June (ju-NAY)[1][2] (also known as The Master of Craft[3]) is the elven god of crafts, building,[4] and invention.[5] His will hides in the actions of others.[6]
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 June: God of the CraftDalish mythology describes June either as a brother to Andruil and Sylaise[7] or as Sylaise's husband. It is even said that he crafted himself.[8]
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,[8] and in particular used Sylaise's lessons to teach the elves how to fashion bows, arrows, and knives to hunt Andruil's gifts.[7]
Little is known of June.[4] In keeping with his inscrutable nature, the Dalish train their minds with an insoluble wooden puzzle carving known as "June's knot."[9] During the time of the Dales, the sword Evanura was forged by the High Keeper of June.[10] Another High Keeper of June was a smith as well.[11]
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.[4]
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.[12]
June was most likely a primeval spirit who created a corporeal form using Lyrium, crafting himself just as the Dalish myths suggest.[8] The Veil Jumpers describe June as an artisan, stating that he likely worked closely with Sylaise owing to their shared talent as builders.[13]
The details surrounding Mythal's murder are vague and what role June played in betraying Mythal remains unknown. Solas blames Elgar'nan for the murder directly[14] while Mythal's fragment in the Crossroads remarks that the other Evanuris betrayed her.[15] When questioned by Rook about the Evanuris's motivations for using the Blight, Solas states that the pressure placed upon the Evanuris by his rebellion resulted in them weaponizing the Blight and that they were blind to the horrors of its corruption. Solas then warned Mythal of the other elven gods' abuse of the Blight and she sought to convince them to cease its misuse. Through unknown means, the other elven gods somehow acquired Solas' lyrium dagger and murdered Mythal with it when she confronted them. Solas recovered the Lyrium Dagger from Elgar'nan and from it extracted a fragment of Mythal that had lain hidden within its depths.[16] For unleashing the Blight onto the world and murdering Mythal, Solas imprisoned the Evanuris in the Fade and used their lives to sustain the Veil by connecting their blood to his Lyrium Dagger. Believing the prison he constructed to be perfect, Solas admits that he failed to anticipate the imprisoned Evanuris using their dragon thralls, known in modern Thedas as Archdemons, as conduits to speak to the ancient Tevinters through their 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, releasing a portion of the blight onto Thedas.[17][18]
Under the auspices of his alter ego Urthemiel, June attempted to direct his worshippers into constructing a shield in order to protect Tevinter from Those Across The Sea, only to have the efforts of his worshippers redirected due to being terrorized by Lusacan's faithful, who had other plans. The 'skybound fortress' mentioned in reference to Urthemiel's Shield is presumably a reference to The Archon's Palace in Minrathous.[19]
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.[20] Urthemiel's role as the Old God of Beauty could be further explained by June creating his own physical body from lyrium, with his appearance or beauty being a testament to his skill at craftsmanship. While Sylaise being linked to Toth can be explained by her repetitive and consistent association with fire by both ancient and modern sources, June has only ever been mentioned in direct association with fire once.[21]
Among many other things, June was an inventor and a tinkerer. One of his greatest inventions was the first Eluvian.[22][23] Additionally, Power Crystals are known as June'suledin'bellanaris'ena'ghilan'lasa'shiral, implying that June most likely invented them. He is also responsible for creating the laser beam devices found throughout Arlathan known as Vir Eluvelin.[24] A relic associated with June, known as the Tears of June, can be found within the Veil Jumper vaults. It is capable of separating nearby materials (including people) into smaller constituent materials.[25]
By the time of the Sixth Blight, June is dead according to Solas, who taunts Elgar'nan with this information, saying that any new empire under the latter would not have June's craft in building Eluvians[26], which appear to be embroidered upon the sleeves of Elgar'nan's robe.[27] It is assumed that the death of June's Archdemon resulted in magical feedback that broke his mind and body[28], though his true fate remains unknown.[29]
Codex entries
Mementos
Trivia
- June's symbol closely resembles the symbol of Urthemiel from the Origins game files.[30] The connection between June and Urthemiel's imagery is further supported by Strife and Irelin's research, which suggests that the appearance of June's symbol has changed over time,[31] much like his role.[32]
- Unless changed by the player during character creation, June's vallaslin is the default for the Dalish Elf Origin player character.
- A certain statue most likely representing June (because the symbols of the Evanuris directly correspond to shape of their headdresses) can be found repeatedly in various locations throughout Origins. One can be found in the in Mages Asunder during The Fade: Lost in Dreams. Six more are located in the Deserted Building during The Last Request, with the final room containing four of the statues and two eluvians.[33] Another waits in the puzzle room of Wilhelm's Cellar[34] alongside another statue that was identified as Falon'Din by Tamlen nearby.[35] The final statue can be found during Awakening in the Architect's Lab surrounded by two of the supposed Falon'Din statues.[36]
- If Morrigan's Ritual was completed during Origins, a statue depicting Dirthamen bleeding and stabbed in the back looms above directly the area in the raw Fade where Flemeth and Kieran are found by the Inquisitor and Morrigan during The Final Piece[37], possibly alluding to the fact that Dumat (believed to be Dirthamen) and Zazikel (believed to be Falon'Din) were the first to perish as a result of their respective Blights. Additionally, The Canticle of Silence also names Urthemiel's magister and Dumat's magister as the first to collude before the other Magisters Sidereal were recruited, though its accuracy remains debatable.
- June appears to have an association with frogs.[38] His relic shares the same graphic used by the Elven Frog Figurine that Rook can purchase for Bellara.[39]
- Mosaics depicting imagery and symbolism relating to June, Andruil, and Falon'din pictured next to Fen'Harel appear to have been cut from Trespasser, but remain in the game files.[40]
- June's pantomime theater mask can be seen embedded into a floor plate of the Crossroads directly outside the entrance to the Lighthouse.
- During Rook's initial exchange with Solas in the Prison of Regrets during Veilguard, a statue directly matching Falon'Din's symbol from Veilguard's game files is seen standing closely to June's.[41]
- Upon unlocking June's codex in Origins, text will sometimes pop up referring to June as "the Goddess of the Craft"[42] despite the relevant codex using he/him pronouns to describe him.[43] All subsequent information given about June seems to refer to him in a masculine context consistently.
- Elgar'nan's robes appear to have June's eluvians embroidered upon the sleeves,[44] somewhat explaining Solas's decision to use June's presumed death as a means of taunting him.
- At the beginning of the pathway in the Crossroads marked by June's pantomime theater mask, Rook can find a mysterious codex entry written by an unnamed author upon a grimoire page that mentions beauty, great plans being subject to change, and change being what sets us free.[45] The grimoire page could be a possible reference to Flemeth's Grimoire. Notably, elves typically refer to themselves and each other as "the People." The term "Great Plans" is specifically used in reference to Urthemiel and his magister.[46] Urthemiel was venerated by Tevinter as the God of Beauty, and the idea of being set free appears to be a throwback to Eleni Zinovia's cryptic dialogue about the prison being breached during Witch Hunt.[47]
Gallery
References
- ↑ Pronunciation listed in
Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, p. 179
- ↑ Pronunciation by Solas during Blood of Arlathan.
- ↑ Codex entry: The Dalish Elves
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Codex entry: The Mystery of June
- ↑ Codex entry: Elven Gods and Tevinter Gods
- ↑ Codex entry: The Master of Craft
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, p. 120
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 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
- ↑ Codex entry: Sylaise, the Hearthkeeper
- ↑ Dialogue from Solas during Blood of Arlathan: "The only reason Mythal joined you was that she knew the monster you would become if left unchecked. She thought to temper your brutish ego. Instead, you betrayed her. Murdered her."
- ↑ Dialogue from Mythal's fragment in the Nest of the Ancients during Regrets of the Dread Wolf: "The part of me that survived betrayal by the rest of the Evanuris. If this can be called surviving."
- ↑ According to Morrigan's dialogue with Rook in Dragon Age: The Veilguard
- ↑ Solas' memories from Regrets of the Dread Wolf.
- ↑ According to Solas' dialogue in Dragon Age: The Veilguard
- ↑ Codex entry: Urthemiel's Shield
- ↑ Codex entry: Elven Gods and Tevinter Gods
- ↑ Codex entry: Geldauran's Claim
- ↑ Codex entry: June's Mirror
- ↑ Codex entry: The Dread Wolf's Eluvian
- ↑ Codex entry: Logs from the Watchtower
- ↑ Note: Artifact Name: Tears of June
- ↑ 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."
- ↑ A detailed look at Elgar'nan's Robes.
- ↑ John Epler (December 4, 2024). "Dragon Age: The Veilguard - Developer AMA on Dragon Age Day (12/4) @ Noon PT (DATV ALL SPOILERS)" Reddit. Retrieved on January 10, 2025.
- ↑ Alyssa Mora (December 5, 2024). "Dragon Age: The Veilguard Spoiler Deep-Dive: Directors Answer All Our Questions on the Endings, the Gods, Solas, and More" IGN. Retrieved on August 29, 2025.
- ↑ Urthemiel's heraldry.
- ↑ Codex entry: June's Mirror
- ↑ Codex entry: The Mystery of June
- ↑ The eluvians and the statues as seen in the final room during The Last Request.
- ↑ The statue located in Wilhelm's Cellar.
- ↑ Statue believed to be Falon'Din in Wilhelm's Cellar.
- ↑ The statues in the Architect's Lab
- ↑ Dirthamen's statue during "The Final Piece"
- ↑ Codex entry: Pocket Frog
- ↑ Fit for a Veil Jumper
- ↑ Trespasser's cut mosaics.
- ↑ Statues of the Evanuris in the Prison of Regrets.
- ↑ June gender inconsistency in Origins
- ↑ Codex entry: June: God of the Craft
- ↑ A detailed look at Elgar'nan's robes.
- ↑ Codex entry: Notes from the Crossroads Islands
- ↑ Canticle of Silence: "But the High Priest of Beauty was sorely troubled, for he served only the Great Plans and would in no wise raise a servant of Silence above himself or his god."
- ↑ Eleni Zinovia: "The prison is breached. I see the encroaching darkness. The… the shadow will consume all…"
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