UnixSage

Dune Terminology

The Glossary Universal Studios Gave Out to the First Audiences of David Lynch’s Dune (1984)

  • ARRAKEEN (Ar-ra-keen): the capitol of the planet Arrakis, known as DUNE.
  • ARRAKIS (Ar-rak-is): the desert planet known as DUNE.
  • ATREIDES (A-tray-i-deez): ruling House of the planet Caladan. The Atreides family currently comprises Duke Leto.his formal concubine the Lady Jessica, and their son Paul.
  • BENE GESSERIT (Be-na Jess-er-it); the ancient school of mental and physical training established primarily for female students. The program had as its object the breeding, over generations, of a person they called the “Kwisatz Haderach,” a term signifying “one who can be in many places at once. Specifically, their selective breeding program aimed at producing a human with mental powers permitting him to understand and use higher order dimensions, including that of prescience.
  • CALADAN (Ca-la-dan): the lush green home planet of House Atreides.
  • CARRYALL (Car-ry-all): the aerial transport of Arrakis, used to carry, place and pick up large spice mining and refining equipment.
  • CRYSKNIFE (Kris-knife): the sacred knife of the Fremen on Arrakis. It is made from the teeth of dead sandworms.
  • FREMEN (Freh-men): the free tribes of Arrakis, desert dwellers.
  • FREMKIT (Frem-kit): desert survival kit of Fremen manufacture.
  • GIEDI PRIME (Gee-dee Prime): the home planet of House Harkonnen.
  • GOM JABBAR (Com Jab-bar): a poison needle tipped with meta-cyanide used by the Bene Gesserit.
  • GUILD (Gild): the Spacing Guild, to which belong the Spacing Guild Navigators, able to traverse and thus unite the Known Universe by “folding space” The Navigators have achieved this power by having ingested Spice Melange over generations: an ingestion which has also mutated them physically.
  • HARVESTER: a large spice mining machine. often called a “crawler” because of buglike body on independent tracks. Used on Arrakis, known as Dune.
  • HUNTER-SEEKER: a sliver of suspensor-buoyed metal guided as a weapon by a near-by control console or individual: a common assassination device..
  • IMPERIAL CONDITIONING: a development of the Suk Medical Schools: the highest conditioning against taking human life. Initiates are marked by a diamond tattoo on the forehead.
  • KAITAIN (Ky-tane): home planet of the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV.
  • KANLY: formal feud or vendetta under the rules of the Great Convention: originally designed to protect innocent bystanders.
  • KWISATZ HADERACH (Kwis-ats Ha-de-rack): the one for whom the Bene Gesserit wait, and at whose production their selective breeding program is aimed. He will be able to “bridge time and space,” “to be in many places at once.” In a sense, a male Bene Gesserit whose mental powers would be beyond any yet known.
  • MAKER HOOKS: the hooks used for capturing, mounting, and steering a sandworm of Arrakis.
  • MELANGE (May-lahnj): the “spice of spices.” the crop for which Arrakis is the unique source. The spice, noted for its geriatric qualities, is of greatest importance in empowering the Guild Navigators with the ability to “fold space, thus uniting the Universe under the Emperor.
  • MENTAT (Men-tat): that class of Imperial citizens trained for supreme accomplishments of logic: known as “human computers.”
  • MUAD DIB (Moo-ad-deeb): the name Paul Atreides chose to be known by, publicly, among the Fremen. He took it from the mouse shadow on Arrakis second moon. The creature is admired by the Fremen for its ability to survive in the open desert.
  • ORNITHOPTER (Or-ni-thopter): small aircraft capable of sustained wing-beat flight in the manner of birds.
  • REVEREND MOTHER: originally, a leader of the Bene Gesserit, one who has transformed an “Illuminating poison” within her body, raising herself to a higher state of awareness. Title adopted by Fremen for their own religious leaders who accomplished a similar illumination.
  • SANDCRAWLER: general term for machinery designed to operate on Arrakis surface in collecting spice melange.
  • SANDWORM (known as Shai-Hulud): Sandworm of Arrakis. Sandworms grow to enormous length. Some are 1500 feet long and 125 feet high: they live to great age, unless drowned in water, which is poisonous to them.
  • SAPHO (Sa-foe): high energy liquid extracted from roots. Commonly used by Mentats who claim it amplifies mental powers. Users develop ruby stains on mouth and lips..
  • SARDAUKAR (Sar-da-kar): the soldier-fanatics of the Padishah Emperor. They are men from an environmental background of such ferocity that it killed six out of thirteen persons before the age of eleven. Their military training emphasized ruthlessness and a near-suicidal disregard for personal safety.
  • SHAI-HULUD (Shy-Hoo-lood): another name for the sandworm of Arrakis.
  • SIETCH (Seetch): Fremen term designating any cave warren inhabited by one of their tribal communities. The term means “place of assembly in time of danger
  • STILLSUIT: body enclosing garment invented on Arrakis and used by the Fremen. Its fabric is a micro-sandwich which catches and filters moisture from body wastes. The reclaimed moisture is made available by tube from- catchpockets in the suit. On Arrakis, water is life.
  • SUSPENSOR BELT: worn by the Baron Harkonnen, who is so grossly fat that he cannot walk. Within limits, it nullifies gravity, permitting the Baron to float through the air.
  • THUMPER: short stake with clapper at one end. Its purpose is to be driven into the sand and set “thumping” to summon the sandworm, or to distract the worm from a specific target, such as a group of Fremen or a sandcrawler.
  • TRUTHSAYER: a Reverend Mother qualified to enter truthtrance and detect insincerity or falsehood.
  • USUL (You-sul): the secret name chosen by Paul for his life among the Fremen. It means the base of the pillar.”
  • VOICE: a technique originated by the Bene Gesserit which permits an adept to control others merely by selected tone shadings of the voice.
  • WATER OF LIFE: the liquid exhalation of a sandworm produced at the moment of its death from drowning, which is changed by a Fremen Reverend Mother to become the narcotic which increases awareness. Since it is, before changing, a poison, only those worthy of becoming Reverend Mothers among the Fremen survive it.

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