I’ve previously written a post about my love of Frank Herbert’s Dune Chronicles. But I’ve had a secret fascination with one of the major subplots of the series that I wanted to coalesce my thoughts about. So here it goes…
In Herbert's fictional Dune universe, the Bene Gesserit (pronounced /ˈbɛniː ˈdʒɛsərɪt/) hold significant influence as a crucial social, religious, and political entity. This exclusive sisterhood is devoted to rigorous physical and mental training, enabling its members to attain extraordinary powers and abilities that appear mystical to those outside their ranks. Reverend Mothers, the esteemed individuals who have mastered the full spectrum of Bene Gesserit capabilities, are held in high regard within the group.
The Bene Gesserit are focused on acquiring more power and influence to direct humanity on an enlightened path. Sometimes called "witches" due to their secretive nature and misunderstood powers, the Bene Gesserit are loyal only to themselves and their collective goals. However, to attain their goals and avoid outside interference, they often screen themselves with the illusion of being faithful to other groups or individuals. Their every move is calculated toward a result. As the skills of a Bene Gesserit are as desirable as an alliance with the Sisterhood itself, they can charge a fee to school the women from Great Houses and install some of their initiates as wives and concubines to their advantage.
Original Dune Series
In the novel Dune (1965), the Bene Gesserit are a secretive matriarchal order who have achieved superhuman abilities through physical and mental conditioning and the use of the drug melange. Under the guise of humbly "serving" the Empire, the Sisterhood is a major power in the universe, using its many areas of influence to subtly guide humanity along the path of its plan for humanity's future.
Herbert notes that over 10,000 years before the events of Dune, in the chaotic time after the Butlerian Jihad and before the unveiling of the Orange Catholic Bible, the Bene Gesserit "consolidated their hold upon the sorceresses, explored the subtle narcotics, developed prana-bindu training and conceived the Missionaria Protectiva, that black arm of superstition. But it is also the period that saw the composing of the litany against fear and the assembly of the Azhar Book, that bibliographic marvel that preserves the great secrets of the most ancient faiths."
With the Lady Jessica and Arrakis, the Bene Gesserit system of sowing implant-legends through the Missionaria Protectiva came to its full fruition. The wisdom of seeding the known universe with a prophecy pattern for the protection of B.G. personnel has long been appreciated, but never have we seen a condition-ut-extremis with more ideal mating of person and preparation. The prophetic legends had taken on Arrakis even to the extent of adopted labels (including Reverend Mother, canto and respondu, and most of the Shari-a panoplia propheticus). And it is generally accepted now that the Lady Jessica's latent abilities were grossly underestimated.
— from Analysis: The Arrakeen Crisis by Princess Irulan [Private circulation: B.G. file number AR-81088587
Millennia later in Dune, the Bene Gesserit base of power is the Mother School on the planet Wallach IX, whose graduates are fit mates for Emperors and whose specially trained Truthsayers can detect falsehood. But beyond the outer virtues of poise, self-control, and diplomacy, Bene Gesserit training includes superior combat skills and precise physiological control that grants them total control over their bodies, including direct control over conception and embryotic sex determination, aging, and even the ability to render poisons harmless within their bodies.
The Bene Gesserit power of Voice allows them to control others by modulating their vocal tones. Sisters who survive a ritualized poisoning known as the spice agony achieve increased awareness and abilities through access to Other Memory, and are subsequently known as Reverend Mothers. Every member of the Bene Gesserit is conditioned into singular loyalty to the order and its goals with allegiances to even family being secondary, and no goal is more paramount than the Sisterhood's large-scale breeding program. It aims to create a superbeing that can tap into abilities even the Bene Gesserit cannot, a being they can use to gain more direct control over the universe. To this end, the Bene Gesserit have subtly manipulated bloodlines for generations, using breeding sisters to "collect" the required genes.
In the Dune series, the arrival of the Kwisatz Haderach, the super-being foretold by the Bene Gesserit, occurs earlier than expected through Paul Atreides, whose mother is the Bene Gesserit Lady Jessica. Paul seizes control of the desert planet Arrakis, the sole source of the valuable spice melange. He manipulates his way onto the Imperial throne by threatening to destroy spice production. With a monopoly on melange, the Bene Gesserit challenges Paul’s rule in a conspiracy detailed in Dune Messiah. Eventually, Paul, blinded and weary, ventures into the desert to meet his fate, leaving his sister Alia to rule. The Bene Gesserit struggle to maintain influence until Paul's son, Leto II, assumes power in Children of Dune.
Over 3,500 years later, Leto, now a hybrid of human and sandworm1, reigns as the tyrant God Emperor in God Emperor of Dune. Through his prescience, he envisions humanity's potential demise and embarks on the Golden Path2, a plan to ensure survival. Leto halts spice production, making his stockpile the only remaining source in the universe. This allows him to control various factions and enforce "forced tranquility." He appropriates the Bene Gesserit breeding program for his mysterious goals, conditioning their access to limited spice supplies on their obedience to his prescient vision. Leto, recognizing his mission's completion, permits himself to be assassinated.
In Heretics of Dune, set 1,500 years later, the Bene Gesserit have regained power on their hidden homeworld, Chapterhouse, while spice production is renewed on Arrakis, now known as Rakis. The Honored Matres, a violent matriarchal order indifferent to melange, pose a new threat as they seek dominance over the Old Empire. They decimate the Tleilaxu and target the Sisterhood. To liberate humanity from Leto II's oracular hold, Bene Gesserit, Mother Superior Taraza, orchestrates a plan to goad the Honored Matres into destroying Rakis. Meanwhile, the Bene Gesserit transform Chapterhouse into a desert planet and introduce a single sandworm to initiate a new spice cycle.
In Chapterhouse: Dune, the Honored Matres ravage the planets controlled by the Bene Gesserit, enslaving the populace. A greater menace emerges from the Scattering3, prompting Mother Superior Darwi Odrade to devise a daring strategy. The captive Honored Matre Murbella, assimilated into the Bene Gesserit, defeats the Honored Matres' leader in combat and assumes the title of Great Honored Matre. She becomes the new Mother Superior, uniting the two factions in an uneasy alliance under her leadership. Together, they aim to confront the unknown enemy and safeguard humanity's future.
Leto II, the sandworm hybrid, orchestrates a plan to ensure the full realization of his Golden Path by breeding a line of humans capable of eluding prescient vision. This culminates in the emergence of Siona Atreides, the first in a lineage of individuals who can vanish from sight. Leto, understanding that his purpose is accomplished, willingly accepts his assassination. After an additional 1,500 years, chronicled in the novels Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse Dune, the Bene Gesserit successfully revived their breeding program. However, they are cautious of creating another Kwisatz Haderach and instead focus on nurturing exceptional individuals possessing significant talents and usefulness. This strategy aims to amplify specific human characteristics and ensure their preservation. With a profound understanding of Leto's Golden Path, the Bene Gesserit expanded their objectives to encompass the advancement of humanity and the prevention of its extinction.
Intricacies of the Breeding Program
Approximately 10,000 years before the main Dune storyline, the Sorceresses of Rossak began meticulously documenting and refining the Bene Gesserit breeding practices to enhance their telekinetic abilities. Around 400 years before the events of Dune, they initiated the collection of genetic samples from various human bloodlines, which faced potential devastation from a genetically engineered virus unleashed by the thinking machines.
During the spice agony, a crucial rite of passage for the Bene Gesserit, the acolyte can explore two distinct realms within the soul—the part that bestows and takes away. However, Reverend Mothers cannot access the memories of their male ancestors, and they are deeply fearful of the psychic space within them that houses these masculine recollections. Before Paul Atreides, all men who had undergone the spice agony had perished.
In Dune, Jessica undergoes the agony while carrying her unborn daughter, Alia. This profoundly impacts Alia, who is consequently born as a fully realized Reverend Mother, possessing the full Other Memory of her female and male forebears. The Bene Gesserit deem such children "Abominations," as they lack a fully developed adult ego and are vulnerable to the influence of their ancestral memories. Unfortunately, this vulnerability leads to Alia's downfall as she becomes possessed by the persona of her wicked grandfather, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, whom she had slain as a child during the events of the original novel.
In conclusion, Frank Herbert's Dune books offer a rich and captivating exploration of the complex and enigmatic characters known as the Bene Gesserit. Throughout the series, these women, possessing exceptional mental and physical abilities, wield power and influence behind the scenes, shaping the universe’s destiny. With their deep understanding of human nature, subtle manipulations, and dedication to their long-term goals, the Bene Gesserit exemplify the intricate interplay between power, knowledge, and control. Their training, discipline, and adherence to ancient rituals and philosophies showcase the author's masterful world-building and keen insight into the human condition. The Bene Gesserit's mystique and their role as key players in Dune's political and religious landscape create a captivating and thought-provoking narrative that continues to captivate readers. Frank Herbert's portrayal of the Bene Gesserit challenges our assumptions about power and gender, leaving us with a profound reflection on the complexities of human ambition and the pursuit of control in a turbulent and uncertain world.
The Sandworm was the predominant lifeform on Arrakis, both honored and feared; vital and deadly.
The sandworms were extremely territorial; as two worms sensed each other's presence, they let out chuffing roars of challenge, bellowing melange-smelling exhaust from their cavernous throats. The sandworm was essential to the creation of the spice melange.
The Golden Path ("Secher Nbiw" in an ancient language) was an expansive prescient interpretation that was only visible to the Kwisatz Haderach and the Bene Gesserit. It foretold the fluid events of the future, both great and small. More profoundly, however, it revealed an optimum path through the countless threads of cause and effect that were encountered by the human race.
The Scattering was a major historical event that occurred in the chaotic period following the death of Leto Atreides II, the God Emperor. Leto's death saw the eventual breakdown of his empire, severe famine on many worlds, and the introduction of Ixian no-ships. It was all part of the Golden Path, as put forward by Leto, which was triggered by a perceived need to diversify the human race and allow it to evolve.