and competing tribes, and that is the way the Space Wolves like it. Instead of reforming the society of their homeworld as most Legions did, Leman Russ kept Fenris the same, kept the various sea going, island living tribes the same as they had always been, to keep them hardy and strong. As the tribes war the Space Wolves monitor their efforts, and every so often when two tribes wage war against each other, a wolf skull masked priest will appear on a fiery chariot in the sky to watch. Whenever the Wolf Priests of the Emperor’s warriors is watching, the tribes of fenris cease what they were doing and re-form their battle lines. If a tribe had been raiding an enemy in swift and merciless butchery, they will instantly cease and allow their foes to be armed. For only in true battle can the Emperor’s chosen see the warriors of Fenris at their best, and choose those worthy of ascent.

The seas of Fenris are home to creatures that seem to be straight from the legends and nightmares of the people of ancient Terra, yet they are very real to the inhabitants of Fenris. Enormous and deadly Krakens, sea Dragons that could swallow armored tanks whole and massive predatory sharks. Once an outsider has seen the fury and power of such creatures, one gains a new respect for the people of Fenris, who challenge such beasts with iron spears and axes, aboard simple longboats called Dragonships, that are much of the time barely a fraction of the size of the mighty sea wyrms that the people of Fenris hunt.

In opposition to the chaotic change of Fenris’ mighty seas, the massive continent known as Asaheim is home to the Space Wolves themselves. Populated by mighty Ice Trolls and Fenresian Wolves and other monsters the Aspirants and Space Wolves often test their skills against the various beasts populating the glaciers, ice plains, and mountains of the continent.

History

Great Crusade

File:Space Wolves Rogue Trader.jpg

Space Wolf Marine (Rogue Trader)

Primarch Leman Russ, grew up on the distant planet of Fenris, a snow-covered world inhabited by primitive, warlike tribes of humans. He was raised by a pack of the massive Fenrisian Wolves that prowl the snowy lands.

He was discovered by a man named Thengir, King of the Russ, who had organized a party of hunters to clear the wolf pack from his lands. As most of the wolves were slaughtered the young man was captured and brought to Thengir who took him into his care, under the name of Leman Russ.

The Primarch learned the ways of man quickly, and many legends sprung up about him. Upon his adopted father's death, the leadership of the Russ passed to Leman. Leman became a mighty leader, winning many victories, often fighting alongside packs of Fenrisian Wolves, led by two of his Wolf-brothers who escaped Thengir's hunters.

The Emperor travelled to Fenris having heard word of the exploits of Leman Russ realizing that they could only be the work of a Primarch. At first Leman Russ refused to pay Him homage, going as far as challenging Him.

The challenges consisted of three different contest, one being eating, the other drinking, and the third being a fist-fighting one. Russ managed to beat the Emperor at both eating and drinking, but the third challenge was more to the Emperor's liking. Having at first seemed like a disappointment, a drunkard and a boaster, the Primarch suddenly launched a furious attack. This very challenge proved to the Emperor that this was indeed one of his sons, Russ fighting with outstanding speed and power. After having the disappointment lifted from his spirit by his son's ferocity, the Emperor stopped holding back and quickly found an opening in Leman Russ' defences. The Emperor raised his power fist, knocking the Primarch out with a single blow that would have killed a lesser man. Leman Russ awoke later and blamed his loss on the alcohol, but in the end admitted defeat and swore fealty to the Emperor.

He fought well during the Great Crusade, gaining the reputation as a cunning and fierce, as well as slightly unstable, warrior and leader. During a pacification war, the Dark Angels aided the Space Wolves, and the leader of this particular planet insulted Leman Russ's honour, and so he wanted to defeat the leader personally for the insult. The Dark Angels and Space Wolves, both lead by their prospective Primarchs assaulted the tower where the leader was. Leman Russ burst into the throne room just in time to see Lion El'Jonson beheading the leader. Angry that the honour was not his, Leman Russ marched up to the Lion and punched him in the jaw. This lead to a battle that lasted a week or more, until finally Russ saw how immature their squabble was and started laughing. Lion El'Jonson took this as Russ mocking him and punched Leman Russ into unconsciousness before leaving the planet with his legion. This led to a bitter feud between the Legions (and subsequent Chapters), which lasts to this day - although recent events may finally have led to an end to the rivalry, though it is still customary for selected champions from both sides to engage in a (usually) non-lethal duel.⁷

A space wolf kills an ork

Horus Heresy

The Horus Heresy saw the Galaxy drenched in blood and war, as Horus and no less than nine of the Space Marine Legions descended into treachery. As the galaxy was thrown into chaos the Space Wolves were however not involved in many of the terrible fighting at Terra. Nevertheless the Space Wolves were heavily involved in the foundations of the Heresy, when they forged their ageless feud with the Thousand Son's Space Marine Legion.

Texts and accounts recovered both from the libraries of Prospero and the histories of the Space Wolves have been pieced together to provide accounts of what followed.

As the Horus Heresy ripened Magnus the Red, Primarch of the Thousand Sons, sent a psychic message to the Emperor warning him of Horus’ betrayal. However in so doing Magnus revealed the extent of his pursuit of sorcery, affirming Russ’ deepest suspicions about the cyclopean Primarch. At Russ’ insistence the Emperor agreed that Magnus must be brought to account for his betrayals. Gathering his entire legion Leman Russ traveled across the stars to bring down the Thousand Sons. His suspicions further affirmed by half-truths and lies spun by Horus, Russ swept down on Prospero with the weight of his entire Legion. Bombarding the planet mercilessly and tearing a bloody swath across the planet to the very citadel of the Thousand Sons. Prospero had been a paradise of a world, ice and ivory towers scraping the sky, vast man made lakes and reflecting pools, and magnificent libraries and places of learning. Nevertheless Russ felt it was simply a veneer of civilization over a tainted heart. The Space Wolves assaulted Prospero without mercy and the fighting against the Thousand Sons was fierce indeed, lasting many days at the cost of thousands of lives.

No matter how wise the Thousand Sons were, or how potent their sorcery was, they could not stand against the sheer fury of the Space Wolves on the field of war. At the center of the Space Wolves battlelines was the 13th Great Company lead by Jorin Bloodfang. The 13th Company was comprised of those battle brothers who manifested the curse of the wulfen, transformed into half wolf beasts in the heat of combat. Against such fury and bestial ferocity the Thousand Sons could not hold, eventually a massive hole was torn in the lines of the Thousand Sons and slowly but surely the warriors of Prospero were culled, cut down by the Space Wolves sheer fury.

The loss of every single Space Marine of the Thousand Sons is recorded in Prospero’s Lament, which while certainly suspect, is the only account of Magnus’ terrible bargain. Watching his legion torn apart by the bestial Wolves, Magnus roared to the heavens for salvation and help came. Magnus’ body was warped by insane power, and ten fingered hands shot from the soil of Prospero to defend it’s fortresses, the screams of Magnus drove hundreds of Space Wolves insane and still they fought on, their fury and willpower alone driving them on.

It was then that Magnus charged forth and laid into the Space Wolves, his horrific gaze petrifying anything it fell on, turning even the stoutest Long Fangs to dust, unstoppable the Giant crashed through the Space Wolves. Leman Russ disengaged from the swirling melee and lifted a Thousand Sons marine bodily and threw him into the face of Magnus. Temporarily blinded by the attack Russ smashed into Magnus. Somehow the giant did not fall and instead delivered a crushing blow to Russ’ chest, sending splinters of Ceramite into his heart. Nevertheless Russ grabbed Magnus’ arm as it drew back for another punch and kicked the Primarch in the eye. Howling in pain Magnus stumbled back and Russ took advantage of his opponent’s weakness to lift Magnus from the ground and break Magnus’ back over his knee. Seeing their Primarch broken the Thousand Sons turned and fled but as Russ prepared to execute Magnus with Mjalnar, Magnus gasped a word of power and vanished into the ground.

The reports on how the Thousand Sons escaped Prospero are many and varied. What is certain is that the Thousand Sons were not destroyed, as they continue to plague the Imperium to this day. Magnus himself even managed to survive somehow and even managed to save a great deal of the Thousand Sons learning and knowledge. However the Thousand Sons escaped, the 13th Company, the Wulfen-kind, pursued them. To this day the fate of the 13th Company is not known. However rumors from the 13th Black Crusade and some few eye witness reports indicate that strange half wolf marines bearing the colors and iconography of the Space Wolves have been seen appearing on various battlefields to tear into the forces of chaos before disappearing once more.

In honor of the lost 13th Company however the Space Wolves keep one stone blank in the Grand Annulus, the circle of stones depicting the Chapters Great Companies, and the 13th Company has never been replaced.

Post Heresy

Leman Russ was devastated by his inability to save the Emperor. After the war was fully completed, and all resistance was crushed, Russ held a great feast, at which he declared he would be leaving, and would return for the 'final battle'. He then vanished, and is said to have gone into the Eye of Terror to continue hunting down the traitorous Marines who fought against the Emperor during the Horus Heresy. Another tale has it that Russ vanished after chasing a Kabal of Dark Eldar who had raided Fenris right into their city of Commorragh. Any evidence for either theories is yet to be presented and there is a large possibility that both are mere fables. The true whereabouts of the Primarch remains a mystery.

Harek Ironhelm was the chapter's Great Wolf during M32. Ironhelm sought for many years to bring Magnus to battle. Several times Magnus appeared to him in visions among the ruins of devastated cities and taunted the Great Wolf for his inability to stop him. After many fruitless efforts to catch up with the raiders Harek became obsessed, and took to searching worlds along the edge of the Eye of Terror itself. Eventually he found what he believed to be the Thousand Sons' secret base on Gangava and launched a full-scale attack against it. This was a deception to draw the Space Wolves from their homeworld, leaving it undefended; Gangava was held by a Chaos force allied to Magnus but it served only as a distraction, allowing a massive Thousand Sons' Fleet to besiege Fenris.

The Fang was held by only a small force of Space Wolves and their servitor-thralls. For forty days and forty nights the Thousand Sons assaulted the citadel. Bjorn the Fell-handed, most ancient of the Space Wolves dreadnoughts, was woken from his long sleep and took charge of the defence. The assault was held at bay as a force of scouts under Haakon Blackwing escaped to Gangava to locate Harek. Shamed and furious, Harek Ironhelm returned to meet Magnus in battle on the slopes of the Fang itself. Although Magnus was terribly wounded, Harek, a Marine, couldn't stand against a Primarch exalted to Daemonhood. Harek was slain, but the Thousand Sons were defeated and scattered.

Organization

The Codex Astartes is the holy tome of the Adeptus Astartes. However not all chapters adhere to its tenets completely and there are a few who do not follow it at all. The Space Wolves are one such chapter. In their organization, recruitment, markings, equipment and even many of their tactics, the Space Wolves function very differently from the codes laid down in the Codex Astartes.

The Space Wolves are not organized along the lines of the Codex. Instead the Space Wolves have thirteen companies in their organization, though only twelve companies have been maintained in the Chapter after the Horus Heresy. The Companies of the Space Wolves are known as Great Companies and are not structured along the parameters of the Codex. There is no scout company within the Space Wolves and no Battle or Reserve Companies. Indeed, there is not even a Veteran company. Instead, the command structure and organization of the Companies is more fluid. Each Company takes the name and iconography of the chosen Wolf Lord, along with the personal styles and tactics of the chosen Wolf Lord. In this way every time a new Lord is chosen the company is re-invented.

The Great Wolf is also elected to the rank from among the Wolf Lords. The Great Company commanded by the chosen Wolf Lord becomes home to the Chapter specialists, such as the Iron Priests, Wolf Priests and Rune Priests. This means that the Company of the Great Wolf is changing just as much as the individual companies change with each new Wolf Lord that takes command. With the lack of a Scout Company or a Veteran Company, that means the recruits and veterans of the Chapter are spread fluidly throughout the Chapter.

The Space Wolves are known for their fiercely anti-authoritarian behaviour. They strongly resist the central command structure of the Imperium, and refuse to follow the dictates of the Codex Astartes, which lays the structure and tactics to be used by all Space Marines. Their army has a strong Viking feel to them along with many wolf references, right down to their wolf-like teeth and heightened senses.

They are very superstitious and only rarely make use of advanced technology used by other Chapters, such as teleportation.

The Great Companies

The twelve Great Companies are a defiance of the standardized Codex laid out by Roboute Guilliman. Each Great Company is based in the Fang, the Space Wolves Chapter Fortress and is led by a Wolf Lord,who answers only to the Great Wolf. Each Great Company is fully self-contained, made up of a body of fully armed troops as well as the spacecraft necessary to transport the Great Company. They each also have their own forges and customs. The size of each Great Company is unknown but the Space Wolves Legion was said to be one of the smaller Legions. As each Great Company serves as an independent army, they maintain a much greater number of troops as opposed to codex companies. Speculation has ranged from between 150 and 1000 marines per Great Company.

Each Great Company is made of a number of packs that function much like a Space Marine squad. However, their tactical usage varies greatly. Each squad is unique in that it doesn't ever receive reinforcements, making the higher level squads smaller in number compared to the lowest Blood Claw pack. Many Blood Claw packs start with as many as fifteen marines. However, losses take their toll, and by the time a Blood Claw squad reaches the level of Grey Hunter, normally only 9 or 10 are left. As they age, further losses limit the squad sizes of Long Fangs down to just 5 or less.

Blood Claws

The Blood Claws are young Space Wolves who have just finished their most basic training and initiation rites including drinking from the cup of wolfen and surviving. They function like Assault Squads, but they do not normally use jump packs. Contrary to normal Space Marine doctrine the new initiates of the Space Wolves are not assigned to a single scout company. Space Wolf Blood Claws are instead assigned to any one of the Great Companies.

Grey Hunters

Grey Hunters are Blood Claws who have survived the trials on the field of battle, combat experience having made them less impulsive and thus less suited as a force of pure assault. Comprising the majority of the Space Wolves these marines fill the Tactical Squad role.

Long Fangs

Long Fangs are the next level up from Grey Hunters. These take the role of Devastator Squads. Long Fangs are the only Space Wolves regarded as experienced enough to individually choose what to target with their heavy weapons.

Wolf Guard

The Wolf Guard are made up of those Space Wolves seen to have performed an exceptional feat of valour, courage or bravery and are invited to join the pack. These are the Veterans of the Space Wolves and often lead other squads as a Veteran Sergeant would in other chapters. As with other Veterans they sometimes wear Terminator Armour however much less so than in other chapters’.

Wolf Scouts

Wolf Scouts are Space Wolves whose entire pack has been lost or that have left their pack for other reasons. They operate as Scouts do in a codex chapter, however they are trained to work alone behind enemy lines for long periods of time. Space Wolf Scouts are not assigned to any of the Great Companies. They instead answer directly to the Great Wolf and are under his sole command unless assigned to a Wolf Lord and his company on an as needed basis.

Wolf Lord

Each Great Company has a Wolf Lord chosen from that company’s Wolf Guard. It is his duty to organize his Great Company. He has the powers of a codex Chapter Master within his Great Company. When a Wolf Lord dies, the Great Company’s mark will be changed from that of the old Wolf Lord to that of the new.

Great Wolf

The Great Wolf is chosen from the Wolf Lords and is the actual Chapter Master. The current Great Wolf is Logan Grimnar who has held the position for the past 700 years.

Wolf Priest

Wolf Priests take the roles of Chaplains and Apothecary within the chapter. They are selected from any part of the chapter but usually from the Long Fangs or Wolf Guard due to the greater wisdom of these marines. Instead of using codex medical equipment, Wolf Priests using healing potions and balms, using knowledge passed down from one Wolf Priest to the next.

Rune Priest

The codex role of Librarian is taken by the Rune Priest. It is his duty to keep the knowledge of the chapter’s history, reciting the great sagas of old. The Rune Priests duty as a Librarian is carried out through the shamanistic rituals of the Fenrisian shaman traditions.

Iron Priest

The Iron Priest's duty is that of a Techmarine, but with additions. He is required to keep the equipment of his Great Company in working order, maintain the machine spirits of its vehicles, in addition to all other duties of a Techmarine. He is also required to tend to the spirits of the Dreadnoughts in the depths of the Fang, and it is his duty to rouse them from their deep slumbers if they are needed in battle. They are accompanied in battle by Servitors.

Dreadnoughts

Amongst the number of Dreadnoughts in the Space Wolves chapter, some are extremely ancient, carrying warriors, such as Bjorn the Fell-Handed, who walked beneath the same sky as the Emperor himself, and who stood beside Leman Russ in battle. These dreadnoughts are revered and so respected is their skill in battle that on rare occasions, a Dreadnought may be called upon to lead an army into battle. The troops following in his footsteps will chant his name, remembering the many sagas they have heard of his exploits. This is a fearsome scene to behold for any enemy.

Vehicles

In honour of Leman Russ the Space Wolves keep a number of Leman Russ Exterminators in their inventory. They use these in battle rarely but to devastating effect, the tanks fearsome array of weaponry enhanced further by the skills of the marines inside.

The Space Wolves maintain fifteen ships in their fleet, one for each Great Company and three in reserve. Each of the fifteen ships is unique unto itself, the fleet including many different classes and configurations of vessels. Two of the Chapters ships are massive warships akin to Imperial Navy capitol ships. The Fist of Russ is the ship of Egil Ironwolf which he claimed in combat when his Company’s own ship was badly damaged. Slightly larger the Pride of Fenris is the personal ship of Logan Grimnar.

Recruitment

The Space Wolves recruit exclusively from Fenris. Those chosen by the Space Wolves may often have been mortally wounded, and are repaired by the Chapters technology. To be reborn and have a chance at becoming something more, a Space Marine, a Space Wolf, a son of Russ. The aspirants are taken to training camps where they will learn and train in the hopes of becoming worthy. Where other chapters simply have aspirants fight until only the strongest stand, the Space Wolves set a more exacting standard. Skill in battle is important, but it is not the only thing that matters in becoming a Wolf. The Aspirants are forced to train as teams, to work together as packs, to succeed or fail together, put up against the odds. To face the harshness of nature, the depredations of the wild monsters of Asaheim, and the exacting expectations of the training Sergeants. Only those who have proven themselves worthy are brought into the Chapter as Blood Claws. Given the implants that transform them into Adeptus Astartes and trained further still in the facilities of the Fang the Aspirants face one final test. To master themselves, and the gene-curse of the Chapter, the Mark of the Wulfen. Aspirants in their final stages of implantation are taken far from the Fang and left in the wilderness with little to aid them. If they can make their way back to the Fang without succumbing to the call of the Wulfen or falling to the predators of the wild then they will become full members of the Chapter, as Blood Claws.

Blood Claw packs are not the scouts typical of other Chapters. Fully armored in power armor and implanted with the Black Carapace, the 19th Implant of the transformation process, the Blood Claws are fully Adeptus Astartes. However they have yet to master their skills and their lust for battle. After their initiation they are assigned to a Great Company. Should the Wolves survive to temper their lust for battle they will ascend to the rank of Grey Hunter, and cease their existence as initiates, and become veterans of the Chapter. Because of the ferocious lust for battle held by all Blood Claws, their attrition rate is terrible, and not many survive to become Grey Hunters.

Beliefs

The Space Wolves are brought up believing in mystic legends and sagas of star striding wolves, horrendous monsters and mighty heroes. Mistrustful of technology and sorcery the people of Fenris are a brutal but noble people and this bearing is brought to the Chapter by the recruits. Central to their belief system is Leman Russ and the Emperor, whom they see as the greatest pinnacles of mankind and heroes to inspire valor and honor.

The Space Wolves are a curious Chapter when it comes to Imperial politics. Logan Grimnar is completely unafraid to defend his Chapters autonomy and will wage war even against other Imperial institutions if he feels it is just. Most particularly Logan Grimnar has very strained relations with the Inquisition after the 1st war for Armageddon saw the Inquisition round up the planets populace in isolated labor camps at the conclusion of the campaign.

The Space Wolves are also notable in that they have a firm alliance with the Navigator House Bellisarius that predates the foundation of the Imperium. House Bellisarius provides the Space Wolves with 24 of their best Navigators in exchange for 24 Space Wolves known as the Wolf Blade, to serve as a bodyguard for House Bellisarius’ leadership. A significant number of Space Wolf heroes have at one time or another been part of the Wolf Blade. Since House Bellisarius is an ancient and powerful Navigator house, they maintain a headquarters on Terra, and thus service in the Wolf Blade provides the Space Wolves with inside experience into the politics of the Imperium. Some of the current heroes of the Chapter that have served in the Wolf Blade include Ragnar Blackmane and Logan Grimnar.

The Thirteenth Company

See main article: 13th Great Company

Space Wolf legend states that the group that came to be known as Thirteenth Company was sent by Leman Russ to pursue the Thousand Sons legion, after the failed attempt to eliminate the Chaos-supporting legion. They vanished from Imperial records, and their loss is honoured by a black stone in the Grand Annulus (the record of Space Wolf Great Companies).

Their reappearance at the beginning of Abaddon the Despoiler’s Thirteenth Black Crusade has brought them back into the spotlight. They appear to still be in pursuit of the goal Leman Russ set for them, and it was believed that Leman Russ himself was their leader, although this was never proven.

Geneseed

The Gene-seed of the Space Wolves contains the flaw known as the Curse of the Wulfen. This genetic heritage of Leman Russ gives the Space Wolves continuously growing canines, heightened senses of smell and hearing, but also a terrible curse. For those battle brothers that cannot contain the beast within them, they transform into monstrous werewolf creatures, half man, and half wolf. For this reason the gene-seed of the Space Wolves is never used in the creation of new Chapters and no known successor chapters are known. The only chapter suspected to be descended from the Space Wolves, known as the Wolf Brothers, is a mystery to the Imperium. Some theories suggest the Chapter had some sort of genetic mutation due to their distance from Fenris and had to be disbanded and cleansed. Others suggest that the Wolf Brothers may actually be the personal bodyguard of Russ appearing alongside the 13th Company in battle. The truth is still a mystery to the Imperium at large, though there are certainly those among the Inquisition who would dearly love to know the answer, if only to use it against the Space Wolves.

Notable Space Wolves

• Leman Russ (primarch) - Primarch
• Logan Grimnar - Great Wolf (Chapter Master)
• Berek Thunderfist - Wolf Lord
• Ragnar Blackmane - Wolf Lord; succeeded Berek Thunderfist
• Kyrl Grimblood - Wolf Lord during the the Age of Apostasy
• Sigrid Trollbane - Wolf Lord
• Bran Redmaw - Wolf Lord
• Ulrik the Slayer - Wolf Priest
• Njal Stormcaller - Rune Priest
• Bjorn the Fell-Handed - Dreadnought; was previously Great Wolf and a Wolf Guard to Leman Russ
• Gymir the Ice-Fisted - Dreadnought
• Ranek Icewalker- Wolf Priest
• Gnyrll Bluetooth - Commander of the Wolf of Fenris
• Torvald - Rune Priest, member of the Thirteenth Company
• Buleye - Wolf Lord of the Thirteenth Company
• Haegr the Mountain - former member of the Wolfblade and comrade of Ragnar Blackmane
• Freyr - Long Fang during the Horus Heresy
• Arjac Rockfist - The Man-Mountain, Anvil of Fenris. Wolf Guard, Before becoming a Space Wolf he was a blackmsith of the Bear Claw tribe. He has risen to become the Personal Champion of Logan Grimnar¹⁰
• Lukas the Trickster - The Strifeson, The Laughing One, The Jackelwolf. Veteran who has never risen from the ranks of the Blood Claws¹⁰
• Canis Wolfborn - Thunderwolf riding Wolf Guard to Harald Deathwolf ¹⁰

Notable Battles

• First War for Armageddon Logan Grimnar led 300 Space Wolves alongside 100 Grey Knights against Angron and a diabolic horde of Khorne.
• Third War for Armageddon.⁵ The Space Wolves fielded 5 Great Companies in the defence of Armageddon.
• Thirteenth Black Crusade.⁶ The Space Wolves committed 12 Great Companies against this Black Crusade.
  • Note: The Space Wolves are 1 of only 4 Space Marine Chapters to have fought in both the Third War for Armageddon and against the Thirteenth Black Crusade.^6,7
• Deployed Land Raider Helios against orks on Centius Prime.⁸
• Saw action against the forces of the Draxian Incursion on Medes 841.⁸
• Saw action against Chaos at Hesperida. Forces included elements of Ragnar Blackmane's Great Company.
• Ragnar Blackmane's Great Company was despatched to aid the Imperial Guard forces fighting Chaos at Corinthus V.
• Fielded Vindicator's during the Magdelon Confrontation.⁸
• Fielded all but one company to Garm to recover the Spear of Russ. After securing the temple, they tried to recover the Spear of Russ, but it was lost to the warp in order to close a portal being formed by marines of the Thousand Sons.

Iconography

Symbols and Colours

The Space Wolves wear blue-grey coloured armour with other colours as highlights, notably red, yellow, black and white, and often adorned with tokens taken from wolves, such as furs and teeth. The Legion symbol is a silhouette of a snarling wolf.

Great Company Badges

The current badges of the 12 Great Companies, as shown on the Grand Annulus

The Space Wolves have a rather different system of markings than that used by more Codex adherent Chapters. Rather than using the company markings as laid down in the Codex Astartes, the Space Wolves use a number of different wolf symbols to denote the different Great Companies that make up the chapter. These are normally a stylized wolf emblem denoting some aspect of the native Fenrisian mythology. These are chosen by a new Wolf Lord upon his election from the ranks of the Wolf Guard, and are adopted by all of the Space Wolves within the Great Company as a mark of fealty. They are also woven onto the various Great Company banners, The symbol remains with the Great Company until the Wolf Lord falls in battle, whereupon a new Wolf Lord is chosen, and so the badge changes.

Even these marks bow down to the Space Wolves reputation for nonconformity, and hence lack of any formal uniform system. There is never only one way to represent a Great Company badge, and within a Great Company it is likely to find a number of variants of the badge being used at the same time. Indeed, there are currently three different stylizations of the Blakmane Wolf emblem (currently used by Ragnar Blackmane's Great Company) in Imperial records. Indeed, over the centuries many hundreds of different styles of badges have been recorded by Imperial scribes.

The one company that does not change its icon is the household of the Great Wolf. The household uses "The Wolf That Stalks Between Stars", the badge of Leman Russ himself, as it's emblem. This badge is perhaps unique within the Space Wolves, as there are no recorded variants of it, a testament to the respect that the Space Wolves have for their Primarch. It is this badge that represents the Space Wolves as a chapter, and is woven on the Chapter's banner.

Also, many of the Space Wolves most honoured and treasured relics carry this symbol, having been in the possession or service of the Chapter (and hence the Imperium) since the days when Russ walked among the stars. Many of the Chapter's most sacred Banners have a rendition of this symbol on them, a tangible link to the time when Russ walked among them. Whilst many of these are treasured in their own right, perhaps the most treasured of all is the Dreadnought Bjorn the Fell Handed, who fought alongside Russ during the Great Crusade. He carries the mark on his Dreadnought armour to show this perhaps unique distinction.

Honour Badges

The Space Wolves have a long, varied, and altogether proud warrior heritage. They especially appreciate acts of bravery, courage and skill among their own comrades, and proudly display badges that denote these acts. These badges are normally painted or carved onto the armour and weapons of the Space Wolf.

As with most Space Wolf displays, there is no formal system of awards, it only matters that those the Space Wolf fights with understand the significance of the symbol. However, some symbols have acquired a special significance to the Space Wolves over time, and the Sergeant and Veteran badges are good examples of this. There are also some more general symbolism which is used in the honour badges; badges with bones tend to signify wounds suffered in battle, knife and claw symbols represent ferocity and bravery in battle and wolf tails signify great courage in battle.

Army Badge

It is quite common for Space Wolves of different Great Companies to find themselves fighting alongside one another in the same task force. In order to aid identification, and to provide a greater amount of task force cohesion on the battlefield, an army marking is usually applied to the Space Wolf's armour, as well as to the vehicles of the task force. As with all badges, there are some that are preferred over others. Of particular note is that used by the current task force of Ragnar Blackmane; A fanged skull superimposed on two crossed bones, mounted on a black lozenge. This particular badge has appeared many times in the past, and therefore probably has some special significance to the space wolves.

Sources

• ¹ Codex: Space Wolves (2nd Edition)
• ² Codex: Space Wolves (3rd Edition)
• ³ Codex: Space Marines (4th Ed.)
• ⁴ Index Astartes Volume II
• ⁵ Codex: Armageddon
• ⁶ Codex: Eye of Terror
• ⁷ Warhammer 40,000: Compilation, Leman Russ
• ⁸ Imperial Armour Volume Two - Space Marines and Forces of the Inquisition - Pg. 74, 107, 162
• ⁹ Warrior Brood by C.S. Goto
• ¹⁰ Codex: Space Wolves (5th Edition) - Pg. 51-54

See also

• List of Space Marine Chapters