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At a glance
The Thunderwolf is the greatest of the wolves of Fenris. Ordinary Fenrisian wolves are already huge, savage beasts, but Thunderwolves dwarf them. They are as large as warhorses, with massive shoulders, jaws that can bite through ceramite and a ferocity that matches the world that bred them. They roam the high mountains of Asaheim, where even the Fenrisian tribes rarely go, and they hunt anything they can catch, including other wolves.
To the Space Wolves, the Thunderwolf is both a sacred animal and a weapon of war. A select few warriors of the Chapter have tamed these beasts and ride them into battle as Thunderwolf Cavalry. Mounted on a Thunderwolf, an armoured Space Marine becomes a living battering ram, smashing into enemy lines with the weight and fury of a tank. The sight of a pack of Thunderwolves bounding across a battlefield, their riders howling, is one of the most terrifying things an enemy of the Imperium can witness.
Nature & origins
Thunderwolves are native to Fenris, a death world of ice, fire and endless storms. Their origins are debated. Some scholars believe they are simply the natural apex of Fenris's harsh ecosystem, wolves grown huge in a world where only the strongest survive. Others suggest they are related to the Canis Helix, the gene-seed of the Space Wolves, whose wolfish traits seem to echo the predators of Fenris. The Space Wolves themselves care little for such theories. To them, the Thunderwolf is a gift of the world, and a test.
Physical traits
- Size: far larger than any common wolf, large enough to carry an armoured Space Marine at full gallop.
- Jaws: strong enough to bite through armour, flesh and bone.
- Fur and hide: thick enough to protect against Fenris's cold and to turn aside weaker weapons.
- Endurance: capable of running long distances and fighting for hours.
- Senses: keen enough to track prey through blizzards and darkness.
Behaviour
Thunderwolves live in packs led by dominant alphas, as their smaller cousins do. They are fiercely territorial and attack anything that enters their range. They hunt the great beasts of Fenris, and they have been known to bring down creatures much larger than themselves. They respect only strength.
The heights of Asaheim
Asaheim is the one great continent of Fenris that does not sink beneath the seas when the world's seasons turn. Its mountains rise above the storms, and atop the tallest of them stands the Fang, the fortress-monastery of the Space Wolves. The peaks and valleys below the Fang are some of the most hostile places on a hostile world. Glaciers grind across the slopes, avalanches roar down without warning, and the cold can freeze a man solid in moments.
This is the domain of the Thunderwolf. Packs roam the high passes, hunting the great beasts that survive there and fighting one another for territory. The Fenrisian tribes speak of them in their sagas as monsters of the high places, and few mortal hunters ever go looking for them. Even the Space Wolves treat the mountains with respect. A Thunderwolf pack defending its territory can kill a careless Space Marine as easily as it kills an elk, and every warrior who climbs into those heights to claim a mount knows that he may never come down.
The Thunderwolf Cavalry
Riding a Thunderwolf is not a matter of training a mount. It is a matter of earning the right. A Space Wolf who wishes to ride one must travel to the mountains of Asaheim and confront a Thunderwolf himself. He must defeat it, often in brutal hand-to-hand combat, and force it to accept him as its master. Many warriors die in the attempt. Those who succeed form a bond with their mount that lasts until one of them dies.
Thunderwolf Cavalry are rare and prized. They are used as shock troops, crashing into enemy lines and tearing through infantry, monsters and even light vehicles. Their riders often carry heavy weapons such as frost blades, thunder hammers and storm shields, and the combination of rider and mount is devastating. The wolves are often fitted with bionics to repair injuries, and some carry armour plates on their flanks and heads.
See the Thunderwolf Cavalry page for the unit's battlefield role.
Famous Thunderwolf riders
- Harald Deathwolf, Wolf Lord of the Deathwolves, rides the great Thunderwolf Icetooth into battle. Harald's company is famous for its use of Thunderwolf Cavalry and Fenrisian wolves.
- Canis Wolfborn, a warrior raised by wolves, rides a Thunderwolf of his own. His wild nature and his bond with his mount make him one of the most feared Thunderwolf riders in the Chapter.
- Logan Grimnar, the Great Wolf, rides into battle on his war chariot Stormrider, drawn by a pair of mighty Thunderwolves.
The Thunderwolf in Space Wolves culture
The Space Wolves are steeped in the imagery of the wolf. Their Primarch, Leman Russ, was said to have been raised by wolves on Fenris, and his loyal companions were the wolves Freki and Geri. The Thunderwolf represents the purest form of that wolfish spirit: savage, proud and loyal to its pack.
For the Chapter's warriors, riding a Thunderwolf is a mark of honour and strength. The sagas tell of riders whose bond with their mounts was so deep that the two fought as one creature. When a rider dies, his mount sometimes refuses to accept another. When a Thunderwolf dies, its rider mourns it like a brother.
The wolf in the warrior
The connection between the Space Wolves and their wolves runs deeper than symbolism. The Canis Helix gives them wolfish traits, from their fangs to their heightened senses. Some warriors suffer the Curse of the Wulfen, becoming savage beasts themselves. The Thunderwolf is a reminder of what lies within every Space Wolf: a predator, held in check by discipline and honour.
Thunderwolves at war
Thunderwolves have fought alongside the Space Wolves on countless battlefields. They have charged Ork mobs, torn through Chaos warbands and fought against Tyranid swarms. Their speed lets them close the distance to the enemy quickly, and their weight lets them smash through defensive lines. Enemy artillery and heavy weapons are their natural targets, and many enemies have died beneath their claws.
Against Orks, Thunderwolf Cavalry have proven especially effective. Orks respect strength and charge headlong into combat, but even the biggest Orks have been flattened by charging Thunderwolves. Against Tyranids, Thunderwolves have fought monsters many times their size, holding the line while their riders hacked at chitin and sinew.
Trivia
- Thunderwolves are found in the mountains of Asaheim on Fenris.
- Space Wolves must defeat a Thunderwolf to ride it.
- Harald Deathwolf's mount is called Icetooth.
- Logan Grimnar's chariot Stormrider is pulled by Thunderwolves.
- Wounded Thunderwolves are often fitted with bionics by the Chapter's Iron Priests.
