Clan


 * Please do not add clan names to this page unless they are established in Warcraft lore.

The old orcish Horde, dwarves, and other races are separated into many clans. What defines a clan, and how one is started, is largely up to interpretation. The term clan is sometimes used interchangeably with the term tribe. The RPG describes the organization of murloc clans as being larger than murloc tribes.

Centaur tribes/clans
Clan and tribe appear to be interchangeable terms when referring to centaurs groups. Centaur clans are led by khans.
 * Eastern Kingdom clans
 * Galak tribe
 * Gelkis clan
 * Kolkar clan
 * Krenka tribe (aka Krenka clan)
 * Magram clan
 * Marauders
 * Maraudine clan
 * Stonetalon

Dwarven clan system
Dwarven culture is made up by a clan-like caste system. The original clan that evolved from the earthen was known as the Ironforge clan. It later split into the three main Clans known as the Dark Iron clan (Ruled by line of Thaurissan), Ironforge clan (ruled by members of the Bronzebeard clan), and the Wildhammer clan (ruled by line of Wildhammers), but many lesser clans exist as well.

Family names often indicate clan names as well, and are the lesser clans within one of the three main dwarven cultures. Some family names are names of honor earned through some feat, which replace the family's true name. For example, Falstad Dragonreaver's real name is Falstad Wildhammer. In which case the new name may be passed on to their descendants or not, depending on choice of the individual. Another example are some of the members of the "Thunderaxe" family who joined the Dark Iron clan during the War of the Three Hammers, taking on the name "Pikesplitter".

In the Wildhammer dwarf culture, each clan is ruled by a thane, and the most powerful thane rules Aerie Peak. The Wildhammer clan has ruled since the War of the Three Hammers.

Dwarven clans

 * Anvilmar clan (presumed)
 * Anvilrage clan (presumed)
 * Bronzebeard clan
 * Dark Iron clan
 * Hammersmith clan (presumed) - Yulanini Hammersmith was said to have spent most of his life in a small clanhold on the shores of Loch Modan.
 * Ironforge clan
 * Shadowforge clan (presumed)
 * Stormpike clan
 * Stonefist clan
 * Wildhammer clan
 * Firebeard clan
 * Thundermar clan
 * Mullan clan
 * Moore clan
 * Doyle clan
 * Dunwald clan

Murloc clan system
A murloc clan is an organized from multiple tribes in an area. Each tribe to its own village of usually six to twelve individuals. Every so often a clan meets to discuss issues of importance. However, keeping a large group of murlocs coordinated and in agreement for any significant length of time is difficult.
 * Arkkoran
 * Blacksilt
 * Blindlight
 * Bluegill
 * Chillmere
 * Dark Ray
 * Greengill
 * Greymist
 * Grimscale
 * Lostfin
 * Marsh
 * Mirefin
 * Murkgill
 * Ripfang
 * Saltscale
 * Saltspittle
 * Siltfin
 * Storm Bay
 * Tidewalker
 * Torn Fin
 * Underworld Minions
 * Vile Fin
 * White Shark
 * Wide Grin
 * Winterfin

Orcish clan system


There are several orcish clans, some older than others. Some, like the Bleeding Hollow clan, appear to be ancestral and well-established, indicating perhaps that they evolved over time out of a family or tribal network. Some, like the Shattered Hand clan, would appear to be associated with a specific class within orc society (in this case, rogues), leading to speculation that they may have originated as some form of class-oriented guilds.

Some clans also accept members from other races, adopting them into the clan. Laughing Skull clan was lead by an ogre Mogor, and had ogre members. Orgrim Doomhammer was a member of both the Thunderlord clan and the Blackrock clan. Twilight's Hammer clan was once lead by an ogre, Cho'Gall, and has been accepting in humans and other races from the Alliance as of late.

In the World of Warcraft, when an orc player takes out a charter to add a new guild to the registry of Orgrimmar, the guild master there refers to it as adding a new clan to the Horde.

Still other clans, like the Blackrock clan and Stormreaver clan, were clearly organized recently (relatively speaking), by specific people, for a specific purpose. In this case, loyalty in the clan tends to be solely to the clan leader, and when this leader dies, the clan tends to disintegrate.

Orc clan leaders are referred to as chieftains, while the leader of all clans is called a warchief. Thrall is the current warchief of the New Horde. The chieftain is usually the strongest member of the clan and, according to the old orcish hierarchy, to become one you must first fight the old chieftain to the death. Alternatively, you can inherit the status of chieftain.

In the New Horde, most clan separations have disintegrated (along with most of the clans themselves). The Warsong and Frostwolf clans still retain some individualism, while the Blackrock clan remains independent.

Orc clans
Main clans:
 * Black Tooth Grin clan
 * Blackrock clan
 * Bleeding Hollow clan
 * Bonechewer clan
 * Burning Blade clan
 * Dragonmaw clan
 * Frostwolf clan
 * Laughing Skull clan
 * Mok'Nathal clan - A clan made up of mostly half-ogres, but also includes orcs.
 * Shadowmoon clan
 * Shattered Hand clan
 * Stormreaver clan
 * Thunderlord clan
 * Twilight's Hammer clan
 * Warsong clan

Other clans:
 * Bladewind clan
 * Dark Scar clan
 * Flowerpicker clan
 * Lightning's Blade clan
 * Necrolyte clan
 * Rageroar clan
 * Redwalker clan
 * Searing Blade clan
 * Warlock clan
 * Whiteclaw clan

Unnamed clans:
 * Mathogg's clan
 * In the Second War one unnamed clan was left in the Hinterlands to distract the Alliance while the rest of the Horde marched to Quel'thalas, but the clan was annihilated by Lothar and his warriors.

Ogre tribes/clans
Manual of Monsters refers to ogres as having tribes, but later books refers to them as having clans, for example, Horde Player's Guide of 2006. In The Burning Crusade ogres are described as being in tribes or clans.
 * Ango'rosh
 * Bladespire
 * Bloodmaul
 * Boulderfist
 * Crushridge
 * Deadwind
 * Dreadmaul
 * Dunemaul
 * Dustbelcher
 * Fire-Gut
 * Gordok
 * Gordunni
 * Laughing Skull (An orcish clan led by an ogre.)
 * Mo'grosh
 * Mosh'Ogg
 * Mok'Nathal (A clan consisting of mostly half-ogres.)
 * Ogri'la
 * Spirestone
 * Splinter Fist
 * Stonemaul
 * Stonegullet
 * Ton'ma
 * Torchbelcher
 * Twilight's Hammer (An orcish clan led by an ogre.)
 * Urok
 * Warmaul

Vrykul Clans
The vrykul are also organized into clans:
 * Howling Fjord
 * Dragonflayer clan
 * Winterskorn clan


 * Icecrown (may be one clan)
 * Jotunheim
 * Mjordin


 * Kvaldir
 * Kvaldir clan
 * Skadir clan


 * Storm Peaks (maybe one clan, with the Valkyrion and Hyldnir breaking off)
 * Hyldnir
 * Sifreldar
 * Valkyrion