Spear of Russ
From Lexicanum
| This page contains spoilers for: | Space Wolf (Novel Series) |
The Spear of Russ is a legendary artefact of the Space Wolves chapter, which was wielded by their primarch Leman Russ. It was snatched up by the Wolf Lord Garm and used to injure Magnus the Red, primarch of the Thousand Sons, when Leman Russ stumbled in battle against him, buying Russ the opportunity to drive off the traitor, albeit at the expense of Garm's own life.
The Spear was stored for millennia in the Shrine of Russ on the planet Garm, named for the Wolf Lord who fell there. Prophecies of the Space Wolves state that, when Leman Russ returns for the Wolf Time he will return to Garm to reclaim his weapon.
The Spear was lost, however, when elements of the Thousand Sons, including the sorcerer Madox, stole it for use in a ritual to bring their primarch through to the material world from the warp. The Great Company of Wolf Lord Berek Thunderfist were able to interrupt the ritual and (then Blood Claw) Ragnar Blackmane seized up the Spear of Russ and hurled it through the warp portal into the the single cyclopean eye of Magnus the Red. This injured the ancient primarch and closed the portal that, potentially, threatened to overwhelm the whole planet, but at the cost of losing the Spear of Russ into the warp.
The spear was later used by Madox in a ritual that would would cause all Space Wolves to succumb to the curse of the Wulfen, destroying the chapter and critically weakening the Imperium. Ragnar and several other Space Wolves made their way to the warp duplicate of the planet Charys in the Eye of Terror and, with assistance from elements of the Thirteenth Company, stopped the ritual before the damage was irreversible. With the help of Rune Priest Torvald the Reaver, and Gabriella Belisarius, Ragnar and the survivors return to Charys and the Spear was returned to Garm.
According to members of the 13th Great Company encountered by Ragnar Blackmane, the Spear of Russ was given to the Primarch by the Emperor; however, Russ never took to the weapon. He would often lose it on battlefields or forget it in conference chambers and he carried it only to please the Emperor. Indeed, the 13th Company seemed amused by the fact that the current Space Wolves view the relic with such awe.
