The Space Wolves are the Vikings of the far future: proud, fierce warriors from the ice world of Fenris who drink, boast, tell sagas and charge into battle beside giant wolves. They answer to no rulebook but their own, and their history is one of the wildest in Warhammer 40,000.
Army guide, last updated November 4, 2026. Lore summarised in our own words from Black Library novels, codexes and community wikis. For game rules, use the official codex or the official app.
The Space Wolves in 30 seconds
| Who | The VIth Legion, the Vlka Fenryka |
| Primarch | Leman Russ, missing for ten thousand years |
| Home | Fenris, a world of ice, ocean and volcanoes |
| Leader | Logan Grimnar, the Great Wolf |
| Famous for | Wolves, sagas, the Wulfen curse, refusing the Codex |
| Colours | Blue-grey armour, yellow and red markings, furs and talismans |
Leman Russ, the Wolf King
The infant Primarch Leman Russ landed on Fenris, a brutal death world where land and sea shift with the seasons. He was raised by a she-wolf, then by the Fenrisian tribes, and became their king through strength and cunning. When the Emperor came for him, Russ challenged him to a contest of feasting and fighting, and lost, only to swear himself into the Emperor's service.
Russ took command of the VIth Legion, which became known as the Vlka Fenryka, the Wolves of Fenris. They were the Emperor's "executioners": the Legion he sent when another had to be punished.
The Canis Helix and the curse of the Wulfen
Space Wolves gene-seed carries an extra factor, the Canis Helix. It gives them sharp senses, wolf-like fangs and a wild temper. But it also hides a curse: some Space Wolves, pushed too far, transform into the Wulfen, half-man, half-wolf beasts. The Chapter hid this secret for millennia.
The Burning of Prospero
When the Primarch Magnus the Red broke the Emperor's ban on sorcery, the Emperor ordered Russ to bring him to Terra. Horus twisted that order into a command to destroy Magnus. The Space Wolves attacked Prospero, home of Magnus's Thousand Sons, and burned their beautiful city of Tizca to the ground. The Thousand Sons fell to Chaos, and the hatred between the two Legions burns to this day.
After the Heresy
When Guilliman wrote the Codex Astartes, the Space Wolves refused much of it. They kept their own ranks, rites and huge Great Companies. Russ himself eventually led a final hunt into the Eye of Terror and never returned. The Wolves believe he will come back at the Wolftime, the final battle at the end of everything, and many go into battle hoping to see it.
The Thirteenth Great Company
One Great Company followed Russ's path and vanished into the Eye of Terror, fighting Chaos there for ten thousand years. In recent times, the lost Thirteenth Great Company began to return as packs of Wulfen, bringing the Chapter's old curse back into the open and forcing the Wolves to face their own nature.
How the Wolves are organised
Instead of ten Codex companies, the Space Wolves have twelve Great Companies, each led by a Wolf Lord and each with its own banner. Young, reckless Blood Claws charge headfirst; seasoned Grey Hunters form the core; old Long Fangs carry the heavy weapons; and the best warriors join the Wolf Guard. Rune Priests serve as psykers, and Wolf Priests guard the gene-seed and the Chapter's soul.
Famous Space Wolves
- Logan Grimnar: the Great Wolf, Chapter Master for centuries.
- Ragnar Blackmane: the youngest Wolf Lord ever, hot-headed and heroic.
- Bjorn the Fell-Handed: the oldest Space Marine alive, inside a Dreadnought, who fought beside Russ himself.
- Njal Stormcaller: a Rune Priest who commands storms.
- Ulrik the Slayer: the ancient Wolf High Priest.
- Arjac Rockfist: the Anvil of Fenris, Grimnar's champion.
Black Library books to read
- Prospero Burns (Dan Abnett): the Burning of Prospero from the Wolves' side.
- Space Wolf (William King): the classic Ragnar Blackmane saga.
- Wolfsbane (Guy Haley): Leman Russ in the Horus Heresy.
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Find them as Black Library paperbacks and audiobooks.
Collecting Space Wolves: a quick guide
Space Wolves use regular Space Marine kits plus their own units like Thunderwolf Cavalry and Wulfen. They love close combat: fast, aggressive and full of characters. Start with: the Space Wolves Christmas Battleforce (pre-orders November 14) or a Space Marines Combat Patrol.
Painting tip
Blue-grey armour (The Fang), a dark wash, yellow and red shoulder markings, and plenty of brown and white fur. Washes do most of the work.
Latest Space Wolves news
New to the hobby? Start with our Warhammer beginner's hub, and see the other army guides.
Sources
- Warhammer Community warhammer-community.com
- Games Workshop: Warhammer 40,000 warhammer.com
- Lexicanum: Space Wolves wh40k.lexicanum.com