Space wolf lifespan?

[Token]

I get the feeling that Space Wolves dont get as old as other space marines, they get grey hair, they go from being crazy berserkers to calm Long Fangs..

How old do they get?

[RADU LYKAN]

Great Wolf Logan Grimnar

- The current Great Wolf of the Space Wolves, Logan Grimnar has commanded the Chapter for more than eight centuries and been at the forefront of many of the Imperiums greatest wars in recent history. An implacable and independent defender of mankind Grimnar is truly a legend of the Imperium. Logan Grimnar caries the potent Frost Blade the Axe of Morkai, a weapon he tore from the grip of a chaos champion and had re-forged into a mighty double headed axe.

 

taken from the libraium.

 

ulrik the slayer is apparently older than this. i think we are probably second only to blood angels regarding the lifespans of our battle brothers

[Durfast Spiritwolf]

One doesn't hear of space marines dying of old age - I guess it's the life-style!

[LPetersson]

How old do they get?

 

 

As Durfast says, Space Marines don't die of old age, so we simply don't know.

We can speculate based on the oldest marines we know about, but they could be effectively immortal. Again, we simply don't know...

[fandon]

It's been said that marines can not and never will die of old age thanks to all of the genetic manipulation. Although the great irony is that they are always the first to die in a conflict. The reason we get grey hair, longer teeth and such is because of a mutation/defect/awesomeness in our gene seed. Just like the Red Thirst is passed through blood angels this defect that can cause us to become like wolves is passed through our gene seed. The actual effect has been downplayed in this codex but mark of the wulfen is the epiphany of defect this time around.

[Simo429]

It says in the horus heresy books that marines are immortal but then doesn't it sy in the blood angels codex that dante is coming to the end of his life, or getting bored of life or something. Can't see that ever happening to the great wolf however. Too much ale and bolter babes to get through.

[Heimer]

I remember to have read somewhere that Grand Masters of the Grey Knights tend to be several millennia old, although I can not currently pinpoint the source of this.

 

Another thing worth remembering is the 13th Great Company - still on the hunt after 10 millennia (although the warp might have altered the aging process, if such a process is present in space marines).

[Taeken]

Isn't the Dark Angels traitor guy still alive? Supposedly kept in some Dark Angel rock some place. That would make him 10k + years easy. And he isnt even full space marine.

[S. Bloodhowl]

Isn't the Dark Angels traitor guy still alive? Supposedly kept in some Dark Angel rock some place. That would make him 10k + years easy. And he isnt even full space marine.

 

Yeah, Luther is still alive, but he is kept in a statis field

[Serunox]

I get an error when trying to put in a spoiler alert,but be warned,spoild ahead.

Like Heimer said, I recently finished reading the second space wolf omnibus.In there Ragnar met the thriteenth company's lord, RUne priest and a few other guys that walked with Russ under the same sky and fought with him.So Id say they get pretty old.Like elves, dont die from age but if a wound is strong enough they will die.

[Grey Mage]

Like Heimer said, I recently finished reading the second space wolf omnibus.In there Ragnar met the thriteenth company's lord, RUne priest and a few other guys that walked with Russ under the same sky and fought with him.So Id say they get pretty old.Like elves, dont die from age but if a wound is strong enough they will die.

Well to be fair, theyre in the warp- time just plain flows differently there. It could have been only 2 or 3 thousand years, or it might have been 15k.

[Wolf Guard Dan]

Ulrik is supposed to be what? Like 1100 years old?

 

Heimer is right that the Horus Heresy books say they do not die of old age. That theory may not have even been tested tho, due to the wear and tear on their bodies from bullet holes and chainsword wounds.

 

Is Bjorn kept in stasis? Or is it just a deep sleep?

[Karack Blackstone]

Between the Space Marine implants, the technology of Dreadnought life support systems mounted in them for the pilots...

 

Space Marine Life Expectancy is immortal, and has always been hinted at being such. It's the wear and tear of always doing the fighting for Mankind that can wear them out. One conflict after another, after another... ad nauseum...

 

So all in all, it's the actual life span that varies. One lucky shot/hit can end a fully capable Space Marine's life early.

 

Think Tolkien's Elves for similarity before they had to leave Middle-Earth. Immortal, yet killable.

[Grey Mage]

Is Bjorn kept in stasis? Or is it just a deep sleep?

Bjorn Hibernates, like all SW dreads- no stasis needed.

 

First Mortals, then Wolves, then Bears.

[Legatus]

Space Marines are not immortal, and the Space Wolves Codex actually is more specific about that than most other sources.

 

"These aspirants are welcomed to the Chapter and take their place amongst the Space Wolves. As Space Marines they will live for hundreds of years, if they do not die in battle, and they will voyage through the stars to fight in the Emperor's name."

5th Edition Codex Space Wolves, page 10. (Also, 2nd Edition Codex Space Wolves, page 6.)

 

The 2nd Editon Codex Space Wolves also had this to say about Ligan Grimnar (page 66):

 

"He is one of the Imperium's oldest and most renowned warriors. This cunning and fierce old man has led the Space Wolves for over five hundred years. This is a long time even for a Space Marine, who often live for several centuries."

 

So five centuries is apparently already considered somewhat exceptional among natural Space Marine life spans.

 

And as allways, Dreadnoughts don't count, people living in the Warp don't count, and peope in stasis don't count.

 

We don't read about how Space Marines die of old age because that is not a particularly impressive subject.

[Requiem of the Wolf]

And its not a common occurence.

 

And especially with the Space Wolves..to quote the movie Yellowbeard "They will have to kill me before I die"

And then they had best be quick with the funeral pyre or I might just change my mind and come back.

[Logan230]

Is Bjorn kept in stasis? Or is it just a deep sleep?

Bjorn Hibernates, like all SW dreads- no stasis needed.

 

First Mortals, then Wolves, then Bears.

I need to sig that last bit...but how to keep the context... *grabs ale horn and sits by a Wolf Priest for ideas*

[Growler67]

I think some are overthinking the question. Space Wolves live until the Wolftime; crushing their foes or dying in the endeavor.

 

NEXT Question.

[LPetersson]

Is Bjorn kept in stasis? Or is it just a deep sleep?

Bjorn Hibernates, like all SW dreads- no stasis needed.

 

First Mortals, then Wolves, then Bears.

 

 

Ahem *cough*cough*

 

My codex says:

Over the millennia he has grown heavy with wisdom, and today he resides in the deepest shrine of the Space Wolves, protected by a stasis chamber lined with adamantium

 

Still, being a bear in human, form I like your idea of progression ;-)

[Gerwulf]

There is a really old Space Marine in the recent Salamander book. He hails from the time of Heresy.

 

Although he is still alive, he is a very very old man and barely able to move.

[Grey Mage]

Is Bjorn kept in stasis? Or is it just a deep sleep?

Bjorn Hibernates, like all SW dreads- no stasis needed.

 

First Mortals, then Wolves, then Bears.

 

 

Ahem *cough*cough*

 

My codex says:

Over the millennia he has grown heavy with wisdom, and today he resides in the deepest shrine of the Space Wolves, protected by a stasis chamber lined with adamantium

 

Still, being a bear in human, form I like your idea of progression ;-)

Huh, thats new. Is that in Bjorns text?

 

Edit: and may the gods bless the therians, some of the most fun people Ive known.

[LPetersson]

Is Bjorn kept in stasis? Or is it just a deep sleep?

Bjorn Hibernates, like all SW dreads- no stasis needed.

 

First Mortals, then Wolves, then Bears.

 

 

Ahem *cough*cough*

 

My codex says:

Over the millennia he has grown heavy with wisdom, and today he resides in the deepest shrine of the Space Wolves, protected by a stasis chamber lined with adamantium

 

Still, being a bear in human, form I like your idea of progression ;-)

Huh, thats new. Is that in Bjorns text?

 

Edit: and may the gods bless the therians, some of the most fun people Ive known.

 

New? Actually it's a bit old.

It's on page 68 of the 2nd edition codex ;-)

 

I'm sure you have it as well...

[slmellon]

Isn't the Dark Angels traitor guy still alive? Supposedly kept in some Dark Angel rock some place. That would make him 10k + years easy. And he isnt even full space marine.

 

Yeah, Luther is still alive, but he is kept in a statis field

 

I thought he's down in the vaults of the rock going mad, rocking back and forth babbling about how he will be forgiven when the lion returns. not in stasis, in a cell. i think it is mentioned as such in the "Angels of Darkness" book.

 

But according to books Ranek, not Ulrick was Ragnar's WP.

 

So the stasis thing may be in the codex, which apparently are more canon than novels in the 40kiverse

[Valerian]

But according to books Ranek, not Ulrick was Ragnar's WP.

 

That's why I've made it my policy to never read Black Library books, they are always screwing up the fluff. The books about Ragnar have messed up the Wolf Priest that found, trained, and mentored him (Ulrick), and the Wolf Lord of the 13th Company (Jorin Bloodfang).

 

As usual, Legatus is right on the money. Space Marines are not immortal (neither were the Primarchs), although they are exceptionally long-lived. The Emperor was/is immortal, but he didn't have the ability to make others immortal, too.

 

Space Marines could live for several hundreds of years if they aren't killed in battle, but the thing is, they typically are killed in battle, eventually. Nobody discusses the death of Marines via old age directly, because it isn't a topic that is particularly heroic, or fitting with typical Marine imagery.

 

That Lexicanum quote is wrong (as much of their entries are). Logan is about 700 years old, and has commanded the Wolves for 500 of those years. Ulrik was already a Wolf Priest when Logan was made an Initiate, and since Wolf Priests are only selected from Long Fangs, he would be at least 800 years old (if not quite a bit more).

 

The Blood Angels, as a characteristic of their unique gene-seed, are exceptionally long-lived, even compared to other Pace Marines. Dante has been around for at least 1,100 years (some sources differ, even legitimate ones like different versions of their codices). Veteran Sergeant Cleutin was a Sergeant already when Dante was a new Scout, so he would be considerably older than Dante.

 

The 2nd edition Codex Space Marines even discussed the various non-combatant assignments within a Chapter for old Space Marines that were no longer fit for campaigning.

 

Valerian

[Ulriks Minion]

I guess space marines are kinda like vampires they live for eternity untill they are killed like most mythical creatures :D