It’s only been a few hours, that we know of the upcoming Primaris Space Marines. And we still know very little about them. But this we do know …
- They are the work of Ten Thousand Years.
- They still bear the gene-seed of their Primarchs.
- They are better than common Space Marines.
And … I think the Space Wolves will profit from this. Not because of the rules, not even really in terms of fluff, but more from a broader narrative perspective. I think the arrival of the Primaris sharpens the Concept of the Space Wolves … let me explain that.
The Primaris Marines make – by the key facts of their existence – all other Space Marines look old. And … I can think of no other Legion or Chapter that profits more from this, because “being old” is – in my humble opinion – an important, if not the most important part of the Concept of the Vylka Fenrika, and that at least in three major ways …
First the Space Wolves are and always have been anachronistic. They are the last undevided Legion (the Wolf Brothers might as well never have existed). They are the last Legion to defy the Codex Astartes. But more than that, they cling to a culture and a society that is actually nothing more than the Iron Ages. They look like Barbarians, they act like Barbarians and they are probably as far away from the standard imperial Culture as you can get and still be considered loyal. They are anarchonistic and as old as it gets even within the Imperium and have always been so. I always thought that the image of the Wolves descending onto the Tau shows this beautifully …
… they really look like something from the past, even within 40k.
Second – They value Age. The Backbone of the Army are called “Gray Hunters”, and thats because they have lived long enough. Longs Fangs and Wolf Scouts made it even longer and you can hardly see any Mini of them, that has not white hair. And the moste revered of all are the Wolf Priests, old men, who’s primary Attribute is “Wisdom”, something that only really old Astartes find. And I haven’t talked about Ulrik the Slayer or even Björn the Fellhanded. Space Wolves are depicted most often with beards, which is a item you hardly see on young men (except hipsters these days), and it’s no wonder, almost all of the other Chapters Minis are always clean shaved.
Third the whole Concept of the Space Wolves refers to the Vikings, which are long dead and gone (except for the one and only Techno Viking of course). You just can’t put them into Space and not bring a notion of something old with it. You can’t think or work with the Concept of Vikings without romanticisation. Bringing up an Viking Legion leads to the inevitable connotation of something “old”.
Sooo … that we have Primaris Marines now, that make our Space Wolves look old is – in my humble opinion – heartly welcome. It helps to focus on some of the most important the virtues of Space Wolves. And I already have to smile, when I think about an Pack of seasoned Gray Hunters snarling, when they first fight side by side with these test-tube-born Primaris Pups …
Plus: The new Helmets do look a bit wolfy, don’t you think …
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