Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Well I probably could of found a better title but this basically is my idea of a take on the Space Wolves.

As a lad who is alittle too obsessed with the fact he descends from Vikings and the fact while I do love the Space Wolves for who they but I think this could be a very interesting theory.

Melissas recent ranking of the Sons of Russ inspired me to do this.

-Fenrisian Mythology-

In the beginning their was the Allfather a all powerful man who could commune with the spirits. Born from unknown origins he led a campaign among the stars. After Uniting mankind under the banner of the double headed eagle. He knew he would need a much bigger force to accomplish his dream a indomitable control of the cosmos.

Thus were born his sons and the Einherjar "Space Marines" and his sons the Primarchs. One of these was the Wolf-Jarl himself Leman Russ.

But one of the three great enemies Loki the trickster, Chaos incarnate would begin his mischief and tossed the young Primarchs among the stars. Loki also took the form of the one known as "Horus". Prior to that the first great enemy made his presence known.

The Niddhog a dragon who lived inside of mars eating his way out of the planet. The Allfather battled him for a day and a night after believing to have slayed the Niddhog the Allfather knew though even if he were truly dead Niddhog's children the Necrons would return time and time again.

The third great enemy has only recently revealed itself. The beast the devourer the numberless Tyranids. And the Rune Priests say they are the last and final sign of the end the Wolf time.


I'm going to stop here for some input, yay or nay DakkaDakka?

Instead of riding wolves, they should just sick them on people, just like vikings used dogs for hunting. So yes, they should be more viking than werewolf.

Oh totally. Fenrisian Wolves are a awesome unit.

I think the Calvary unit would be Badass. But I'm half tempted to put them on horse for a more "Nordic" feeling.

But I think the Thunderwolves should stay more as a monster on Fenris then the steed of the Space Wolves.

They used to be more Viking than werewolf.

It is a shame they aren't now. :(

No comment about my take on the Fenrisian Mythology?

I am tired. Gimme a minute or two to re-read it and asborb it


Automatically Appended Next Post:
It borrows obviously from Norse Myths. Makes them obviouly more Viking than werewolf.

Quite good. Better than what we have now

While i'm waiting for WoW to install I was painting my 13th Company but now I am sick of it. So here is some more fluff.

I think I covered the Mythos pretty much but I think I will just fit in some more key players. Leman Russ and the 13th Company.

"Leman Russ is the Son of the Allfather who came to Fenris. He did great things for the people and became a powerful warlord. Leading a great army and slaying many of the monsters who wander Fenris.

Then one day when the moon fully showed itself in then night sky the Allfather came looking for his son. When they met Leman Russ laughed in his fathers face not believing his story. So they had a challenge a Challenge of eating and drinking which Russ won with ease. But in the duel of armed combat Leman Russ was bested by his father."

After that Leman Russ was convinced he was part of something bigger then his throne on Fenris. And was swore fealty to the all-father when he was given his Legion of Einherjar the Space Wolves.

The Space Wolves sailed the sea of stars fighting back aliens and daemons alike. And even their own brothers when Loki took the form of the Emperors favored son. Horus the hammerchild.

Thus the Space Wolves mission in life is to protect the Imperium for the forces of the fallen Einherjar, the sons of Loki."

Now onto my beloved 13th Company.

"In the fang there is a blank stone, remembering the Space Wolves who went missing, fell to Chaos or succumbed to our animalistic natures." -Quorthon Hammerheart Rune Priest of Ragnars Great Company.-

"Before the great war broke out a Primarch Magnus fell under the influence of Loki. The Emperor had sent Leman Russ and his warrior's to annihilate them. Their homeworld of Propsero turned into a firestorm as both legions fought with all the fight in their souls.

But the fury of the Wolves was too great for the magi of the Thousand Sons, Magnus teleported his Legion into the depths of Nifelheim in a twisting cataclysmic rift.

While the majority of the Space Wolves left to fight another day. Leman Russ and his personal company the 13th jumped into the rift after Magnus.

To this day the tradition of remembrance is carried out a pyre is lit out by the sea of worms so that the 13th Company and Leman Russ may one day see their beloved homeworld and return.

The people of Fenris cherish the Legend that these heroes will return from the frozen pits of Nifelheim and led them to one more bloody glorious battle against the enemies of the Imperium."

Well that's it for tonight. Soon I will post some rewritten "Traditions and organization of the Space Wolves"

I agree whole-heartedly, the viking feel was what made me fall in love with them in the first place. The Space Wolves were my first army when I started playing in '98, I really dislike the way they've gone now, don't get me wrong I really enjoy the new look to the armor and weapons, as well as the addition of Sagas and Lone Wolves, very cool, viking ideas. My only real complaint is them going overboard with the wolf side of things, they should've kept Fenrisian Wolves in the role of attack dogs as mentioned earlier. Having space marine cavalry in the 41st millenium when you have motorcycles, jet packs, and personal teleporters is rather superfluous.

As to the mythology you've written, you can quite clearly see the similarities it shares with Norse mythology, almost too clearly. I would edge away from using "Nifelheim" and "Loki" seeing as these are specific to Terran Norse mythology, remember the people of Fenris are Norse/Germanic in nature, they are not actually Danes, Swedes, Teutons, or Celts. I would use a better term to describe the Gods of Chaos than Loki, maybe make reference to Jormungandr the world serpent or something.

Remember that the Space Wolves themselves, though they hold to many of the traditions and customs of the native Fenrisians, they are open to altering their beliefs or the naming of things at the very least. The common folk of Fenris know Thunderhawks as "chariots of the Gods" and believe that Asaheim is a land akin to Vallhala in Norse mythology. The Space Wolves themselves known better of course, They know that Thunderhawks are aicraft and Asaheim is not the land of the Gods, They also know that Chaos is not "Loki", they know the names and ways of all four Ruinous Powers. I like the direction of the Viking mythology, as I said, just try not to cheapen it by making them an exact copy, try to think "futuristic" vikings, rather than, exact word for word copy from the history books vikings

I very much like the idea of Space Wolves being more Viking than wolf like, Yes I think the new models are great and I think my Thunder Wolf Cavalry look cool but I like the idea of them marauding around space kicking ass more than stripping naked during the full moon and chasing bunnies around Fenris and burying bones in strategic places around the fang, oh and cocking their legs on the runepriests staff.

Thank you.... Thank you sooo much for this :,,,) tear.

As a true hater of current SW fluff it does my heart good to see someone take them back in the direction they should have gone.

But like brother H said dont fall into the same trap GW did and take it too far in one direction or another. Find a cool medium.

I personally don't really know what you mean. I play Space Wolves, and so does one other member of my group, and we see them as more "barbaric marines" than anything. Sure, they have yellow eyes and long teeth, but 5e has added even more nordic references than ever to the group. Look at the blatantly obvious Loki (lukas) and Thor (whoever the guy is with the giant hammer, I don't play him) as well as the already present references like the "longships' they travel in and for crying out loud, they come from PLANET NORWAY.

In our group, we tend to paint and model the "mark of the wulfen" marines as more Apeshit crazy than werewolfy, like berzerker troops. I like to paint my wolves with a pictish look, giving them swirling blue tatoos and red hair, while my friend (who plays lost company) has his wolves outfitted as one step away from Chaos marines, outcasts with tattered pieces of power armor held together by scraps of rope and leather, madness gleaming in their eyes.

If you want to go for a viking themed army, look no further than the special characters provided to the wolves. feel free to run a "pantheon of the gods" list, with special characters galore running amok and ancient warriors everywhere you look. It's really up to you to customize the army.

My philosophy is, don't be afraid to rip up your minis. make them interesting. If current SW fluff is not to your liking, make your own. My gaming group even goes so far as to add special house rules for every army list, depending on how good the fluff is. My friend who plays 13th company can field units with as many Mark of the Wulfens as he wants, and we add similar little rules to every list that make a big difference in the game. We're more interested in making cool stories than being totally balanced, and this kind of thing can get really cool.

In the end, I think you get a more unique product. Your Viking marines will be different than my Pictish savages will be different than my mate's half mad outcasts. That's a good thing. It just makes the game all the richer.

the_scotsman wrote:I personally don't really know what you mean. I play Space Wolves, and so does one other member of my group, and we see them as more "barbaric marines" than anything. Sure, they have yellow eyes and long teeth, but 5e has added even more nordic references than ever to the group. Look at the blatantly obvious Loki (lukas) and Thor (whoever the guy is with the giant hammer, I don't play him) as well as the already present references like the "longships' they travel in and for crying out loud, they come from PLANET NORWAY.

Other than Lukas being a pretty decent Loki stand-in, I don't think there are really all that many Nordic references. Aside from the first names of a lot of the characters; those are sort of countermanded by the strangely Native American surnames.

Also, what's particularly Norwegian about Fenris?

Fenris would be Norway if Norway was in the middle of a catalyst that made the land change and reform every couple of years.

Shadowbrand wrote:Fenris would be Norway if Norway was in the middle of a catalyst that made the land change and reform every couple of years.

I'll repeat my question.

What's particularly Norwegian about Fenris?

It's cold?

the_scotsman wrote:I personally don't really know what you mean. I play Space Wolves, and so does one other member of my group, and we see them as more "barbaric marines" than anything. Sure, they have yellow eyes and long teeth, but 5e has added even more nordic references than ever to the group.

As I said earlier, those of us who have had a long standing loyalty to the "space viking" side of the space wolves are pleasantly surprised by the new addition of such things as sagas, and the added Norse trappings on the armor, as well as the wonderful Wolfguard Terminator models, which I will be amongst the first to stand up and applaud at. however it is the fact that not only did we get more "Viking", we got an exponential increase in "Wolfy-ness" which may be fine for those new to the Space Wolves, but I believe I speak for most of us old die hards in saying that it was unnecessary and tacky on GW's part.

the_scotsman wrote:Thor (whoever the guy is with the giant hammer, I don't play him) as well as the already present references like the "longships' they travel in and for crying out loud, they come from PLANET NORWAY.

Arjac Rockfist is hardly a tip of the hat to Thor, aside from the fact that he carries a hammer, in which case you might as well say every Space Wolf wielding a thunder hammer is modelled after Thor. Arjac Rockfist used to be an Iron Priest, sounds more like Hephaestus of Greek mythology than anything else. And remember, as stated above, the Norwegians weren't the only Germanic people to use longships, worship the Allfather, and believe in Valhalla. Try to stay away from sweeping generalizations as I doubt our brothers across the pond would appreciate it.

Norway,Sweden, parts of Finland and Denmark were Viking countries.

And I honestly think Sweden is a little more popular then Norway if he were generalizing.

Oh well I'm going to post some more either later today or tomorrow. As I get the creative juices flowing.

Sorry, anyone who may have been offended by my previous post, I certainly didn't mean to generalize, but many times generalized nods are all you get by way of references in media such as games. GW isn't going to make things that are blatant parallels to nordic mythology or vikings, but the "essence of vikingyness" was the first thing I noticed. Perhaps I'm unfamiliar with what's a recent addition to the fluff and what's not, but I noticed the Norse undertones much more than any wolfyness, probably because the wolfyness was obvious (it is their emblem, after all. How much of the equipment the ultramarines carry has a "U" embossed on it? The answer is probably anything it's possible to.) and the Vikingness was (slightly) more subtle.

I'm certainly not generalizing, I'm sure that many societies in that time recognized the Allfather and a norse-esque pantheon of gods, it was just the Vikings who are by far most famous for it.

The reason I was confused why people think the space wolves are getting more wolfy is the mark of the wulfen figures, or lack thereof. In earlier editions, there were actually wulfen models, which looked like furry posessed space marines, while in this codex the picture of a model who has the Mark is just painted as rather crazy looking, with maybe a tatoo and yellow eyes. That seemed like a wolfy regression.

I know the riders are new, but aside from that... As I believe it was said, fenrisian wolves are both fairly accurate on the viking theme, as vikings did historically train wolves, and they have been around for a long time.

I meant no offense on "planet norway", it's just what my group of friends call it, we like to kind of trash talk each others' armies, and "the dreaded space-furries from planet norway" is what my army is frequently referred to as. On more than 3 seconds thought, it does seem to be more like planet greenland (as it is at least an island.) I just meant that basically Fenris (that name also a nordic reference, by the way, albeit an obvious one) is a planet with all ocean, except for one cold, desolate island inhabited by vikings and surrounded by kraken and sea monsters, which sounds a lot like a lot of Norse legends, or at least maps.

On the subject of Arjac (THAT's his name. I always forget) I thought of him more because he was a big, strong, indomitable warrior who carries a hammer and is the champion of the head of the space marines.

The thing that is most confusing is all of the random Odin references thrown around. That's the number one thing that trips people up when trying to figure out how to fit SW into norse mythology. Who's supposed to be odin? The Emperor is referred to as the Allfather, an Odin reference. Logan is the head of the wolves, he could be. Even Njal has a raven on his shoulder, a reference to Odin's watcher ravens. The truth, I think, is that GW did this on purpose to avoid the army being a allegory for Norse mythology. The references are still cool, and there are plenty of them if you like to look.

Wouldn't want to offend any of my comrades from across the pond, being one myself.

Shadowbrand, i love your idea for the Space Wolves!
But I still think that some of the 'wolf parts should play into the story, how about how Russ trained the first of the fenrisian wolves from the pack he met when he arrived on Fenris; and since then his sons have sometimes emulated him. and on journeys to the rest of Fenris off of Aslheim(sp?) the tribesmen have seen the great beasts and have begun to worship them as avatars of the sky warriors.

Also keep Morikai (sp?) I love that two headed wolf!

Thanks for all the feed back guys. I'll have something up when I get some sleep.

First, a small rant: GWs take on Viking Werewolves in Space has a lot of Viking/Norse inspiration. The application, however, is restricted mostly to two methods: First, taking recognizable, cartoonish tropes (furry pelts for everyone!) and playing them out until it becomes painful to anyone foolish enough to expect actual vikings transplanted into a fictional future universe and second, using names (possibly thinly disguised, e.g. Loki-->Lucas) derived from Eddic poetry and/or sagas to characters that may or may not be modeled upon their namesakes. I've seen snippets tossed in haphazardly from Icelandic sagas (primarily family sagas, like the Niebelungenleid) and the Fornaldarsagas (heroic sagas), but unless I missed it, nothing from the Ynglingasagas (sagas of the kings of Norway/Sweden, such as Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla). Rather odd, since everyone seems to want them to be Scandinavian...

As to this particular fluff, it doesn't really feel any different than the stock GW blurbs. Why? Well, it's an amalgam of vaguely cartoon-viking tropes with a smattering of Eddic name-dropping. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though. If you really wanted 10th century Scandinavian toy soldiers, you'd be buying from Zvezda/Italeri and your army's backstory would be little more than a date and location.

If you want to rep that Viking blood, don't fall into GW's naming pattern of "[some guy from a saga that we can caricature] + [some title more appropriate to Native American naming conventions]." Appositives were used in the literature, yes, but actual people had a first name and a patronymic (son of [his father]) - e.g. Snorri Sturluson was simply named Snorri, further identified as the son of Sturla. First names can and should bear some significance, though, as in the extant sagas. The fierce personality of the Merovingian queen Brynhild (Bruenhild in German) is reflected in her name - "bryn" is etymologically linked to "byrnie" (a mail coat, Old Norse "brynja" and "hild" means "war" or "battle." Her name doesn't mean "battle armor" literally, but the association was strong and intentional.

Well, I fear I'm nearing "full on rant" territory, so I'll leave it at this: If you want your fluff to mesh with GW style but aren't into furries, get yourself a good translation of the Prose Edda, maybe look up Voluspa and Havamal online, then simply replace every werewolf reference with a randomly selected mythological passage. No one will know the difference.

Oadie is certainly correct, but the vikings of old also earned themselfs names or had them bestowed upon them in riticule, for example there was Gunnlaugur ormstunga, his name was Gunnlaugur Illugason but he earned the name Ormstunga (wormtounge) for his quick temper and snideful remarks he would utter in the process.
There was King Haraldur Harfagri of Norway, called Hárfagri ( Beautyful hair) for his long blond hair.
Men were also named for where they lived, like Gunnar a Hlidarenda ( Hlidaraendi being his farm)
Grettir Sterki was most famous for his strength: Sterki(the strong)
And so on, so Ragnar Blackmane could make sense from that respect, He is Ragnar and is known for wearing Black manes.

the_scotsman wrote:Sorry, anyone who may have been offended by my previous post, I certainly didn't mean to generalize, but many times generalized nods are all you get by way of references in media such as games. GW isn't going to make things that are blatant parallels to nordic mythology or vikings, but the "essence of vikingyness" was the first thing I noticed. Perhaps I'm unfamiliar with what's a recent addition to the fluff and what's not, but I noticed the Norse undertones much more than any wolfyness, probably because the wolfyness was obvious (it is their emblem, after all. How much of the equipment the ultramarines carry has a "U" embossed on it? The answer is probably anything it's possible to.) and the Vikingness was (slightly) more subtle.

I doubt anyone was offended. My point was simply that, when you look at them, there really isn't all that much specifically "Viking" about the Space Wolves other than their first names. If there was a LITTLE more variance in the naming conventions, they very well could have represented all the various strains of Germanic paganism of the same time period, rather than one specific one.