June is the elven Master of Crafts,[1] a god of crafts and building.[2]
Dalish legends
We dedicate all our crafts to June, for it is he who taught the People to bend the branches of trees to make our bows, and to fashion coverings of furs and ironbark. Without June, would we have the aravel, or the harnesses for our halla?
—From Codex entry: June: God of the Craft
Dalish mythology describes June either as a brother to Andruil and Sylaise[3] or as Sylaise's husband. It is even said that he created himself.[4]
The Dalish tell that before Sylaise and June came to them, the elves wandered the forests without purpose, eating only the berries and nuts they could find and shivering naked through cold nights. June taught the elves to make all needful things,[4] and in particular used Sylaise's gentle lessons to the elven people to teach them how to make bows, arrows, and knives to hunt Andruil's gifts.[3]
Little is known of June.[2] In keeping with his inscrutable nature, Dalish elves train their minds with an insoluble wooden puzzle carving they call "June's knot."[5] The sword Evanura was forged by the High Keeper of June.[6] Another High Keeper of June was a smith as well.[7]
In Elvhenan
Depictions of June stretch back to ancient Arlathan, but he appears most seldom of all elven deities and the oldest depictions have none of the tools the Dalish associate with him. An Orlesian source speculates that June's role may have changed over time.[2]
Thousands of elves channeled raw essence from the Fade into a sphere in the air to create the Grand Sonallium. It was a gift from Blessed Sylaise to Clever June as thanks for a great favor.[8]
One of June's greatest invention was the first Eluvian.
The Evanuris weaponized the blight in their wars of supremacy, especially during Solas' rebellion against them. When Mythal confronted them on their abuse of the blight, she was murdered by the other Evanuris. In retaliation, Solas imprisoned the Evanuris in the Fade and used their life force to sustain the Veil. However, the imprisoned Evanuris were able to use their dragon thralls, known in modern Thedas as Archdemons, as conduits to speak to the ancient Tevinters in dreams. Through their dragon thralls, the Evanuris took on alter-egos that became known as the Old Gods. Eventually, the Evanuris manipulated the Magisters Sidereal into breaching the Black City and releasing a portion of the blight onto Thedas.[9][10]
Bellara Lutare believed that June's high dragon thrall was Urthemiel, the Old God of Beauty, and the archdemon of the Fifth Blight, due to a mutual association with well-crafted luxury goods and beautiful architecture.
By the time of the Sixth Blight, June is dead according to Solas, who taunted Elgar'nan by pointing out that any new empire under the latter would not have June's craft in building Eluvians.[11] Presumably, the death of June's Archdemon had caused a magical feedback that broke his mind and body.[12] However, if Bellara is correct in that June's archdemon was Urthemiel, a remnant of June may have been preserved through the Dark Ritual.
Codex entries
Codex entry: June: God of the Craft
Codex entry: The Mystery of June- Codex entry: Vir Dirthara: Raising the Sonallium
Gallery
References
- ↑ Codex entry: The Dalish Elves
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Codex entry: The Mystery of June
- ↑ 3.0 3.1
Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, p. 120
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Dragon Age (tabletop RPG), Player's Guide, set 2, p. 23
- ↑ Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 2, p. 270.
- ↑ See the description of the sword.
- ↑ Codex entry: Vallasdahlen
- ↑ Codex entry: Vir Dirthara: Raising the Sonallium
- ↑ Solas' memories from Regrets of the Dread Wolf.
- ↑ According to Solas' dialogue in Dragon Age: The Veilguard
- ↑ Solas' dialogue with Elgar'nan in the quest Blood of Arlathan in Dragon Age: The Veilguard: "But it will not have eluvians, will it? June built them, and now he is dead."
- ↑ John Epler (Dec. 4, 2024). Reddit AMA response: "We haven't been SUPER specific about this, but at best the other Evanuris are a shadow of their former selves, and at worst they're dead. The death of their Archdemons, particularly when they were still trapped in the Fade, caused enough magical feedback that it broke their minds and bodies. A couple may have survived as shells, but they aren't in the same state as Ghilan'nain and Elgar'nan."
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