Glossary of Dune (franchise) terminology

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This is a list of terminology used in the fictional Dune universe created by Frank Herbert, the primary source being "Terminology of the Imperium", the glossary contained in the novel Dune (1965).

Dune word construction could be classified into three domains of vocabulary, each marked with its own neology: the names and terms related to the politics and culture of the Galactic Empire, the names and terms characteristic of the mystic sodality of the Bene Gesserit, and the barely displaced Arabic of the Fremen language. Fremen share vocabulary for Arrakeen phenomena with the Empire, but use completely different vocabulary for Bene Gesserit-implanted messianic religion.[1]

Due to the similarities between some of Herbert's terms and ideas and actual words and concepts in the

Na-Dene language Navajo.[3]

A

B

C

D

E

  • Elacca drug – Narcotic produced from the "blood-grained" elacca wood of Ecaz; users' skin shows a characteristic carrot color. The drug's effect is to remove most of the will to self-preservation; commonly used to prepare slave gladiators for the ring.[4]
  • Ego-likeness – Portraiture of one or more people, reproduced through a shigawire projector, that is capable of showing subtle movements said to convey the mannerisms and ego essence of the subjects.

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

  • Mahdi – "In the Fremen messianic legend, 'The One Who Will Lead Us to Paradise;'"[4] applied to Paul Atreides by the Fremen when they determine that he is their messiah. The term Mahdi is the same as that used in Islam for a messianic figure who will appear shortly before the Day of Judgment in Islamic eschatology.
  • Maker hooks – "The hooks used for capturing, mounting, and steering a sandworm of Arrakis."[4]
  • Maula pistol – "Spring-loaded gun for firing poison darts; range about 40 metres."[4]
  • Melange – Known colloquially as "the spice", a highly-addictive drug essential to space travel, extended life, and therefore to the survival of the universe.[5]
  • Memocorder – Tiny handheld device described as "a dull black Ixian artifact whose existence crowded the proscriptions of the Butlerian Jihad".[7]
  • Mentats – Individuals trained as "human computers,"[4]
    their minds developed to staggering heights of cognitive and analytical ability.
  • Missionaria Protectiva – An arm of the Bene Gesserit charged with spreading contrived myths, prophecies and superstition on primitive worlds so that the Bene Gesserit may later exploit those regions.[4]
  • Muad'Dib – "The adapted kangaroo mouse of Arrakis, a creature associated in the Fremen earth-spirit mythology with a design visible on the planet's second moon. This creature is admired by Fremen for its ability to survive in the open desert."[4] In Dune, Paul Atreides takes "Muad'Dib" as his Fremen name, which takes on greater significance when he is perceived as a messiah. The term originates from the word mu'addib meaning "teacher" in Arabic.[3]

N

O

  • Obliterators – Weapons of mass destruction stolen by Honored Matres from their "outside enemy;" they combust the atmosphere of a planet and subsequently its surface.[19]
  • Orange Catholic Bible, or OCB – The primary orthodox religious text in the universe, a syncretic fusion of all significant religious concepts in the historical record, created by an ecumenical council. Its supreme commandment is considered to be: "Thou shalt not disfigure the soul."[4]
  • Other Memory – The combined ego and memories of all female ancestors, which a Bene Gesserit may be trained to access.[5]
  • Ornithopter (or 'Thopter) – "Aircraft capable of sustained wing-beat flight in the manner of birds;"[4] one of the primary modes of transportation on the desert planet Arrakis.[5]

P

Q

  • Qanat – "Open canal for carrying irrigation water under controlled conditions through a desert."[4]

R

  • Rachag - A "caffeine-type stimulant from the yellow berries of Akarso."[4]
  • Residual poison – "Innovation attributed to the Mentat
    Piter De Vries whereby the body is impregnated with a substance for which repeated antidotes must be administered; withdrawal of the antidote at any time brings death."[4]
  • Reverend Mother – Bene Gesserit who has survived a ritual wherein she consciously transforms a toxic dose of melange into a non-poisonous substance at the molecular level, thereby raising herself to a higher level of awareness and enabling her to access Other Memory.[4]

S

T

U

V

  • Verite – Will-destroying narcotic from Ecaz that "renders a person incapable of falsehood."[4] Originating from the French word for "truth"[3]
  • Voice – Training that allows the Bene Gesserit "to control others merely by selected tone shadings of the voice."[4]

W

Y

  • Yali – "A Fremen's personal quarters within the sietch."[4]

Z

  • Zensunni – Ancient religious sect, ancestors of the Fremen.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ from the original on January 29, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  2. ^ Bahayeldin, Khalid (January 22, 2004). "Arabic and Islamic themes in Frank Herbert's Dune". Baheyeldin.com. Archived from the original on May 12, 2011. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Singh, Manvir (February 28, 2024). "Dune and the Delicate Art of Making Fictional Languages". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs Herbert, Frank (1965). "Terminology of the Imperium". Dune.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai Herbert, Frank (1965). Dune.
  6. ^
    Prelude to Dune
    .
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Herbert, Frank (1981). God Emperor of Dune.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Herbert, Frank (1984). Heretics of Dune.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Herbert, Frank (1969). Dune Messiah.
  10. .
  11. ^ "Baliset". Tom McMahon.com. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  12. ^ Donohoo, Timothy; Lynch, James (January 24, 2024). "Dune's Weirdest Creatures Probably Won't Be in the Movies". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on May 20, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c Collins, Will (September 16, 2017). "The Secret History of Dune". Los Angeles Review of Books. Archived from the original on October 21, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  14. ^
    Legends of Dune
    .
  15. ^ "Audio excerpts from a reading of Dune by Frank Herbert". Usul.net. Archived from the original on November 11, 2010. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
  16. .
  17. ^ Herbert, Frank (1965). Dune, Terminology of the Imperium (Ecaz).
  18. ^ a b c d Herbert, Frank (1985). Chapterhouse: Dune.
  19. ^ a b c d e Herbert, Brian and Anderson, Kevin J. (2006) Hunters of Dune.
  20. ^ a b c d Herbert, Frank (1976). Children of Dune.
  21. ^ Herbert, Frank (1965). Dune, Terminology of the Imperium (Snooper, Poison).
  22. ^ a b Herbert, Frank (1965). "Appendix IV: The Almanak en-Ashraf (Selected Excerpts of the Noble Houses): Vladimir Harkonnen". Dune.
  23. .