Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for ‘Dune: Part Two’.
Muad’Dib is finally here.Dune: Part Twois finally hitting the big screen this weekend, and, with it,Denis Villeneuvecontinues to tell the prophecy of the Lisan al-Gaib and his rise to power in Arrakis. It’s been years in the making, just like the arrival of the Kwisatz Haderach has been planned for millennia. If this all sounds confusing, every single one of the different names and titles so far belongs to the same person: main character Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet). In the new movie, Villeneuve makes full use of the terminology created byFrank Herbertin his original novel, with many different Fremen names and prophetic titles given to Paul. Besides his actual name, he is addressed in five different ways in the movie, and here are the explanations behind all of them.
Dune: Part Two
Paul Atreides unites with Chani and the Fremen while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family.
After losing everything they had in the firstDunemovie, Paul and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), decide their best option for getting revenge on House Harkonnen isto join the Fremen and live among them, learning their culture and customs until the time to strike back arrives. While Lady Jessica goes on to become a Reverend Mother, Paul decides to join the Fedaykin, the elite Fremen warriors. He undergoes the trials and even learns how to ride a desert worm, and then the time finally comes for him to get his Fremen name.
In Fedaykin tradition, warriors have their typical Fremen name, the one they choose and are known by, and a secret, more private name, which is chosen for them and used only by those close enough to know it. Paul chooses Muad’Dib as his Fremen name and is mocked for it, but Stilgar (Javier Bardem) tells the other Fedaykin that this name is a great one. TheMuad’Dib is the little kangaroo mouse that lives in the Arrakis desert, moving lightly over the sand and using its long ears to capture the moisture that’s in the air. It’s a resourceful animal, one which hides during the day and travels only at night, that multiplies over the land, and makes its own water.
That’s not the only thing Muad’Dib means, though. In the Arrakis night sky, Muad’Dib is one of the main constellations, taking the shape of the little desert mouse. Its tail points to the north, making it one of the most important navigational tools for the Fremen, which is why they call it “The One Who Points the Way,” and why it makes for such a perfect name forPaul, who is prophecized to be the saviorthe Fremen waited for so long. Lastly, Muad’Dib is also the name of the second moon of Arrakis, which has a shadow in the shape of the little desert mouse, too.
Usul — The Base of the Pillar
In the same scene, when Paul chooses Muad’Dib as his main Fremen name among the Fedaykin, Stilgar gives him his secret Fremen name — Usul. This name is supposed to be used only inside Sietch Tabr and when Paul is among the people who are the closest to him, like Chani (Zendaya). Not many secret names are known, and someone revealing theirs is a gesture of intimacy. InPart Two, for example, when Chani reveals her secret name (Sihaya, which means “desert spring”) to Paul, this is supposed to symbolizeher accepting Paulas her lover, now that he has proved himself a Fremen.
In Paul’s case, Usul is also filled with meaning about his character. The name translates to “the strength at the base of the pillar,” and,in the novel, is given to Paul after he kills Jamis (Babs Olusanmokun) in their duel. In the movie, Stilgar gives this name to Paul for similar reasons, albeit in a different context, because Paul is already a Fedaykin. Stilgar wanted to give hima name that symbolizes Paul’s rolenot only within the Fedaykin but the Fremen as a whole, especially considering his faith in Paul as the savior that was prophecized.
Lisan al-Gaib — The Voice From the Outer World
Wherever he goes, where there are Fremen,Paul will be called Lisan al-Gaib. It started inthe firstDunemoviein 2021, when House Atreides moves to Arrakis. Many Fremen who are in the capital city of Arrakeen call him that when he walks around the palace grounds. InPart Two, this happens almost whenever he walks into a room, often followed by people kneeling.
This is related to the Fremen prophecy of the Lisan al-Gaib, which translates to “the Voice From the Outer World.“According to this legend, a savior from another world will one dayarrive in Arrakis and set it freefrom the colonizers. After millennia of being hunted and killed by House Harkonnen and by whoever the Emperor gave control of Arrakis, the Fremen were long overdue for a little hope, and that’s what they see in Paul Atreides. InPart Two, Stilgar further explains this prophecy to an even comical extent, saying thatthe Lisan al-Gaib will deny that he is the one, but will eventually become one of the Fremen and take his role as the savior from the prophecy. The feats of the Lisan al-Gaib will even start changing the face of Arrakis, with the arid desert making way for a “green paradise.”
Legends and prophecies like this, however, are all part of the Bene Gesserit’s plan. InPart Two, Lady Jessica recognizesthe Fremen’s belief in the Lisan al-Gaib as having been patiently laid out by theBene Gesseritfor millenniathrough their Missionaria Protectiva initiative, to prepare the locals for the arrival of a savior. As Paul begins to display his prescience and quickly adapt to the Fremen way of life, the signs of him being the Lisan al-Gaib get clearer in the eyes of the Fremen, until he eventually uses this in his favor to rally them against the Harkonnens and the Emperor.
How Rebecca Ferguson Came Around on ‘Dune: Part Two’s Changes to Lady Jessica
Director Denis Villeneuve wanted Lady Jessica to play a larger role than she does throughout Frank Herbert’s novel.
Mahdi — The Deliverer
Like the Lisan al-Gaib, the Mahdi is also a prophecy of an outsider who will arrive one day and save Arrakis and the Fremen from the ones who do them harm.The word itself even means “the deliverer,” or “the one who will lead us to paradise.“This is another belief set by the Bene Gesserit’s Missionaria Protectiva. In the novel, Lady Jessica identifies it as a sign of how dire the situation was in Arrakis for these legends to have taken such a large following, as they only reach this depth when the Bene Gesserit feel the need to completely take over a society. With the Fremen, the prophecy took a life of its own and, withPaul’s ascension, even overtook the Bene Gesserit.
Kwisatz Haderach — The Male Bene Gesserit
The last of Paul’s titles alsohas to do with the Bene Gesserit, this time more directly. They often speak of the Kwisatz Haderach, which is the ultimate goal of their millennia-long plan to consolidate their power and deliver humanity from its decadence.Through a carefully planned breeding program betweenthe Great Houses, they wanted to cross each one of them until eventually there would be a person carrying all of those genes. The genetic alterations induced by the consumption of spice would mean this person, the Kwisatz Haderach, would have unnatural powers and an unmatched prescience. The Bene Gesserit themselves only wield a fraction of this power, but the Kwisatz Haderach would also be able to achieve it, which is whyhe’s also referred to as “the male Bene Gesserit.”
However, the Bene Gesserit’s plan goes wrong when Lady Jessica decides to bear her husband, Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac), a son instead of a daughter as was planned, since the Bene Gesserit can choose the gender of the baby they carry. When Paul is born, the Bene Gesserit can sense the arrival of the Kwisatz Haderach, but think he would only come in the next generation. While the audience is aware of Paul’s powers, the Bene Gesserit still consider other possibilities, likeFeyd-Rautha(Austin Butler), which is why Lady Margot Fenring (Léa Seydoux) gave him the Gom Jabbar test.
Dune: Part Twois now in theaters.
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