[Dune] Arrakis and the Fremen – Part 1

Planet Arrakis Origin of the Fremens

Planet Arrakis is the desert planet that plays an important role in the Dune Universe. Although the main families of the Landsraad never originated from Arrakis, Arrakis was the only planet that produced Melange Spice which was the most important resource in the Dune universe.

 

 

Planet Arrakis was nicknamed ‘Dune’ because the planet mostly consisted of sand dunes.

Arrakis wasn’t a desert planet from the first place, however when sand trouts which are the larvae of the Sand Worm or the Shai Hulud were introduced to the ecosystem of Arrakis, these sand trouts terraformed the planet by its unique metabolism and life cycle that absorbs massive amounts of water.

 

c

 

Fremens are the native warrior tribe of the planet Arrakis, however Fremens themselves also originated from space pilgrims called the Zensunni Wanderers. The harsh desert environment of Arrakis influenced the tough and survival-based culture of the Fremens.

 

Arrakis, Fremens, sandworms and Melange Spice – the inevitable harsh environment and ecology

The atmosphere of Arrakis was similar as Earth. There were opportunities in terraforming the planet to a more favorable environment, however there was an inevitable paradox to even attempt.

First of all, the sandworms and the sand trouts which were the larvae of the sandworms had a completely contradictive lifecycle that denied the existence of such environments that would other life forms would generally favor.

 

 

Sandworms were vulnerable to water. Exposure and consumption of water would lead to a catastrophic chain reaction that leads to the death of a sandworm.

However, sand trouts store massive amounts of water and capable of detecting even a small drop of water in the desert. When sand trouts morph to a sandworm, numerous sand trouts mass together form a cocoon like colony that metabolizes water into raw mélange spice.

This mélange spice causes explosive chain reactions which only few sand trouts are able to survive through and become a fully morphed sand worm. During this reaction, mélange spice was produced.

 

 

Thus, leaving Arrakis as a harsh desert environment for the life cycle was inevitable for mélange spice production as well as it was impossible to irradicate all the sandworms.

Secondly, the sandworms were the main source of oxygen production for Arrakis. Arrakis doesn’t have much botanic life forms, but the sandworms produced oxygen which made it habitable. Imperial scientists also claimed that finding an oxygen source that could replace the sandworms was most important for terraforming Arrakis into a more pleasant environment.

 

 

Fremen’s social structure

The Fremen formed tribal communities called sietches usually located in the underground of the rocky regions of Arrakis. The underground environment blocked the harsh sunlight while the rock regions would help block the breach of sandworms.

Each sietch was led by a leader called a Naib. Naib is a Fremen term that meant “One who has sworn never to be take alive by an enemy”. The title and role of a Naib could only be achieved by one-on-one combat. The Naib that Paul Atreidies first encounter is Stilgar. 

 

 

Interestingly, sietches and all Fremen don’t completely ostracize other sietches. All sietches, thus all Fremens are bound under a universal bond and one identity called the Ichwan Bedwine.

Although Fremens may be part of a different sietch, under the code of Ichwan Bedwine, all Fremens were united as well. Usually, a Naib is a male that would lead the sietch in terms of more politics and military and administration.

 

 

However, a Reverend Mother is the spiritual andreligious leader of the Fremen sietch. A Reverend Mother is a term also to describe the great mother of the Bene Gesserit.

Both Bene Gesserit and Fremen Reverend Mother are those that survived the change by the “Water of Life”. In Fremen culture, Sayyadina which means friend of God are low-ranking priestesses and sorceress who train religious practice of the Fremen.

 

 

Fremen and nature – Muad Dib(desert kangaroo mouse)

Paul Atreides joins the Fremen as his Fremen name as Muad Dib. Muad Dib means the desert kangaroo mouse indigenous in the sand environment of the Dune Universe. The Maud Dib, or the desert mouse is an important symbol to the Fremen.

The term Muad Dib comes from an Arabic word called آدب (Adab). This in Arabic means “good educator” or “good lesson” or “good discipline”.

 

 

The Muad Dib, the desert mouse is capable of making its own water and survive the harsh environment. Fremens praise the Muad Dib for its wisdom to survive the desert despite its small size and vulnerability.

Thus, the desert kangaroo mouse, the Muad Dub has always been a symbol of wisdom and somewhat hope of surviving the hostile environment of Arrakis.

 

 

This becomes the phrase “Even a mouse could survive Arrakis” throughout the Dune Cinematic series. The Muad Dib becomes Paul Atredies’s mentor as he is to survive the harsh environment of Arrakis. Paul Atreides will later be more known as Paul Muad Dib and Lisan Al’Gaib.

 

Fremen and the Shai Hulud(Sand worm)

Shai-Hulud refers to ‘Old Father of the Desert’ or “Old Man” in Fremen language. The might of the sand-worm was both feared and praised by the Fremen.

Technically the sand worm’s life cycle made Arrakis a harsh environment as its larvae sand trouts absorb immense amounts of water and take it underground, however sandworms the Shai-Hulud also made oxygen which made Arrakis habitable as well.

 

 

The Fremens believed that the divine creator of the universe was embodied in the sand worm so the Fremen worshipped the sand worm as Shai-Hulud. Also, Shai-Hulud’s life cycle would produce Melange Spice that strengthened the Fremen’s abilities than ordinary human beings.

Riding a sandworm was considered a method to prove one’s strength ritually in Fremen culture. The Shai Hulud could not submerge into the desert dunes when one of its scale is wide opened and the direction of the highest scale decides the whole course of a sandworm.

 

 

Fremen and Melange Spice.

The eyes of Fremen were blue. This was refereed as ‘Eyes of Ibad’. Navigators of the Spacing Guild were exposed to high concentrations of Melange Spice for long periods of time in a low-gravity environment which would mutate them into un-like human creatures.

Fremen were also exposed to Melange Spice but not that much of a higher concentration. This caused the Fremen eye’s to naturally turn blue and strengthened Fremen people physically compared with ordinary people.

 

 

Fremen sorceress named Sayyadina would have enhanced ‘prescience’ which is cognitive skills to forsee the past, present and the future. Fremen would also incorporate mélange spice into their diet as well as they naturally consume Melange Spice in the air.

Melange spice is the most valuable substance in the Dune Universe and the cost of pot of mélange spice could match a cost of a decent house in the core cities of the Imperial Capital Kaitain. Melange Spice not only enhances cognitive abilities and prescience but acts as a natural cure for many diseases such as the Omnius virus, enhances life span and physical abilities.

 

 

Fremen’s combat skills – Against the Sardaukar

The Sardaukar were fierce fanatic warriors that originate from Salusa Secndus. The Sardaukar served the Padishah Emperor of the Corrino Empire and the Padishah emperor only.

Even before House Corrino named itself House Corrino to commemorate the victory of the Battle of Corrin, the Sardaukar were known as the most elite military force in the entire universe.

 

 

However, Fremens were also natural born warriors where survival itself was proof of strength. Fremends never used body shields such as the Hotlzman shield in their life as its vibration would lure sandworms and they’ve always survived in a desert with limited resources.

Also, they’ve developed culture, no they had to develop harsh cultures that required bare-hand combats while utilizing the sacred crys-knife made from the sandworm’s tooth.

 

 

The ritual of the crys-knife states that once a crysknife is drawn, a crysknife must seek blood. The Fremen were the only people that could rival the Sardaukar in one-on-one combat. Leto Atreides longed to befriend the Fremen and learn more of the ‘desert power’