| Arrakis | |
|---|---|
| Dune universe location | |
 Grand Palace of Arrakeen and dunes of Arrakis from Frank Herbert's "The Road to Dune" (1985), illustrated byJim Burns | |
| First appearance | Dune (1965) |
| Created by | Frank Herbert |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| In-universe information | |
| Other name(s) | Dune, Rakis |
| Type | Desert |
| Ethnic group(s) | Fremen |
| Locations | Arrakeen,Sietch Tabr |
Arrakis (/əˈrɑːkɪs/)[1]—informally known asDune and later calledRakis—is a fictionaldesert planet featured in theDune series of novels byFrank Herbert. Herbert's first novel in the series, 1965'sDune, is considered one of the greatest science fiction novels of all time, and is among the best-selling science fiction novels in history.[2][3]
InDune, Arrakis is the most important planet in the universe, as it is the only source of the drugmelange. Melange (or, "the spice") is the most essential and valuable commodity in the universe, as it extends life and makes safe interstellar travel possible (among other uses). Harvesting the spice is also hazardous in the extreme, due to both the harsh climate of the planet and the fact that melange deposits are guarded by giantsandworms.
Arrakis is also the home of theFremen, a people conditioned by the planet's harsh environment, and becomes the capital of the Atreides Empire.
A desert planet with no naturalprecipitation, inDune it is established that Arrakis had been "His Imperial Majesty's Desert Botanical Testing Station" before the discovery ofmelange, for which it is the only natural source in the universe.[4] Melange (or, "the spice") is the most essential and valuable commodity in the universe, as it extends life and makes safe interstellar travel possible (among other uses).[4] The planet has no surface water bodies,[4] but open canals calledqanats are used "for carrying irrigation water under controlled conditions" through the desert.[5] The Fremen collect water in underground reservoirs to fulfill their dream of somedayterraforming the planet, and pay theSpacing Guild exorbitant fees in melange to keep the skies over Arrakis free of any satellites which might observe their efforts.[4] As indicated by its largesalt flats, Arrakis once had lakes and oceans;Lady Jessica also notes inDune that wells drilled in the sinks and basins initially produce a "trickle" of water which soon stops, as if "something plugs it."[4]
Paul Atreides recalls that the few plants and animals on the planet include "saguaro,burro bush,date palm,sand verbena,evening primrose,barrel cactus,incense bush,smoke tree,creosote bush ...kit fox, desert hawk, kangaroo mouse ... many to be found now nowhere else in the universe except here on Arrakis."[4] The most notable life forms on the planet are the giantsandworms and their immature forms ofsandtrout andsand plankton.[4] Sandtrout encyst any water deposits;[4] predator fish are placed in the qanats and other water storage areas to protect them from the sandtrout. It is suggested the sandworms are anintroduced species that caused the desertification of Arrakis;[6] InChildren of Dune (1976),Leto II Atreides explains to his twin sisterGhanima:
The sandtrout [...] was introduced here from some other place. This was a wet planet then. They proliferated beyond the capability of existing ecosystems to deal with them. Sandtrout encysted the available free water, made this a desert planet [...] and they did it to survive. In a planet sufficiently dry, they could move to their sandworm phase.[6]
The environment of the desert planet Arrakis was primarily inspired by the hydrocarbon (ie. oil and/or natural gas) wealthy Mexico and theMiddle East. Similarly Arrakis as a bioregion is presented as a particular kind of political site. Herbert has made it resemble a generic desertifiedpetrostate.[7]
TheZensunni wanderers, driven from planet to planet, eventually found their way to Arrakis, where they became the Fremen. They settled in artificial cave-like settlements known assietches across the Arrakeen deserts. They also developedstillsuit technology, allowing them to survive in the open desert. By harvesting melange, they were able to bribe theSpacing Guild for privacy from observation and weather control in order to hide from the Imperium their true population and their plans to terraform Arrakis. Much of this ecological activity took place in the unexplored southern latitudes of the planet. The best-known of the sietches isSietch Tabr, home ofStilgar andMuad'Dib's center of operations before victory in theBattle of Arrakeen put Muad'Dib on the Imperial throne.[4]
According to theLegends of Duneprequeltrilogy byBrian Herbert andKevin J. Anderson, it was a group of Zensunni wanderers escaping slavery on the planetPoritrin who originally crashed on Dune in aprototypeinterstellar spacecraft several years prior to the creation of theSpacing Guild.
During the events ofDune, thePadishah EmperorShaddam IV grantsDuke Leto Atreides control of the lucrative spice harvesting operations of Arrakis, ousting the Atreides' longtime rivals, theHarkonnens. The Atreides rule is cut short by a murderousconspiracy crafted by the Harkonnens and the Emperor himself. Leto's sonPaul Atreides (known by the Fremen asMuad'Dib) later leads a massive Fremen army to victory over the Emperor'sSardaukar soldier-fanatics, and by threatening the destruction of all spice production on Arrakis manages to depose Shaddam and ascend the throne in his place. With Emperor Paul worshipped as a god, Arrakis becomes the governmental and religious center of the Imperium.
Paul Muad'Dib continues the efforts toterraform Arrakis into a green world, a plan begun by the Fremen under the guidance of ImperialPlanetologistPardot Kynes and his sonLiet-Kynes. The core of their plan is gradual water-collection from the Arrakeen atmosphere to form largereservoirs that would, eventually, become lakes and oceans. Much of this activity takes place in the unexplored southern latitudes of Arrakis.
By the time ofChildren of Dune,Alia Atreides (and then Leto II and Ghanima) realize that the ecological transformation of Arrakis is altering the sandworm cycle, which would eventually result in the end of all spice production. This at first seems a future to be avoided, but Leto II later uses this eventuality as part of hisGolden Path to ultimately save humanity. Once he himself begins the transformation into a human/sandworm hybrid, he eradicates all desert on Arrakis except for a small area he makes his base of operations, and destroys all of the sandworms save one—himself.
After his death some 3,500 years later inGod Emperor of Dune, Leto's worm-body is transformed back into sandtrout. Within only a few centuries, these sandtrout return Arrakis (thence called 'Rakis') to a desert.
InHeretics of Dune, all life on Arrakis is destroyed (and the entire surface of the planet slagged into oblivion) by theHonored Matres in a failed attempt to eliminate the latestDuncan Idahoghola. TheBene Gesserit escape with a single sandworm, and drown it to revert the worm back into sandtrout. InChapterhouse: Dune, the Bene Gesserit use these sandtrout to begin a new sandworm cycle on their homeworld ofChapterhouse, which is terraformed into desert for this purpose.
Finally, inSandworms of Dune, some sandworms are revealed to be alive and well, having sensed the upper crust would be destroyed, and therefore burrowed even deeper, escaping the blast.
Arrakis is the third planet orbiting the starCanopus, and is itself orbited by two moons.[8] The first moon is larger, featuring a darker, weathered area of terrain vaguely resembling a human hand or clenched human fist and referred to colloquially as "the Hand of God". The second, smaller moon was named Muad'dib by the Zensunni, after analbedo pattern on it which resembles the desertkangaroo mouse.[4] This creature is known for its ability to endure extreme temperatures and conserve moisture, characteristics that parallel Fremen survival strategies.[9]
The capital of Arrakis and its long-time seat of planetary government isArrakeen (/ærəˈkiːn/[1]). Leto I describes it as "a smaller city, easier to sterilize and defend." He and his family take up residence in the ostentatious palace previously occupied by the planetary governorCount Fenring and his wifeMargot during the Harkonnen period of stewardship over Arrakis. InDune, Leto'sconcubineLady Jessica describes the Great Hall as being constructed of "bleak stone" with shadowed carvings, deeply recessed windows, buttressed walls and dark hangings. She notes, "The arched ceiling stood two stories above her with great [wooden] crossbeams she felt sure had been shipped here to Arrakis across space at monstrous cost."[4] Arrakeen goes through multiple transformations over time. It first becomes an Imperial capital of staggering proportions under Paul Muad'Dib, and millennia later is transformed into a festival city known asOnn, explicitly for the worship of the Tyrant Leto II. Finally, in the centuries after his death, it is known asKeen, a modern (though still impressive) city to house the Priesthood of Rakis.[10]
During the reign of Muad'Dib until the ascension of his son Leto II, the Atreides home-base is a colossalmegastructure in Arrakeen, designed to intimidate, known as theKeep. InDune Messiah, the fortress is described as being large enough to enclose entire cities.[11] TheGrand Palace of Arrakeen, constructed during Paul's reign, is described as "the largest man-made structure ever built", big enough to contain "more than ten of the Imperium's most populous cities under one roof".[12]Alia's Fane (orAlia's Temple) is a two-kilometer wide temple built by Paul for his sister Alia between the events ofDune andDune Messiah. A feature of the temple is the Sun-Sweep Window, which incorporates every solar calendar known to human history.[12]
InDune, Sietch Tabr is a major Fremensietch originally led by Naib Stilgar. Paul Atreides and his mother Lady Jessica, safely escaping from the Harkonnen attack, come upon Sietch Tabr and are eventually accepted into the community. In these Fremen Paul finds an incomparable fighting force who are already disgruntled by Imperial rule. He shapes them into a resistance movement that eventually takes control of Arrakis, allowing Paul to depose the Emperor. Paul moves his base of operations to Arrakeen, but Sietch Tabr remains a center of Fremen culture and politics, as well as a religiously significant site for those who worship Paul as amessiah. All Fremen sietches but one are abandoned after the terraforming of Arrakis, their exact locations remaining a mystery for thousands of years.
The Tyrant Leto II rules the universe from theCitadel, a fortress built in the Last Desert of theSareer. The Sareer is flanked by theForbidden Forest, home of the ferociousD-wolves, the guardians of the Sareer. Beyond that lies theIdaho River, across which a bridge spans that leads to the festival city of Onn (once Arrakeen).Mount Idaho had been completely demolished to provide the raw materials to build the high walls surrounding the Sareer.[13] The Citadel itself is taken apart in theFamine Times after the death of Leto II in search of his alleged hoard of spice.
All Imperial cities on Arrakis are in the far-northern latitudes of the planet and protected from the violent weather of Arrakis by a natural formation known as theShield Wall. When the Harkonnens controlled the planet, they ruled from the Harkonnen-built "megalopolis" ofCarthag, described by Jessica as "a cheap and brassy place some two hundred kilometers northeast across the Broken Land."[4] Arrakeen was merely the titular capital until the arrival of the Atreides.
There are other cities scattered in the northern regions of the planet (especially near the ice cap, where water is harvested), as well as the Fremen sietch communities scattered throughout the desert.
Other notable sites on Arrakis throughout its history include Observatory Mountain, Mount Idaho, Dar-es-balat and the Kynes Sea.
The novelPaul of Dune (2008) byBrian Herbert andKevin J. Anderson establishes that the first known inhabitants of Arrakis had been theMuadru, who introduced the sandworms to the planet. They had settlements all over the galaxy which suddenly disappeared; theZensunni Wanderers came later, ultimately becoming theFremen. In the novel Paul notes, "There appears to be a linguistic connection between the Fremen and the Muadru."[14]
The significance of Arrakis has been discussed in the context ofecocriticism andecofiction[20][21][22][23] as well as in the context of influences ofArabic culture on modernpopular culture.[24][25][26][27][28]
Locus ran a poll of readers on April 15, 1975, in whichDune 'was voted the all-time-best science-fiction novel ... It has sold over ten million copies in numerous editions.'
Since its debut in 1965, Frank Herbert'sDune has sold over 12 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling science fiction novel of all time ... Frank Herbert'sDune saga is one of the greatest 20th Century contributions to literature.
The wide avenue was God's Way. Historical awareness said the avenue had been Leto II's route into the city from his high-walled Sareer far off to the south. With a care for details, one could still discern some of the forms and patterns that had been the Tyrant's city of Onn, the festival center built around the more ancient city of Arrakeen. Onn had obliterated many marks of Arrakeen, but some avenues persisted: some buildings were too useful to replace.
