Jiralhanae Chieftain

"The hopes of all the Covenant rest on your shoulders, Chieftain."

— Prophet of Truth

File:Chiefton firing.jpg

A chieftain firing a plasma turret

The Brute Chieftain is a Covenant rank for the Jiralhanae (Brute) race, the highest in the Jiralhanae hierarchy. In Halo 2, there is only one known, Chieftain Tartarus, who was killed by the Arbiter and his Sangheili allies on Delta Halo. He used a supernaturally powerful gravity hammer called the Fist of Rukt.

In Halo 3, they will command a "pack" of lesser Brutes, and will enforce the pack-like mentality. In the Halo 3 video documentary "Et Tu, Brute?", there are further Brute chieftains seen, although probably not as high as Tartarus, who was believed to be the highest of the Jiralhanae, and they wear very elaborate gold or red armor, breast-plates, and an even more intricate headdress. A certain Brute Chieftain was seen wielding a handheld two-handed plasma cannon emplacement: unusual, as it is normally on a tripod.

The Brute Chieftain may hold a rank similar to the Alpha Jiralhanae or the Elite Zealot or even the Elite Councillor.