Iblis Ginjo

Iblis Ginjo is a fictional character from the "Dune" universe created by Frank Herbert. He is a major character in the "Legends of Dune" prequel novels written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, and excerpts from his later writings as historian and theoretician are referenced as epigraphs in these novels.

Character history

From the beginning, Iblis Ginjo was a human trustee of the Omnius Computer Evermind, and served as the head of a legion of slaves on Earth. Ginjo was quite popular among the slaves, and rose in ranks, wishing to secure his immortality and become a cymek. When the independent robot Erasmus claimed that even a wealthy trustee as Iblis Ginjo could turn against the evermind, Omnius made a bet with Erasmus that the robot would not succeed. Erasmus started sending Ginjo anonymous letters, tricking him into believing that there was a secret underground rebellion against Omnius. At first Ginjo thought about reporting to the evermind, but decided that he would wait. In time, Ginjo began to see the evil of the thinking machines and cymeks, and realised that he could actually create a rebellion on his own. With advice from the ancient philosopher known as Cogitor Eklo, Iblis Ginjo learned that the most effective way of doing this would be to use religion as a weapon.

When Ginjo saw Erasmus kill his captive Serena Butler's child Manion the Innocent, Ginjo incited the massive revolt on Earth, and the beginning of the Butlerian Jihad. Ginjo managed to escape the Synchronized World with Vorian Atreides and Serena Butler aboard the space ship "Dream Voyager".

While on Salusa Secundus, the capital of the League of Nobles, Ginjo managed to manipulate his way into nobility, and claimed the title of Grand Patriarch of the Holy Jihad, as the spiritual head of the League. In 193 B.G. Ginjo married Camie Boro, the last descendant of the fallen Emperor of the Old Empire, with whom he fathered three children. Iblis unknowingly had a daughter, Ticia Cenva (b. 173 B.G.), with Supreme Sorceress of Rossak Zufa Cenva.

As the Jihad went on, Ginjo became more and more corrupt, and focused more on his own power and legacy. The Jipol (Jihad Police) was set up under Yorek Thurr to get rid of political enemies. In order to fulfill the demand for replacement human organs created by injuries to Jihad troops, Ginjo organised organ raids on other League Worlds, claiming it to be the work of evil thinking machines. When the military commander Primero Xavier Harkonnen found out about this plans, and about Ginjo's intention to raid the planet of Caladan for organs, Xavier decided that he could not let Iblis get away.

When leaving the planet of the Tlulaxa in 154 B.G., Xavier took the control of the space ship, and flew directly into the Tlulaxa sun Thalim, carrying Iblis Ginjo to his death. Although actually a hero, Xavier Harkonnen became remembered as a coward and a traitor of humanity, while Ginjo became a saint and one of the "Three Martyrs": Manion the Innocent, Serena Butler and Iblis Ginjo.

Camie Boro-Ginjo succeeded her husband as Grand Patriarch. Ginjo and Camie's son Tambir became Grand Patriarch in 154 B.G., and their grandson Xander ascended to the position in 110 B.G. In 100 B.G., Iblis' great-granddaughter Jessica Boro-Ginjo married the first Padishah Emperor Faykan Corrino, making future members of House Corrino and House Atreides his descendants.

It is hinted by Zufa Cenva that Ginjo may have originated from the jungle planet of Rossak.

Ginjo's first name, Iblis, means "the devil" in Arabic.

Boro-Ginjo family tree