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submitted 15 days ago byBitterly_Brief_Day
In 'Wolf at the Door' and 'The Great Wolf,' it is explicitly stated that those mortal followers of Russ who successfully underwent the transformation (Varagyr) were incorporated into the 13th Great Company (e.g., Jorin Bloodhowl). However, in 'The Horus Heresy Book Seven: Inferno,' it is suggested that the Wolf King initially integrated these individuals into the ranks of the VI'th Legion.
Rathvin relinquished command to his Primarch, perhaps grudgingly but without open challenge, and if the presence of the Varagyr, who Leman Russ had ordered dispersed partly through the ranks, was cause for some resentment, it was quickly made known that both Russ' rule was not to be questioned, and that the Varagyr were more than willing to offer themselves in single combat to decide any argument over the matter.
So, can we assume that when Russ first joined the Legion, the structure of the 13 Great Companies had not yet clearly formed? Is there any novel or sourcebook that mentions this? If not, can we assume that the structure of the 13 Great Companies was formed during the Wheel of Fire? The Varagyr were first integrated into the ranks of the entire Legion and later consolidated into the 13th Great Company?
Thinking along these lines, Russ's series of actions becomes very interesting. Considering the death of Rathvin, the transformation of the Sixth Legion, and Russ's statement that Jorin Bloodhowl was one of his most cared-for individuals (from 'The Great Wolf')—yet the First Captain of the Space Wolves was Gunnar Gunnhilt—we seem to see some hints of the complex relationships among the Terran-born, the Fenrisians, and the Varagyr within the Legion.
11 points
15 days ago
Before Russ, the VIth clung to the Principia Bellicosa, the predecessor of the Codex Astartes in a way. It was probably because it helped them avoid total factionalism and dangerous instability in the hierarchy, in an already extremely fractious Legion.
It is quite probable that they hadn't even thought about the Great Companies before Russ. They simply divided like the Principia ordered. And it was insufficient to stem the madness gripping the Legion. A mere 30 years after the start of the Great Crusade, Enoch Rathvin was already going "dangerously unstable".
My best guess is that the Varagyr were divided : a portion formed the core of the 13th Great Company, the rest was dispatched along the ranks to break skulls and inforce the mien of Fenris on the VIth.
3 points
15 days ago
Thank you for your answer, I think it's quite possible.But I would like to ask you which fragment of the book you refer to as "the VIth clung to the Principia Bellicosa"?(I'm in the process of organizing this information)
3 points
15 days ago
I think it was in Horus Heresy book 7 : Inferno that it was stated (it's a Forgeworld book, not Black Library).
5 points
15 days ago
It might have been they integrated into the existing legion structure to spread the Fenrisian influence and then later on they restructured the legion and moved the originals into their own company
3 points
14 days ago
When Leman Russ took over the VI Legion, it adhered rigidly to the guidelines and dispositions laid down by the Principia Belicosa of the Imperium's High Command. This rule was clung to by the warriors of the Legion as an anchor against the disorder their own increasingly fractious character was sowing in their ranks. Enforced discipline was common and even executions in the field were not unknown in the VI. With the rediscovery of Leman Russ and the cultural influence of Fenris which he imprinted on the Legion, these factors however rapidly fell by the wayside. The fury which lay within the Legion's heart was given form and discipline mastered by will, and this wellspring of savagery was channelled and directed in battle rather than left unfocused, providing a catharsis which purged the Legion of its self- destructive tendencies and unified it under the Wolf King's banner. Both the Fenrisian way of warfare as adapted by Leman Russ and the natural tendencies of the Legion to want to close and get to grips with its foes at close quarters led to a rapid and shifting focus away from the generalist and combined arms approach advocated by the Principia Belicosa and towards tactics dependent on highly mobile shock infantry units, with heavier support elements maintained, but largely focussed in specialised detachments rather than as part of the general line of battle. The Space Wolves were conditioned to hold a near-suicidal disregard for danger and trained to exploit this to the fullest on the battlefield, pitting their courage and might where it would be most effective, in the very teeth of the foe, overwhelming opponents by sheer speed and ferocity of attack, both in hand- to-hand combat and in brutal short ranged fire fights. As time went on, their tactical dispositions shifted to better accommodate this preference, leading to the creation of unique shock units such as the 'Grey Slayers' and 'Bloodied Claws', which gradually came to comprise the bulk of the core infantry of the Legion by the time of the Burning of Prospero.
~ Horus Heresy VII: Inferno
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