Rayna Butler



Rayna Butler (119-22 BG) was the daughter of Rikov Butler, the temporary governor of Parmentier, and Kohe Tantor.

Rayna, as the governor's daughter, grew up with proper political and historical education. Her mother was a devout person and was indoctrinated religiously.

She was 11 years old when the Omnius Scourge hit the planet, along with the servants of the estate, and most of the population. Although she was infected, she fell in a dark slumber and believed she saw visions of Saint Serena Butler. Days later, she miraculously recovered. She realized that her family was dead and pondered on her experience. She had lost all the hair on her body and her skin seemed luminous and angelic.

Soon after she went to the city of Niubbe which lay in turmoil and disarray, she saw an devastated electronics shop and started to crush the abandoned merchandise with a crowbar, believing that all circuits and computerized technology had been evil 'cousins' of Omnius and should be obliterated. The next day, she was joined by Martyrists and the mob continued her work. Eventually they destroyed the machinery of the Hospital for Incurable Diseases.

Rayna insisted she had heard during her slumber the direct commandment from God: Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of the human mind. Her inspiration was Serena's paradigm: when Erasmus killed her baby, she threw a sentinel robot off the high balcony. It was the first blow of a human against the thinking machines. The mob was eventually transformed into the Cult of Serena.

Soon after, Abulurd Harkonnen visited Parmentier and found her in her new condition. She requested that she would be brought to Salusa Secundus.

Although a charismatic leader, she did not want to be seen as a distinguished leader, prophet nor accepted to be compared to Serena. She protested when the Cult elevated her and declared her the greatest human since Serena Butler. Once, when Rayna noticed to her shame that such worship gave her an unexpected thrill of pleasure, she had stripped herself and sat naked all night on a cold rooftop, crouched against the biting wind, praying for forgiveness and guidance.

Her uncle Faykan Butler had become Interim Viceroy and promised her to propose laws that would advance her message and prohibit the manufacturing of sophisticated hardware.

44 years after the Battle of Corrin, a technology-loving protester threw a bomb at Rayna's feet. She was mortally wounded but managed to bless Manford Torondo, who had lost his legs to the same explosion, to take her place as the leader of the Butlerian movement before dying.

Appearances

 * Dune: The Battle of Corrin
 * Sisterhood of Dune