[[Image:SWTable.jpg|thumb|right|The badges of the Space Wolves Great Companies{{Fn|7}}]]The '''Great Companies''' are the twelve primary organizational units of the [[Space Wolves]], analagous to a [[Space Marine Company|Company]] in another [[Chapter]]. In defiance of the [[Codex Astartes]], which dictated the reorganization of the [[Adeptus Astartes]] after the [[Horus Heresy]], the Space Wolves [[Chapter]] has twelve companies instead of ten.{{Fn|1a}}.

Each Great Company is responsible for its own recruitment, maintenance, and running, each acting as a separate force altogether, each lead by a [[Wolf Lord]] in a semi-feudal system. The Wolf Lord of the leading Great Company is also the [[Great Wolf]], the [[Chapter Master]] of the Space Wolves.{{Fn|1a}} Great Companies are named and represented according to their current Wolf Lord as well as their past deeds and exploits. Some Great Companies have used dozens of sigils throughout their history, while others have maintained the same one for long periods. Each owns a sacred [[Space Marine Standards|standard]] known as a [[Wolf Totem]]. Some like the Spirit Wolf have not been seen for millennia, while others like the Hunger Skull of [[Jorghun Vor]] are seen as bad omens.{{Fn|3}}{{Fn|6}} During the [[Great Crusade]], each Great Company nominally consisted of 10,000 Astartes.{{Fn|4}} In [[M42]] however their size is unknown and varies by time or function. All that is known is that they are larger than typical [[Codex]] [[Space Marine Company]].{{Fn|5}} ===Current Great Companies===*The [[Champions of Fenris]] under the command of [[Great Wolf]] [[Logan Grimnar]]{{Fn|2a}}*The [[Bloodmaws]] under [[Bran Redmaw]]{{Fn|2a}}*The [[Seawolves]] under [[Engir Krakendoom]]{{Fn|2a}}*The [[Sons of Morkai]] under [[Erik Morkai]]{{Fn|2a}}*The [[Red Moons]] under [[Gunnar Red Moon]]{{Fn|2a}}*The [[Deathwolves]] under [[Harald Deathwolf]]{{Fn|2a}}*The [[Stormwolves]] under [[Bjorn Stormwolf]]{{Fn|2a}}*The [[Ironwolves]] under [[Vorek Gnarlfist]]{{Fn|2a}}*The [[Drakeslayers]] under [[Krom Dragongaze]]{{Fn|2a}}*The [[Blackmanes]] under [[Ragnar Blackmane]]{{Fn|2a}}*The [[Firehowlers]] under [[Sven Bloodhowl]]{{Fn|2a}}*The [[Grimbloods]] under [[Kjarl Grimblood]]{{Fn|2a}}

There was once a [[13th Great Company]], and rumors still abound as to the reason for its disappearance{{Fn|1b}}. Some state that they disappeared into the [[Warp]] during the attack on [[Prospero]], the traitorous [[Thousand Sons]]' [[homeworld]]; others claim they disappeared after the [[Primarch]] [[Leman Russ (primarch)|Leman Russ]] himself went missing. Regardless, there is currently hardly any information concerning the company in the Imperial records.{{Cite This}}===Former Great Companies===*The '''Blood-Ice Storm''' under [[Amlodhi Skarssen Skarssensson]]{{fn|10}}, active in [[M31]]{{fn|9}}*The '''Blood-worm's Masters''', active in [[M31]]{{fn|9}}*The '''Breakers of Rings''', active in [[M31]]{{fn|9}}*The '''Corpse-renders''', active in [[M31]]{{fn|9}}*The [[Crimson Claws (Great Company)|Crimson Claws]] under [[Jorik Fangfist]]{{Fn|2b}}*The '''Eagle's Keepers''', active in [[M31]]{{fn|9}}*The '''Sea-flame's Bearers''', active in [[M31]]{{fn|9}}*The '''Serpents of the Battle-moon''', active in [[M31]]{{fn|9}}*The '''Shield-gnawers''', active in [[M31]]{{fn|9}}*The '''Slaughter-fire Heralds''', active in [[M31]]{{fn|9}}*The '''Thread-cutters''', active in [[M31]]{{fn|9}}*The [[White Wolves]] under [[Ottar (Wolf Lord)|Ottar]]{{Fn|8}}*The '''Wight-flame's Wielders''', active in [[M31]]{{fn|9}}

*1: [[Codex: Space Wolves (5th Edition)]]**{{Endn|11a}}: pg. 14**{{Endn|1b}}: pg. 17*2: [[Codex: Space Wolves (5th 8th Edition)]]**{{Endn|2a}}:pg. 15**{{Endn|1a2b}}: pg. 93 — ''Warriors of the Fang''*{{Endn|3}}: p[[Codex Supplement: Space Wolves (9th Edition)]], pg. 1412*{{Endn|4}}: [[The Horus Heresy: Age of Darkness]] Rulebook, pg. 59*{{Endn|5}}: [[First Founding (Background Book)]], pgs. 103-104*{{Endn|1b6}}: p[[White Dwarf 246 (UK)]], pg. 1791*{{Endn|27}}: [[Codex: Space Wolves (7th Edition)]] - ''Companies of the Fang''*{{Endn|8}}: [[Cadia Stands (Novel)]] - Part 2: Chapter 4*{{Endn|9}}: [[The Horus Heresy Book Seven - Inferno]], pg. 24*{{Endn|10}}: [[A Thousand Sons (Novel)]], ''Dramatis Personae'' [[Category:Formations (Space Wolves)| ]]