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One of the most expansive science fiction epics of our time began with Frank Herbert’sDunein 1965. From space faring humans to political rivalries between empires to a God-Emperor guiding the human race, there is quite a bit to unpack in the Dune universe.
It wouldn’t be a true sci-fi story without some form of secretive society with highly advanced metaphysical powers, right? In Dune, the order of the Bene Gesserit fills that role, working as a religious and political force with a hidden agenda of their own. Here’s a breakdown of who these sisters really are.
A Brief History Of The Bene Gesserit
Thousands of years prior to the event of Dune, theBene Gesseritoriginated as loose groups of sorceresses that were practiced in various metaphysical ways. After theButlerian Jihad, which wasa great revolt against intelligent machinesand other conscious robots,the Sisterhood of the Bene Gesserit was formed.
From the formation of their order, the group began working from the shadows. Even though they had incredible skills and powers,the Bene Gesserit decided to maintain control from behind the scenes, influencing political empires to fulfill their own whims. To help do this, they ingrained themselves into the culture and political hemispheres surrounding the Imperium.
Inductees into the order undergoextensive and intense training from early childhood. This develops their naturalphysical and mental abilitiesto become so skilled that it appears magical to an outsider.
The matriarchal Bene Gesserit is led by aReverend Mother Superior, who unilaterally controls the entire order. Multiple lesserReverend Mothersmaintain higher leadership in the order. Then, the majority ofSistersfulfill different roles from concubines to guards to intelligence gathering.
All initiates into the Bene Gesserit have to, at some point, passthe Test of Humanityto make sure that they are capable of controlling themselves. This involves a poisonousgom jabbarand surviving a painful test. Due to the capabilities of those in the Bene Gesserit,those who cannot handle the test are weeded out from the organization.
The Missionaria Protectiva
Throughout the order’s history, they have also worked on theMissionaria Protectiva. This is a branch of the Bene Gesserit that is responsible forplanting myths and prophecies in communities across the known galaxyof the Dune universe.
Because the Bene Gesserit know about the myths they create,they manipulate religious ideology when they need to.If need be, they can ‘fulfill’ parts of a prophecy to maintain control or become a leader to a certain group of people.
An example of this is the prophecies of theLisan al-Gaibthat were planted among the Fremen onArrakis. The Lisan al-Gaib, the voice from the outer world, wasa mantle that was assumed to refer to Paul Atreideswhen he arrived on the planet. Theinfluence of the associated religious sentiment helped Paul and Jessica Atreidesin their journey on Dune.
What Is The Goal Of The Bene Gesserit?
The primary inner workings of the Bene Gesserit related totheir long-term goals of producing the Kwisatz Haderach. To achieve this goal, they enacted anextensive human breeding programthat spanned generation after generation. They would pair up sisters of the Bene Gesserit with certain people in power to control bloodlines through the years.
By the time ofthe novel Dune, this strategy was supposed to almost come to fruition.Lady JessicaandDuke Leto Atreideswere supposed to have a daughter, who would then pair up with a son of House Harkonnen.The male child of this union was anticipated to be the Kwisatz Haderach.
Instead,because Lady Jessica was in love with Leto Atreides, who wanted a son, the two ended up withPaul Atreidesas their firstborn.
What Is The Kwisatz Haderach?
Thecreation of theKwisatz Haderach,a male Bene Gesserit, is the ultimate goal of the Sisterhood. This person would supposedlybe very powerful and lead humanity in the right direction, acting as a Messiah-like figure.
The Kwisatz Haderach would be able to access the genetic memory of both their mother and father’s bloodlines.A wealth of thousands of years of experience, information, and skills would be at their disposal.
“It is said a man will come one day and find in the gift of the drug his inward eye. He will look where we cannot—into both feminine and masculine pasts…the one who can be many places at once: the Kwisatz Haderach."
When Paul’s mother began training him in the ways of the Bene Gesserit,he began to have visions of the future, and exhibit certain characteristics that the order had been planning for their messiah.
Even though he was not completely intended to be the Bene Gesserit’s Kwisatz Haderach,the order prepared the way for him to fulfill that destiny after he passed the Gom Jabbar Test of Humanity.
What Powers Do The Bene Gesserit Have?
From the various types of training a Sister of the Bene Gesserit undergoes, she would have access to numerousunique skills that could be viewed as borderline mystical.
Sisters of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood often acted asTruthsayers, as they could distinguish whether someone was telling the truth by the smallest nuances. There are several other skills they can have as well.
The Voice
Bene Gesserit are able to use the Voice, orspeaking techniques that compel someone who hears them to follow their commands.By focusing on the pitch and tone of one’s voice, a Bene Gesserit can speak to a person’s subconscious.
Since this is a vocal skill,the Voice cannot be used against those who cannot hear.Not everyone reacts in the same way either to the Voice, buta skilled Bene Gesserit will understand where someone’s weaknesses are, and take advantage of that and adapt accordingly.
People can also betrained to resist the Voice.A highly disciplined mind will resist the compulsion of the Voice.
Other Memory
While not all Bene Gesserit will have access toOther Memory, Reverend Mothers will be able tounlock the ego and memory of her feminine ancestors.
Reverend Mothers avoid the knowledge of their masculine ancestors, and cannot access that memory as it instinctually frightens them. This is part of the purpose of the Kwisatz Haderach, who would be able to use both sides of his ancestral memory.
Reverend Mothers canshare their Other Memory by touching foreheads with others, and will usually do this before their deaths tocontinue their legacy and ancestral memories.
Extensive Bodily Control
Via training,a Bene Gesserit would have control over all their muscles and could even influence their internal organs.From breathing, to heart rate, to metabolism, all of these can be controlled by the skilled Sisters.
In terms of combat, this bodily control influences a Bene Gesserit’s physical fighting skills. Their form of combat is calledthe Weirding Way, and involvesgreat physical dexterity and the ability to increase the amount of force in unarmed attacks.
This extends tomental abilitiesas well, as those trained in the order had highlyadvanced analytical skills. They also have high perception, and candetect the tiniest changes in a person’s emotions or body language.
During pregnancy,a Bene Gesserit can even control their child’s sex.This ishow the breeding program guaranteed sons or daughters, and why Jessica Atreides was able to bear Paul instead of a daughter.
