A chieftain is the leader of a wolf clan. In the clan, they have the highest rank, and they would only submit to other wolves when either they were coming into other clans territory, or when they encounter the Fengo, the highest ranking wolf of the Beyond. Fengos are the 'chieftains' of the Sacred Watch. They reside in their clans Carreg Gaer pack.
History[]
It is unknown how the wolves started the Great Chain, (which is most likely when the wolves created chieftains) which names all the ranks and the order of everything's importance, starting from Lupus as the highest and the soil as the lowest. All that is known is that the wolves already had their social structure and clan separation when they moved to the Beyond in the time of the Long Cold.
The Great Chain[]
Chieftains are fifth in the order of the Great Chain, with ceilidh fyre (lightning) above them and Lords below them. The Great Chain is the wolves of the Beyond's social structure.
Succession[]
In the event of a Chieftain's passing or retirement, one of his/her suitable pups is chosen to succeed him/her in the leadership of his/her Clan. However, if a chieftain has no offspring alive when he/she passes away, it is normally a high-ranking Lord who takes over the role (as inferred in Watch Wolf, "Escape of the She-Wolves"). It is also possible that a pupless Chieftain may have a close relative assume the position post-mortem, but no example of this is seen in either series.
Known Chieftains[]
- Fengo
- Finbar
- Dunbar MacHeath
- Liam MacDuncan
- Duncan MacDuncan
- Galana MacNamara
- Duffin MacDuff
- Angus MacAngus
- Donegal MacDonegal
- O'Meg MacDuncan
- Pegoth MacDuncan
Chieftains from the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series[]
- Duff MacDuff
- Duncan MacDuncan (Legends of Ga'Hoole)
- Dunleavy B. MacHeath
- Dunleavy MacHeath
- Gyllbane MacNamara
- Namara MacNamara (The Golden Tree)
- Namara MacNamara (founder of MacNamara clan)
- Stormfast
Trivia[]
- "Chieftain" means "leader of a group/clan" in actual reality.