St. Junip of Aerui

Life

As a significant figure in the vast corpus of Amarr scripture, St. Junip of Aerui has long been established as in the company of those saints who are venerated as sources of guidance and wisdom second only to the founding prophets of Amarr on Athra. This is surely due to the role St. Junip appears to have played in the religious life of the Amarr during the Athran Reclaiming.

As such, St. Junip is a religious figure of great importance in the Amarr Empire, both as an ancient source of teaching and for their significance to later Amarr "Reclaimings" carried out in the interstellar age of the Amarr Empire.

There are many traditions as to the life of this figure and while occasionally the historicity of a single "St. Junip of Aerui" has been questioned, most Amarr scholars cleave to the orthodox view. A significant aspect of the life of St. Junip is the well-established tradition that the young Junip was born to noble parents, in some versions close relations of the Apostolic Emperor.

The story goes that Junip was found to have been born intersex and, while the Amarr religion has a relatively sophisticated outlook on sex and sexuality, the nobility's constant concern for family primacy complicates matters. The child is said to have been placed in a priestly school by the family, destined for a contemplative life in service of the Amarr church.

Ultimately, as this tradition has it, St. Junip of Aerui gave full service to the glory of God and the Emperor by accompanying the armies of Amarr on their campaigns of the Athran Reclaiming. This aspect of St. Junip's life is not held to be controversial and indeed is celebrated by many Amarr. One consequence is that while St. Junip is one of the many patron saints of holy war and soldiers, they are also considered a patron of intersex and nonbinary faithful thoughout the Empire.

Scriptures

"Zakara saw the danger to his brother, and did not hesitate; without weapon or armor, he hurled himself at the beast, attacking with his bare hands. Enraged, the beast turned and struck Zakara, opening a terrible wound in his side.
"Seizing the moment, Garum ran his sword through the beast's heart, thus ending the battle victorious. But Zakara, mortally wounded, cried out in pain. You sacrificed yourself for me,' Garum said, taking his hand.
"We are brothers,' Zakara answered, just before breathing his last. 'And in God we shall remain brothers for all of time."
- The Scriptures, Saint Junip 10:25

"Rejoice, o chosen of God
For our blood fills this Valley of Death,
Proclaiming our sacrifice to God,
And he shall raise it up for all time"
- The Scriptures, Saint Junip 15:11

"Here we are.
This is the world of God.
We are his chosen ones.
This place, this planet of peace and abundance, he made for us. It's ours for the taking.
There will be obstacles and difficulties. That's his test. We must make his gift deserving.
This beginning.
This birth of life.
This dawn of greatness.
We can not fail, for we have the Emperor to lead us and destiny to follow."
- The Scriptures, Second Letter of St. Junip of Aerui

"Faith is an oasis from which we must draw in order to live. Like an oasis, faith is a gift from the Lord that must be shared with all.
"Like an oasis, faith must be used with measure and not wasted. Like an oasis, faith should be at the center of a garden.
"For it is only in the garden of a just and truthful society, watered by well measured faith, that we may cultivate the spirit of the people."
– The Scriptures, Seventh Letter of St. Junip of Aerui

See Also

Amarr Scriptures