The Temple of Marilyn
Origin: Jefivah (early Interstellar Era)
Religious Titles: Dimaj (male cleric), Normaj (female cleric)
Leadership Figure (notable reformer): Jayne Best of Earth
The Temple of Marilyn is a fringe religious institution founded on Jefivah early in the Interstellar Era. Initially conceived as a satirical response to both state atheism and rising cultism, the Temple was launched as a prank by early colonists. To the surprise of its founders, it evolved into a lasting cultural force. The Temple centers on the veneration of 20th-century Earth actress Marilyn Monroe, regarded as the “Blessed Mother Marilyn.”
Clerics are divided into two orders based on historical references to Monroe’s life: dimaj, named after her husband Joe DiMaggio, and normaj, referencing her birth name, Norma Jean. These titles reflect a deliberately theatrical approach to religious hierarchy. Temple ceremonies are noted for their overt sexuality, especially initiation rites and the induction or promotion of clerics—rituals that blur the line between worship and performance.
In the late 200s IE, the Temple gained more serious political and cultural traction during a period of prolonged civil unrest and weather instability on Jefivah. Amid this chaos, its message of personal liberation and nostalgic unity resonated with disaffected citizens. Grand Normaj Jayne of Earth later attempted to reform the Temple, introducing a degree of philosophical and ethical depth to what had often been dismissed as parody.
Despite ridicule from much of the Compact, the Temple of Marilyn has endured. Its influence is most visible on the colony world of Marilyn, where its ornate sanctuaries and religious symbolism play an outsized role in local governance and culture.
In the final scene of Chasing Eternity, Douglas Best told Marilyn Germanicus he had “misplaced” the Grand Dimaj McLaren‘s application to build a Marilynist Temple on Amargosa.
Appearances: Chasing Eternity,Suicide Run