ftp.pasteur.org/FAQ//ftp-pasteur-org-FAQ.zip/FAQ/sf/dune-faq/part1

Text File | 2004-04-18 | 38.6 KB | 999 lines

Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!dreaderd!not-for-mail
Message-ID: <sf/dune-faq/[e-mail]>
Supersedes: <sf/dune-faq/[e-mail]>
Expires: 31 May 2004 11:22:46 GMT
X-Last-Updated: 2001/12/10
Organization: none
Approved: [e-mail]
Newsgroups: alt.fan.dune,alt.answers,news.answers
Subject: alt.fan.dune Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Part 1/4
X-Disclaimer: Approval for *.answers is based on form, not content.
Summary: A periodic posting of frequently asked questions about
         alt.fan.dune, _Dune_, and related matters.
Keywords: faq introduction intro dune frank herbert
From: [e-mail] (Gunnar Harboe)
Followup-To: alt.fan.dune
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Originator: [e-mail]
Date: 17 Apr 2004 11:28:19 GMT
Lines: 975
NNTP-Posting-Host: penguin-lust.mit.edu
X-Trace: 1082201299 senator-bedfellow.mit.edu 576 18.181.0.29
Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu alt.fan.dune:76156 alt.answers:72504 news.answers:269974

Archive-name: sf/dune-faq/part1
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: 2001/12/06

The alt.fan.dune FAQ Part 1/4

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

1. Document information

------------------------------

1.1 Table of Contents

PART 1

1. Document information
    1.1 Table of Contents
    1.2 Recent changes
    1.3 What is the purpose of this document?
    1.4 Where can I get this document?
    1.5 Who wrote this document?

2. Questions about alt.fan.dune
    2.1 What is alt.fan.dune?
    2.2 What is appropriate subject material for alt.fan.dune?
    2.3 What is suggested netiquette for alt.fan.dune?
    2.4 What special terminology is used on alt.fan.dune?

3. Questions about the Dune franchise
    3.1 What is Dune?
    3.2 Where can I find out more about Dune?

4. Questions about the Dune story
    4.1 Which Dune adaptations are officially part of the story?
    4.2 Is _The Dune Encyclopedia_ canon?
    4.3 What inconsistencies and errrors are there in the Dune books?
    4.4 What are the origins of House Atreides?
    4.5 Who are Marty and Daniel at the end of _Chapterhouse: Dune_?
    4.6 Who is Scytale?
    4.7 Why isn't Leto II called Leto III?
    4.8 What is House Ordos?
    4.9 What is the Litany Against Fear?
    4.10 What is the Mentat Mantra?

PART 2

5. Questions about written materials on Dune
    5.1 What books are in the _Dune_ series?
    5.2 Are more _Dune_ stories being written?
    5.3 What other books about Dune have been published?
    5.4 What other books has Frank Herbert written?
    5.5 Have the books in the _Dune_ series been serialised?
    5.6 Have the books in the _Dune_ series been translated?
    5.7 Are there any differences between _Dune_ series editions?
    5.8 Are there any comics and illustrated books about Dune?
    5.9 Can I get a signed copy of _The Dune Encyclopedia_?

PART 3

6. Questions about the films
    6.1 What is the movie _Dune_?
    6.2 Is there more than one version of the movie?
    6.3 How do I get each version of the movie?
    6.4 What merchandise was produced in connection with the movie?
    6.5 Has there been other attempts to film _Dune_?
    6.6 What is the _Dune_ TV series?

7. Questions about sound recordings relating to Dune
    7.1 Are there any Dune-related music albums?
    7.2 Has Dune inspired other music?
    7.3 Are there any spoken word recordings of Dune works?

PART 4

8. Questions about the games
    8.1 What MU*s are there with a Dune theme?
    8.2 How do I make these MU*s look right on my screen?
    8.3 Are there any computer and video games about Dune?
    8.4 Are there any board games about Dune?
    8.5 Are there any collectible card games (CCGs/TCGs) about Dune?
    8.6 Are there any role-playing games (RPGs) about Dune?
    8.7 Are there any fan-created games about Dune?

------------------------------

1.2 Recent changes


01/12/06: Added Section 5.6.15 and 7.2.1
        Updated Section 1.4, 4.1, 4.3, 5.2, 5.3, 5.6, 6.3, 6.6, 7.1,
        7.2 and 8.3
01/06/24: Updated Section 3.2, 8.6
01/06/20: Added Section 8.3.6, 7.1.2, 7.1.4
        Updated Section 4.4, 5.4, 5.5.5, 5.6.1, 7.2, 8.3, 8.6, 8.7
01/03/10: Updated Section 5.3.2, 5.6.5 and 7.2
00/11/29: Updated Section 5.3.1, 5.3.2, 6.3, 6.6, 7.1.3 and 7.2
00/10/26: Added entries BBHKA, D:HH and TFO's to Section 2.4.1
        Updated Section 5.2.2, 5.3.1, 5.7.1, 5.7.4, 7.2, 8.5, 8.6
        Added Section 5.6.9, 8.3.4, 8.3.5
00/07/12: Updated Section 4.4
00/06/11: Added Section 4.7
00/04/04: Updated Section 5.3.1, 5.6, 5.7.2, 5.7.3, 8.6 and 8.7.
        Added Section 5.7.4

------------------------------

1.3 What is the purpose of this document?

This is the alt.fan.dune Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) file. Its
purpose is to introduce new members to the alt.fan.dune newsgroup, and
to answer common questions about _Dune_ and alt.fan.dune.

------------------------------

1.4 Where can I get this document?

The FAQ is posted monthly to alt.fan.dune, alt.answers and news.answers.
It can also be obtained in these ways:

By anonymous FTP:
    <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet-by-group/alt.fan.dune/>
    <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet-by-group/news.answers/sf/dune-faq>
    <ftp://ftp.faqs.org/faqs/sf/dune-faq>

By e-mail:
    [e-mail]
    with a body of "send pub/faqs/sf/dune-faq/part#"
    (where # is from 1 to 4)

From the World Wide Web:
    <http://www.faqs.org/faqs/sf/dune-faq/>
    <http://www.srcf.ucam.org/~gh248/dunefaq/>

Inquiries/suggestions/corrections can be mailed to:
    [e-mail]

------------------------------

1.5 Who wrote this document?

Alan Schwartz created this FAQ, as well as the alt.fan.dune newsgroup.
Christian Gilmore later took over responsibility for the FAQ. The
current maintainer of the FAQ is me, Gunnar Harboe <[e-mail]>.
Where entire passages have been contributed by other persons, the
relevant text is attributed to them.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

2. Questions about alt.fan.dune

------------------------------

2.1 What is alt.fan.dune?

alt.fan.dune is a newsgroup for postings related to Frank Herbert's
_Dune_ series or any of its adaptations, including but not limited to
the movie _Dune_ and all Dune games. The group will provide a forum for
fans of Herbert's work to communicate.

------------------------------

2.2 What is appropriate subject material for alt.fan.dune?

Discussion of anything related to Herbert's _Dune_ series, or any of its
adaptations, is appropriate. Discussion of Frank Herbert or any of his
other work is permissible. Discussions about general MU* issues should
be directed to the rec.games.mud.* hierarchy, most likely
rec.games.mud.tiny. Discussions about strategy issues for the Westwood
games should when possible be directed to a general strategy games or
Westwood game newsgroup, possibly alt.games.dune-ii.virgin-games.

Binaries are not allowed in this newsgroup. Relevant binaries should be
posted to a proper alt.binaries newsgroup and a pointer to these
binaries should be posted to alt.fan.dune.

------------------------------

2.3 What is suggested netiquette for alt.fan.dune?

HTML-format posts are discouraged on alt.fan.dune. Please use standard
text format for the convenience of all newsreaders.

If discussing with a person who apparently hasn't read past a certain
point in the series, please use <SPOILER> warnings when referring to
information given past that point. The same applies for plot points with
obvious suspense value, e.g. "Is Paul the Preacher?"

In your own best interest, try to keep posts clear and concise. Pay some
attention to spelling. Attempt to stay on-topic. Always be courteous and
polite. Never flame (deliberately offend), and don't respond to flames.
A poster who oversteps the bounds of tolerance may find him- or herself
"shunned" by the bulk of the newsgroup, which means that no posts by
that poster will be answered.

------------------------------

2.4 What special terminology is used on alt.fan.dune?

Several shorthand abbreviations and acronyms are commonly used on
alt.fan.dune. Knowing these will make it very much easier to understand
posts to the newsgroup.

        ---------------
    2.4.1 alt.fan.dune local terms

These terms are unique to alt.fan.dune. A * after an entry indicates
that the name in question is a real person, not a character from the
_Dune_ series.

afd: alt.fan.dune
AG: After Guild
AM: Ancestral (sometimes called Genetic) Memory
BG: Bene Gesserit (sometimes: Before Guild)
BBHKA: Before Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
BH: Brian Herbert*/Baron Harkonnen
BJ: Butlerian Jihad
BT: Bene Tleilax
CD/C:D/ChD/Ch:D: _Chapterhouse Dune_
CET: Commission of Ecumenic Translators
(Dune) Chronicles: FH's six Dune novels
CoD: _Children of Dune_
D: _Dune_
D:HA: _Dune: House Atreides_
D:HH: _Dune: House Harkonnen_
D2K: Dune 2000
DDL: Dino De Laurentiis (Corp.)*
DC: Dune Chronicles
DE: Dune Encyclopedia
DI: Duncan Idaho
DL: David Lynch*
DM: _Dune Messiah_
Dune buggy: A fan of Dune
Duniverse: The fictional universe of the _Dune_ series
EoMF: Enemies of Many Faces (see also OoMF)
FD: Face Dancers (see also NFD, RNFD)
FH: Frank Herbert*
GE: God Emperor (Leto II)
GEoD: _God Emperor of Dune_
GHM: Gaius Helen Mohiam / Great Honoured Matre
GJ: Gom Jabbar
GN: Guild Navigator
GP: Golden Path
H: Harkonnen(s)
HA: House Atreides / _Dune: House Atreides_
HM: Honoured Matre(s)
HoD: _Heretics of Dune_
JS: John Schoenherr*
KH: Kwisatz Haderach
KJA: Kevin J. Anderson*
LttLH: _Listening to the Left Hand_
M&D: Marty and Daniel
MoS: Mark of Siona
MS: Mother Superior
NDR: No Dune References
NFD: "New" Face Dancers (see also FD, RNFD)
OC(B): Orange Catholic (Bible)
OE: Old Empire
OM: Other Memory
OoMF: Ones of Many Faces (see also EoMF)
RM: Reverend Mother (RMGHM: Rev. Mother GHM)
RNFD: (humorous) "Really New" Face Dancers (Marty and Daniel)
SA: Spice Agony
SG: Spacing Guild
shun: Refuse to reply to any posts made by a certain poster
SODR: Sort of Dune related
SS: Salusa Secundus
SY: Standard Year
TFM: (humorous) _The Fandom Menace_ (_Dune: House Atreides_)
TFO's: The First Ones* (alt.fan.dune Old-timers)
TM: Tleilaxu Masters
TP: Telepathy
UD: Ultimate Duncan (Duncan of HoD/Ch:D)
WEM: Dr. Willis E. McNelly* (in DE: Walter E. Meyers*)
WoL: Water of Life

        ---------------
    2.4.2 General Internet terms

These terms are in common use all over Usenet and Internet. A short list
of some of the most frequently used is provided here as a convenience to
newcomers to the medium.

AFAIK: As far as I know
BTW: By the way
FAQ: Frequently asked question(s) (file)
flame: Inflammatory message
IIRC: If I recall correctly
IM(H)O: In my (humble) opinion
IOW: In other words
LOL: Laughing out loud
newbie: Newcomer to the newsgroup
ng: Newsgroup
OT: Off-topic / Old-timer
OTOH: On the other hand
ROTFLOL: Rolling on the floor, laughing out loud
spam: Junk message. Often advertisement.
troll: Person who tries to sabotage newsgroup by provoking members

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

3. Questions about the Dune franchise

------------------------------

3.1 What is Dune?

_Dune_ is the first of a series of science fiction books by Frank
Herbert. The adaptations of _Dune_ include a full motion picture, a
television miniseries and several major computer games.

------------------------------

3.2 Where can I find out more about Dune?

        ---------------
    3.2.1 In this FAQ

For all official published _Dune_ stories:        5.1-5.3
For a list of books with analyses of _Dune_:        5.3

        ---------------
    3.2.2 World Wide Web URLs

The task of keeping an updated and complete list of all Dune-related web
sites became insurmountable long ago. This, therefore, is only meant as
a starting point for further discovery. If you know of a website you
feel should be on this list, please email <[e-mail]>.

The Frank Herbert Partnership official Dune site
    <http://www.dunenovels.com/>

General and book-related:
Museum Arrakeen
    <http://www.fremen.org/museum/>
The World of Dune
    <http://www.duneworld.org/>
Usul's Homepage
    <http://www.usul.net/>
Dune Index
    <http://www.arrakis.co.uk/>
The Universe of Frank Herbert
    <http://universe.pa-roots.com/>

Film-related:
Dune - Behind the Scenes
    <http://www.flg21.com/dune/>
The Arrakis File
    <http://members.aol.com/hiphats/arrakis0.html>

Game-related:
FED2k
    <http://www.dune2k.com/>
Dune 1: Immersive Game
    <http://www.terravista.pt/Nazare/4347/dune.html>

Webrings:
The Dune Webring
    <http://nav.webring.yahoo.com/hub?ring=ibad>
Dune Chapterhouse Ring
    <http://nav.webring.yahoo.com/hub?ring=chapterhouse>
Arrakis, The Dune RPG Webring
    <http://nav.webring.yahoo.com/hub?ring=fishspeakers>

        ---------------
    3.2.3 Online games sites

Dune III MUSH:            dune3.fremen.org 4201
Regent of Dune MUX:        regent.nakednuns.com 4201
DuneMUD:            dune.servint.com 8888

For more information on the above games, see also:
    <http://www.fremen.org/muds/>

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

4. Questions about the Dune story

------------------------------

4.1 Which Dune adaptations are officially part of the story?

Among most Dune fans, at least on alt.fan.dune, only the Dune stories
written by Frank Herbert are considered "canon," i.e. official parts of
the story. These are, exclusively, the six Dune novels of the Chronicles
and the short story "The Road to Dune" in _Eye_.

Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson claim to "continue to establish
canon in the Dune universe" with their prequels. However, many fans have
noted the numerous inconsistencies and implausibilities in their books
(see Section 4.3) and have become convinced that the authors don't have
any unique knowledge or understanding of Frank Herbert's intentions. The
prequels then become little more than "corporate fan-fiction".

The motion picture and television miniseries are generally accepted (if
not respected) as artistic interpretations of _Dune_. Although Frank
Herbert worked as a consultant on the film, most agree that it does not
reflect his work, thoughts or opinions beyond being based on his
original novel.

Information from the computer games, RPG documentation and so on is
typically completely disregarded as more corporate fan-fiction. The same
goes for actual fan-fiction, of course.

For an explanation of the status of _The Dune Encyclopedia_, see the
next section.

------------------------------

4.2 Is _The Dune Encyclopedia_ canon?

_The Dune Encyclopedia_ was published in 1984, between _God Emperor of
Dune_ and _Heretics of Dune_, as a companion piece to the Dune
Chronicles. It was presented as the interpretation of the information
found in the Rakis hoard (first mentioned in _God Emperor of Dune_) by
fictional historians two thousand years after the action of _God Emperor
of Dune_ (again, some time before the action of _Heretics of Dune_).
Because of this pretext, many entries in the book were intentionally
made inconsistent with the information given in the Chronicles, to
represent misinterpretation of the data by historians and manipulation
of the records by Leto II.

_The Dune Encyclopedia_ was compiled and partially written by Dr. Willis
E. McNelly, a long-time friend and associate of Frank Herbert's. The
other articles were written by various of Dr. McNelly's colleagues and
acquaintances. No part of the book, except the prologue, was written by
Frank Herbert. However, Frank Herbert read and approved every entry
before inclusion in the book. The book was also created on Frank
Herbert's initiative. As stated in his prologue, he thoroughly approved
of it.

Still, the fact remains that the book does not reflect Frank Herbert's
ideas on Dune. No instance of him adopting a _Dune Encyclopedia_
invention has been demonstrated, and on some points (the axlotl vats,
the Harkonnen badge) later novels in the Chronicles contradict it beyond
the power of the book's fictional origins to explain away.

Where _The Dune Encyclopedia_ directly conflicts with the Dune
Chronicles, whether attributable to the historians who supposedly wrote
it or not, it is politely ignored. Where it fills in the holes of Frank
Herbert's novels, though, attitudes vary. Some refuse to consider it
altogether, while others tend to apply as much information from it as
possible without contradiction.

As Dr. McNelly himself replied: "Of course the DE is not canon, and of
course it IS canon."

------------------------------

4.3 What inconsistencies and errors are there in the Dune books??

The Dune books have a number of apparent errors, inconsistencies and
contradictions with each other and sometimes themselves. This is true of
Frank Herbert's original Chronicles, but even more of the Brian Herbert
and Kevin J. Anderson-penned prequels.

In the former case, the reason usually given is that Frank Herbert tried
to make the story of each volume as tight as possible, and didn't shrink
from disregarding things stated in previous novels to achieve it.
Sometimes, though, simple error seems to be the reason.

Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson cannot very well disregard
continuity in this fashion, so we must assume all discrepancies are
mistakes.

This is only a partial list. Note that some of these "errors" may have
consistent (but implausible) explanations.

        ---------------
    4.3.1 _Dune: House Atreides_

- The planet Harmonthep is mentioned several times in _House Atreides_.
However, in _Dune_ we are told that Harmonthep is "supposed to have been
a no longer existent satellite of Delta Pavonis", indicating it was
destroyed long ago.

- The construction of the Harkonnen no-room we see in _Heretics of Dune_
happens here. However, _Heretics of Dune_ firmly establishes that "the
whole no-globe complex, some two hundred meters in diameter, was a
fossil preserved intact from the time of the Tyrant."

- The Kwisatz Haderach breeding program is said to go back 10,000 years.
According to _Dune_ it has gone on for 90 generations. That would work
out to 111 years per generation (the traditional figure is 20).

- In _House Atreides_, Piter de Vries is addicted to sapho juice. This
is not mentioned at all in _Dune_, but much is, on the other hand, made
of his addiction to spice (which _House Atreides_ doesn't mention).

- It appears to be general knowledge that the Tleilaxu are religious
fanatics. So how come it is such a major revelation for the Bene
Gesserit in _Heretics of Dune_ and is not known to any character in the
Chronicles before that?

- Elacca wood is described as "wood from Elacca". According to Dune,
elacca wood (note lack of capitalization) comes from Ecaz. (After this
was pointed out, the authors posted an "explanation" on their website.)

- In this book, Crown Prince Shaddam and Count Fenring take great care
to make sure no one discovers that Emperor Elrood has been poisoned. The
Almanak en-Ashraf in _Dune_ makes it clear that it was generally known
that Elrood "succumbed to chaumurky".

- House Vernius of Ix is a major player in all the prequels. However,
_Dune Messiah_ refers to the Ixian Confederacy, indicating no noble
House ruled the planet.

- According to _House Atreides_, cyborgs do not violate the tenents of
the Butlerian Jihad. According to _Chapterhouse: Dune_, they do:

    "Cyborgs?" [...] Didn't Idaho know the residue of revulsion left
    by the Butlerian Jihad even among the Bene Gesserit?

    Cyborg was one of those potpourri words, too. Where did mechanical
    additions to human flesh become dominant? When was the Cyborg no
    longer human? [...] The Butlerian Jihad had left its indelible
    mark on humans. Fought and won . . . for then. And here was
    another battle in that long-ago conflict.

- "Fixing" a crysknife is explained as "keyed to the body of the owner
so it would dissolve upon his death". In <i>Dune</i> it's the other way
around: "Fixed knives are treated for storage."

- The Battle of Corrin is said to be the final battle of the Butlerian
Jihad, fought by the "Bridge of Hrethgir". According to _Dune_ it was a
space battle that took place twenty years after the Butlerian Jihad was
over.

- _House Atreides_ makes Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam out to be
Jessica's mother. We know definitely that Frank Herbert did not intend
this, as it was the only entry in _The Dune Encyclopedia_ he objected
to. (Willis McNelly convinced him to let it be included as a joke.)

- _House Atreides_: "He fired a near-invisible bolt of white-orange fire
from the lasgun..."
  _Dune_: "Paul pointed to the violence above the distant cliff--the
jetflares, the purple beams of lasguns lacing the desert."
(The authors have corrected their error by _House Harkonnen_.)

- Shaddam is crowned by a priest of Dur. However, Dur was a name given
to Leto II in the Scattering, several thousand years later. A deity (?)
Abu d' Dhur, "Father of the Indefinite Roads of Time", is mentioned in
_Dune Messiah_.

- One of the central plot points in _House Atreides_ is the death of
Leto's father, Duke Paulus. This happens before Jessica is born.
However, in _Dune_, Jessica displays what can only be first-hand
experience of the Old Duke.

- We are told in _House Atreides_ that the Baron Harkonnen is so fat
because he was infected with a disease. The Chronicles pretty much state
that it was due to a hereditary disposition and overeating:

    GEoD [of the Baron]: "He was a fat, monstrous..."
    "He was a seeker after sensations," Moneo said. "The fat was a
    side-effect, then perhaps something to experience for itself
    because it offended people and he enjoyed offending."

    _Dune_ [of Rabban]: "There was yet some rigidity in his fat, but
    it was obvious to the eye that he'd come one day to the portable
    suspensors for carrying his excess weight."

    _Dune_ [of Feyd]: "Here's one who won't let himself go to fat."

Note also that when Alia is possessed by the Baron in _Children of
Dune_, she starts to put on weight.

- According to _God Emperor of Dune_, Duncan had a sister who was killed
by Harkonnens. She is nowhere to be seen in _House Atreides_.

- _God Emperor of Dune_ also states that the Atreides rescued Duncan
from Harkonnen bondage. The events in the prequel don't seem to match
this description very well.

        ---------------
    4.3.2 _Dune: House Harkonnen_

- Jessica is made Duke Leto's concubine and Dr. Yueh joins the Atreides
before Paul's death. However, more than fifteen years later, in _Dune_,
Jessica says that she has only known Yueh for six years.

- Gurney and Liet-Kynes meet and become good friends in _House
Harkonnen_. Yet when they meet again in _Dune_ they don't recognize each
other at all.

- Kynes tells a smuggler "I am Liet-Kynes, son of Pardot Kynes". The
authors also claim that Liet was his sietch name. In that case it should
be kept secret from outsiders.

- In _Dune_, Gurney calls Duke Leto "the man who rescued me from a
Harkonnen slave pit, gave me freedom, life, and honor". However, in
_House Harkonnen_ he escapes the Harkonnens on his own.

- In _House Harkonnen_, Dr. Yueh is described as a greedy man. Contrast
this quote from _Dune_: "Does greed touch even you, Wellington?"

- _House Harkonnen_ has Ginaz ruled by an academy of swordmasters.
_Dune_ clearly refers to the House of Ginaz.

- According to _House Harkonnen_, the first time Duncan kills someone is
when he stabs Trin Kronos (a Moritani) in the back with his sword to
save his friend Resser. This takes place on planet Ginaz.

    _Dune_ [Duncan]: "My sword was firs' blooded on Grumman! Killed a
    Harkon . . . Harkon . . . killed 'im f'r th' Duke."

        ---------------
    4.3.3 _Dune: House Corrino_

- In _House Corrino_, Paul is born on Kaitan. From the opening paragraph
of _Dune_: "Do not be deceived by the fact that he was born on Caladan
and lived his first fifteen years there."

- (More to be added.)

        ---------------
    4.3.4 _Dune_

- The first chapter heading states that Paul was born in the 57th year
of the Padishah Emperor, Shaddam IV. By the dates given in the Almanak
en-Ashraf (Appendix IV), this works out to 10,191, the year the story
starts with a fifteen year-old Paul. The problem can apparently be
solved by subtracting fifteen years from the dates of birth of Shaddam
IV and Count Hasimir Fenring, as done in _Dune: House Atreides_.

- According to the first chapter heading in the section titled "The
Prophet":

    "The measure of Count Fenring's friendship may be seen first in a
    positive thing: he allayed the Landsraad's suspicions after the
    Arrakis Affair. It cost more than a billion solaris in spice
    bribes, so my mother said..."

This implies Irulan's mother Anirul was alive at the time of the Arrakis
Affair (10,191) while Appendix IV gives her year of death as 10,176.

        ---------------
    4.3.5 _Dune Messiah_

- In _Dune Messiah_, Scytale meets with a former Fedaykin, Farok:

    Scytale returned his gaze to the old man, noted the empty sleeve
    dangling from the left shoulder [...]

    "Thrice blessed," Farok said, folding his hands into his lap in
    the ritual clasp. They were old, heavily veined hands. [...] Farok
    held up his hands, examined the palms.

        ---------------
    4.3.6 _Children of Dune_

- Alia appears to have only Other Memory in _Dune_ and _Dune Messiah_,
then gains Ancestral Memory on the male side (!) in _Children of Dune_.
(A possible explanation is that the massive spice overdose she subjected
herself to in _Dune Messiah_ unlocked her Ancestral Memory, but no
support for this view is ever given in the novels.)

        ---------------
    4.3.7 _God Emperor of Dune_

- Duncan's memories of Leto as an infant in _God Emperor of Dune_ are
inconsistent with him being a ghola of either the original Duncan or the
Hayt incarnation:

    "I died defending Paul and his mother in a cave-sietch beneath the
    sands of Dune."

    [Duncan to Leto]: "Is it true what your Fish Speakers say -- you
    have . . . memories of. . ."

    Idaho remembered the strange child-twins, really: Leto and
    Ghanima, Paul's children, the children of Chani, who had died
    delivering them.

    "What was he like in your day, the man Leto?"
    "Which one?"
    "Yes, I forget there were two -- the grandfather and our Leto. I
    mean our Leto, of course."
    "He was just a child, that's all I know."

If he was a ghola of Hayt, he should be a mentat, since the Duncan in
_Heretics of Dune_ becomes a mentat when his memories are awakened.

        ---------------
    4.3.8 _Heretics of Dune_

- From _Heretics of Dune_: "The cell studies said he was a mixture of
many Idaho gholas -- some descendant of Siona." Obviously, no Duncan
ghola could have been a descendant of Siona.

- Frank Herbert seems unaware that the Kelvin scale does not have
negative temperatures: "His dart throwers had been sealed and "washed"
against snoopers, then maintained at minus 340[degrees] Kelvin in a
radiation bath for five SY to make them proof against snoopers."

- If not a direct discrepancy, Scytale's return as a Tleilaxu Master in
_Heretics of Dune_ is seen as odd by many. How and why the Tleilaxu
resurrected him, moreover changing him from a Face Dancer to a Master,
remains unexplained. That it is the same person is apparently
established by a comment that the latter incarnation had "met Muad'Dib".
The hidden nature of Tleilaxu society is difficult to reconcile with
Scytale's thoughts in _Dune Messiah_.

        ---------------
    4.3.9 _Chapterhouse: Dune_

- Rebecca's process of becoming a Reverend Mother in _Chapterhouse:
Dune_ seems very peculiar, as her Ancestral Memory apparently hasn't
been awakened by the Agony, but only in Sharing with Lucilla.

- By the sequence of Sharing at the end of _Chapterhouse: Dune_
(Sheeana-Odrade-Murbella), Murbella should have been aware of Sheeana's
and Duncan's plan to escape in the no-ship. (This can possibly be
explained by postulating that Murbella was in the process of absorbing
and assimilating those memories.)

------------------------------

4.4 What are the origins of House Atreides?

(BEGIN _CHILDREN OF DUNE_ SPOILER) In _Children of Dune_, just before
Alia becomes overwhelmed by the Baron, and the voices yell at her, one
is described in particular: "I, Agamemnon, your ancestor, demand
audience!" (END _CHILDREN OF DUNE_ SPOILER). This confirms the suspicion
that the Atreides of Caladan are descendants of the Ancient Greek House
Atreides of Mycenae. The founder of House Atreides is Atreus (Atreides
in Greek means "son/descendant of Atreus") and his son, Agamemnon
Atreides, led the Greeks in the Trojan War, whose tale is told in
Homer's _Iliad_. The _Iliad_ is a great epic poem (modern printings take
up large books), which was passed down through oral tradition. It was
written about half a century after the Trojan war, and is more fantasy
than history, but the archaeological excavations of Heinrich Schliemann
both in the now-Turkish hill of Hisarlik and what he found to be Mycenae
have proved that the Trojan War did take place, and that the fabled
"Golden Mycenae" was indeed a historical city state, which was at that
time the major superpower in Greece.

Agamemnon is also a historical figure, and his tomb still exists in the
archaeological site of Mycenae in Pelloponese in Greece. Mycenae, a
complete ancient city-state excavated and revealed, is a popular tourist
attraction and open to the public, as it was the center of Greece at its
time (which was accordingly named the Mycenean Era). Dune fans visiting
the area should take the time to pay tribute to the place where it all
started, or at least pick up a book or tourist guide from the area. :)

Answer courtesy of Stephanos Piperoglou.
(Note: Some inaccuracies in the above account have been pointed out.
Pre-historic Greece, the Trojan War and Homer are the subject of much
archaeological research, and very little is known for certain. This is
only intended to be a brief description as it relates to Dune.)

It has been argued (with reference to _The Dune Encyclopedia_) that the
Agamemnon appearing before Alia is not necessarily the original
Agamemnon. However, in _God Emperor of Dune_, Leto II writes: "My
paternal Grandfather was Leto Atreides, descendant of the House of
Atreus and tracing his ancestry directly back to the Greek original."

Reference courtesy of Jim Ware.

------------------------------

4.5 Who are Marty and Daniel at the end of _Chapterhouse: Dune_?

The explanations of who the mysterious Marty and Daniel (who appear
irregularly in _Chapterhouse: Dune_) may be are as many as there are
readers of the Chronicles. People seem to agree about some basic facts,
though:

- They were some kind of Face Dancers
- Like "NFDs" (see Subject 2.4.1), they were able to absorb memories and
  personalities, not just appearances. However, they did not _become_
  these people, like NFDs did
- In this manner, they had absorbed Reverend Mothers and
  possibly Tleilaxu Masters
- For this or other reasons, they were now beyond Tleilaxu control
- They had vastly superior powers (their means of spying on Duncan),
  either intrinsically or through technology

There are hints that they are enemies of the Honoured Matres from the
Scattering, part of the force that have driven them back to the Old
Empire, and in that case identical with the "Enemies of Many Faces" the
Honoured Matres fear. The technology they apparently transmit to Duncan
seems to support this. However, others have objected that their ability
to absorb memories indicates they are from the Old Empire, since that
ability was developed there (but with help from Scattering Tleilaxu?).
They also point out that "Enemies of Many Faces" could mean anything,
and that we have no basis for supposing that Marty and Daniel are not
unique.

Another interpretation, compatible with any of the above theories, is
that Marty and Daniel are Frank Herbert and his wife Beverly, saying
goodbye to readers and setting the characters free in a universe of
infinite possibilities. This idea was advanced in a French edition of
Dune, and is supported by the fact that Beverly died shortly before and
Frank shortly after _Chapterhouse: Dune_ was published, and of course
the touching dedication and afterword. However, it is apparently
disproved by the fact that FH planned and had begun working on another
Dune novel before he died, and that he did not know of his terminal
disease when he wrote what was to be the last volume in the Chronicles.

Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson claim to possess Frank Herbert's
outline of "Dune 7", and plan to write the novel sometime in the future,
finally explaining the mystery.

Further speculations on the nature of Marty and Daniel can be found at:
    <http://jkenny.home.mindspring.com/MartyandDaniel.htm>

------------------------------

4.6 Who is Scytale?

Scytale is a Tleilaxu Face Dancer, the principal of the conspirators in
_Dune Messiah_. At the end of that book, he is killed by a knife thrown
by Paul Muad'Dib.

Scytale is also a Tleilaxu Master appearing in _Heretics of Dune_ and
_Chapterhouse: Dune_. That this Scytale is the same one (or, rather a
ghola/clone of the one) from _Dune Messiah_ is indicated by Master
Waff's musings that Scytale had once met Muad'Dib.

The process that resurrected Scytale and turned him into a Master is
never explained. Also, the differences between the Bene Tleilax society
vaguely suggested in _Dune Messiah_ and the one seen in the last two
books are problematic. While a development obviously took place (to
incorporate the worship of Leto II, for instance), the Zensunni religion
seems always to have been a part of the Tleilaxu as seen in _Heretics of
Dune_ and _Chapterhouse: Dune_, yet is never hinted at in _Dune
Messiah_.

Many fancy theories have been devised to cover up this inconsistency,
but in the final analysis it seems to be what it appears: Frank Herbert
modifying a story point to fit his own purposes, creating a discrepancy.

------------------------------

4.7 Why isn't Leto II called Leto III?

Paul and Chani have a son named Leto, who is killed by Sardaukar near
the end of _Dune_. In _Dune Messiah_, Chani gives birth to another boy
who is also given the name Leto. This son later becomes the Emperor Leto
II. Some people have wondered why he isn't called Leto III, since there
had been two Letos before him: Paul's father the Duke, and Paul's first
son.

However, this would not be correct according to orthodox royal numbering
scheme. This system was introduced to distinguish between rulers by the
same name, not to identify normal family members. Therefore, only those
who ascend the throne are assigned a number. For instance, the father of
Richard III of England was Richard, Duke of York. Since he was never
king, he is not given a number.

The exception to this rule is Louis XVII of France. Because of the
French Revolution and Napoleon's Empire, he was never crowned and died
as a child. However, when his uncle Louis XVIII took the throne, Louis
XVII was included in the count, as a gesture that the Bourbon kings
didn't recognise the republican and imperial governments.

Another important point is that each nation keeps their own count. King
Henry IV of England is a quite different person from King Henry IV of
France. James VI of Scotland became James I when he ascended the English
throne. The numbers are not tied to the family: French Louises have come
from all royal families.

Normally, only sovereign rulers are numbered in this fashion. Nobles are
traditionally designated roughly in this way: Leto Atreides, first Duke
of Arrakis. However, the title is not necessarily tied to the land, so
Leto could very well be Duke of something else entirely. However, it is
not at all clear that Frank Herbert is following the traditional pattern
here.

We see that according to the accepted system, "Emperor Leto II" says
nothing about the names of his ancestors, but indicates that there has
been an Emperor Leto I. Such an Emperor is indeed mentioned in _The Dune
Encyclopedia_. However, even if Herbert was applying only a
pseudo-authentic scheme, where Duke Leto is supposed to be counted,
there is no way Paul's first son could be included, since he never held
a title of any kind.

Finally, the following quote from _Heretics of Dune_ should be included
for the sake of completeness:

 "She asks about God's family," Stiros said. "Why should she have to ask
about -"
 "She tests us. Do we give them Their proper places? The Reverend Mother
Jessica to her son, MuadÆDib, to his son, Leto II - The Holy Triumvirate
of Heaven."
 "Leto III," Stiros muttered. "What of the other Leto who died at
Sardaukar hands? What of him?"
 "Careful, Stiros," Tuek intoned. "You know my great-grandfather
pronounced upon that question from this very bench. Our Divided God was
reincarnated with part of Him remaining in heaven to mediate the
Ascendancy. That part of Him became nameless then, as the True Essence
of God should always be!"

------------------------------

4.8 What is House Ordos?

Ordos is the name of an area in China, the origin of the Turks. It may
be related to the word "horde."

Answer courtesy of MtLoweMan

House Ordos is the third side (House Atreides and House Harkonnen being
the first two) you can play as in the Westwood computer games Dune II
and Dune 2000. House Ordos does not appear anywhere in Frank Herbert's
_Dune_ novels. The name of the House appears in a list of Great Houses
under the entry "Great Houses" in _The Dune Encyclopedia_, an article
written by Walter E. Meyers. In that article, they are listed as having
7 votes in the Landsraad (Atreides and Corrino having 10 each, Harkonnen
having 5), and their coat of arms is given as "Or two bones white per
saltire, in dexter chief entwined with ivy vert." This translates to
"Two white bones crossed over a golden background, with the upper right
part entwined with green ivy." Heraldic right is left to those looking
at the shield. The Ordos coat of arms in the computer games, with a
snake and a book, is the coat of arms of House Wallach. No further
information about them is given anywhere. The details of their
background were made up for the computer games.

------------------------------

4.9 What is the Litany Against Fear?

The Litany Against Fear exists in two versions; both recited by Paul at
different occasions in _Dune_.

        ---------------
    4.9.1 The Gom-Jabbar version

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.

        ---------------
    4.9.2 The Sandstorm version

Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past me I will turn to see fear's path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.

------------------------------

4.10 What is the Mentat Mantra?

Mentat Piter de Vries (Brad Dourif) recites this litany in the movie
version of Dune, and Mentat Hayt de Vries (Robert Carin) repeats it in
Westwood's computer game Dune 2000. It does not appear anywhere in the
books, but is a movie construct from the mind of David Lynch.

It is by will alone I set my mind in motion.
It is by the juice of sapho that thoughts acquire speed,
the lips acquire stains.
The stains become a warning.
It is by will alone I set my mind in motion.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The FAQ continues in Part 2

Bye!
Gunnar Harboe
[e-mail]
___
"Ultimately, all things are known
because you want to believe you know."
    Frank Herbert