Chani
Encyclopedia
Chani (ˈtʃeɪni) is a fictional character
featured in Frank Herbert
's novels Dune
(1965) and Dune Messiah
(1969). Known mainly as the Fremen
wife and legal concubine of protagonist Paul "Muad'Dib" Atreides
, Chani is the daughter of Imperial Planetologist Liet-Kynes
and his Fremen wife Faroula, and later the mother of the twins Ghanima and Leto Atreides II
. The character is resurrected as a ghola and appears in Hunters of Dune
(2006) and Sandworms of Dune
(2007), Brian Herbert
and Kevin J. Anderson
's novels which complete the original series.
Chani is portrayed by actress Sean Young
in David Lynch
's Dune
(1984), and by Barbora Kodetová
in the 2000 miniseries
Frank Herbert's Dune
and its 2003 sequel
, Frank Herbert's Children of Dune.
Paul often calls her by her Fremen
name "Sihaya," which means "desert's spring" in Fremen
.
; he sees Chani in these visions, though they have not yet met. Paul and the Atreides
come to the desert planet
Arrakis
, but Paul's father Duke Leto
is soon killed by the Harkonnen
s and Paul and his mother Lady Jessica are forced to flee into the desert. They are reluctantly taken in by a tribe of the planet's native Fremen, and Chani is the Fremen woman put in charge of protecting and guiding Paul. They soon become lovers, and Paul rises as a religious leader among the Fremen, and is called Muad'Dib
.
Already a talented warrior before meeting Paul, Chani becomes deadly after training in the weirding way by Paul and Jessica. Chani later manages to bring Paul out of the deep spice trance he falls into after using spice essence to enhance his powers. Paul and Chani's first child, Leto II (not to be confused with their later son, Leto Atreides II
), is killed as an infant in a Corrino
raid on their home in the deep desert.
To cement his control of the Empire after deposing Padishah Emperor
Shaddam Corrino IV
, Paul takes Shaddam's daughter, the Princess Irulan as his wife. Chani understands the political reasons, but Paul reassures her:
Jessica adds:
are desperate to regain control of Paul's bloodline, and are fearful of the effect Chani's "wild" genes may have on their offspring. Wishing to rid himself of their machinations, Paul negotiates with the Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam
, saying "You may have my seed, but not my person ... Irulan banished and inseminated ... You may have my seed for your plans, but no child of Irulan's will sit on my throne." Of course, artificial insemination
is prohibited in the wake of the Butlerian Jihad
, and the idea of it is as horrific to the Sisterhood as the loss of the "precious Atreides
genes."
Irulan, herself Bene Gesserit-trained, secretly feeds Chani contraceptives to prevent her from conceiving an Imperial heir. However, Chani eventually changes to an ancient Fremen diet to enhance fertility; Irulan is unable to interfere, and Chani soon becomes pregnant. Tragically, Chani dies giving birth to the twins Ghanima and Leto II
. His intricate plan coming to fruition, the Tleilaxu
agent Scytale
offers to "resurrect" Chani as a ghola in return for Tleilaxu control of the empire, but Paul declines the offer violently. Through his prescience, Paul can see that Chani's death during childbirth is far less painful and cruel than her possible future fates had she survived.
, this ancestral self is summoned by Ghanima for her guidance, but Chani's persona nearly possesses Ghanima completely. Leto II manages to save his sister from this Abomination
by summoning Paul though his own Other Memory; Paul threatens Chani, who releases her hold on Ghanima. At the end of the novel, Chani's memory-self becomes a guardian against Ghanima's other ancestral memories who may try to possess her, allowing her daughter's personality to continue and grow in safety.
, a version of Chani's memory-self also exists in Leto II. By the time of the novel, Leto is able to allow his ancestral memories to speak through his mouth without threat of abomination. At one point, he allows Chani to speak through him.
/Kevin J. Anderson
sequel Hunters of Dune
, gholas of Paul and Chani are among the others created to assist mankind in the climactic battle with what turns out to be the thinking machines
.
In 2007's Sandworms of Dune
, Paul ultimately duels another Paul Atreides ghola — named Paolo — created by the Face Dancers and twisted by the sadistic ghola of Baron Harkonnen himself. Paul is mortally wounded, but the trauma restores his memories and he manages to heal himself. Later on the recovering planet Dune, the awakened gholas of Paul and Chani go about restoring the planet to its former glory. They have reverted back to the ways of the ancient Fremen
, resolving to lead simple lives and unafraid of the plots and schemes that had threatened them in their previous lives. Now able to devote all of his attention to her, Chani remarks that Paul has finally learned how to treat his wife. As the novel closes, Paul reaffirms his love for Chani, telling her he has loved her for five thousand years.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
featured in Frank Herbert
Frank Herbert
Franklin Patrick Herbert, Jr. was a critically acclaimed and commercially successful American science fiction author. Although a short story author, he is best known for his novels, most notably Dune and its five sequels...
's novels Dune
Dune (novel)
Dune is a science fiction novel written by Frank Herbert, published in 1965. It won the Hugo Award in 1966, and the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel...
(1965) and Dune Messiah
Dune Messiah
Dune Messiah is a science fiction novel by Frank Herbert, the second in a series of six novels. It was originally serialized in Galaxy magazine in 1969. The American and British editions have different prologues summarizing events in the previous novel...
(1969). Known mainly as the Fremen
Fremen
The Fremen are a group of people in the fictional Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. First appearing in the 1965 novel Dune, the Fremen inhabit the desert planet Arrakis and are based on the desert-dwelling Bedouin and Kalahari Bushmen. In Herbert's novels, Arrakis is the sole known source...
wife and legal concubine of protagonist Paul "Muad'Dib" Atreides
Paul Atreides
Paul Atreides is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. Paul is a prominent character in the first two novels in the series, Dune and Dune Messiah , and returns in Children of Dune . The character is brought back as two different gholas in the Brian Herbert/Kevin J...
, Chani is the daughter of Imperial Planetologist Liet-Kynes
Liet-Kynes
Liet-Kynes is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. He is primarily featured in the 1965 novel Dune, but also appears in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson...
and his Fremen wife Faroula, and later the mother of the twins Ghanima and Leto Atreides II
Leto Atreides II
Leto Atreides II is a fictional character from the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. Born at the end of Dune Messiah , Leto is a central character in Children of Dune and is the title character of God Emperor of Dune . The character is brought back as a ghola in the Brian Herbert/Kevin J...
. The character is resurrected as a ghola and appears in Hunters of Dune
Hunters of Dune
Hunters of Dune is the first of two books written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson to conclude Frank Herbert's original Dune series of novels....
(2006) and Sandworms of Dune
Sandworms of Dune
Sandworms of Dune is the second of two novels written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson to conclude Frank Herbert's original Dune series of novels. They have stated that it is based on notes left behind by Frank Herbert for Dune 7, his own planned seventh novel in the Dune series...
(2007), Brian Herbert
Brian Herbert
Brian Patrick Herbert is an American author who lives in Washington state. He is the elder son of science fiction author Frank Herbert....
and Kevin J. Anderson
Kevin J. Anderson
Kevin J. Anderson is an American science fiction author with over forty bestsellers. He has written spin-off novels for Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files, and with Brian Herbert is the co-author of the Dune prequels...
's novels which complete the original series.
Chani is portrayed by actress Sean Young
Sean Young
Sean Young is an American actress, best known for her performance in films from the 1980s such as Blade Runner, Dune, and No Way Out.-Early life:...
in David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
's Dune
Dune (film)
Dune is a 1984 science fiction film written and directed by David Lynch, based on the 1965 Frank Herbert novel of the same name. The film stars Kyle MacLachlan as Paul Atreides, and includes an ensemble of well-known American and European actors in supporting roles. It was filmed at the Churubusco...
(1984), and by Barbora Kodetová
Barbora Kodetová
Barbora Kodetová is a Czech actress perhaps best known for her portrayal of Paul Atreides' companion Chani in the 2000 television miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune and its 2003 sequel, Frank Herbert's Children of Dune....
in the 2000 miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
Frank Herbert's Dune
Frank Herbert's Dune
Frank Herbert's Dune is a 2001 3D video game based on the 2000 Sci Fi Channel miniseries of the same name. The game was not a commercial or critical success, and was the last product by Cryo Interactive, which went bankrupt shortly after the game's failure.As Paul, the son of the Duke Atreides's...
and its 2003 sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
, Frank Herbert's Children of Dune.
Paul often calls her by her Fremen
Fremen
The Fremen are a group of people in the fictional Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. First appearing in the 1965 novel Dune, the Fremen inhabit the desert planet Arrakis and are based on the desert-dwelling Bedouin and Kalahari Bushmen. In Herbert's novels, Arrakis is the sole known source...
name "Sihaya," which means "desert's spring" in Fremen
Fremen
The Fremen are a group of people in the fictional Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. First appearing in the 1965 novel Dune, the Fremen inhabit the desert planet Arrakis and are based on the desert-dwelling Bedouin and Kalahari Bushmen. In Herbert's novels, Arrakis is the sole known source...
.
Dune
In Dune, Paul's prescience begins manifesting itself through dreams while he is still living in his ancestral home on the planet CaladanCaladan
Caladan is a fictional planet in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert, first mentioned in the 1965 novel Dune.-Overview:Caladan, the third planet of Delta Pavonis, is the ancestral fiefdom of House Atreides, who have ruled it for twenty-six generations, from the ancient Castle Caladan...
; he sees Chani in these visions, though they have not yet met. Paul and the Atreides
House Atreides
House Atreides is a fictional noble family from the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. One of the Great Houses of the feudal interstellar empire known as the Imperium, its members play a role in every novel in the series. It is suggested within the series that the root of the Atreides line...
come to the desert planet
Desert planet
A desert planet is a single-biome planet on which the climate is mostly desert, with little or no natural precipitation. Desert planets are known to exist; Mars is often considered a prime example. Indeed, many terrestrial planets would be considered desert planets by this definition...
Arrakis
Arrakis
Arrakis — informally known as Dune and later called Rakis — is a fictional desert planet featured in the Dune series of novels by Frank Herbert. Herbert's first novel in the series, 1965's Dune, is popularly considered one of the greatest science fiction novels of all time, and it is...
, but Paul's father Duke Leto
Leto Atreides I
Duke Leto Atreides I is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. He features in the novel Dune by Frank Herbert and in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson....
is soon killed by the Harkonnen
House Harkonnen
House Harkonnen is a powerful noble family in Frank Herbert's fictional Dune universe. The Harkonnens are featured prominently in the original 1965 novel Dune, and are also a major presence in both the Prelude to Dune and Legends of Dune prequel trilogies by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson...
s and Paul and his mother Lady Jessica are forced to flee into the desert. They are reluctantly taken in by a tribe of the planet's native Fremen, and Chani is the Fremen woman put in charge of protecting and guiding Paul. They soon become lovers, and Paul rises as a religious leader among the Fremen, and is called Muad'Dib
Muad'Dib
Muad'Dib is a desert mouse within Frank Herbert's Dune universe. It is also the name for a constellation of stars and is taken as a name by the first novel's hero, Paul Atreides.-Dune glossary:...
.
Already a talented warrior before meeting Paul, Chani becomes deadly after training in the weirding way by Paul and Jessica. Chani later manages to bring Paul out of the deep spice trance he falls into after using spice essence to enhance his powers. Paul and Chani's first child, Leto II (not to be confused with their later son, Leto Atreides II
Leto Atreides II
Leto Atreides II is a fictional character from the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. Born at the end of Dune Messiah , Leto is a central character in Children of Dune and is the title character of God Emperor of Dune . The character is brought back as a ghola in the Brian Herbert/Kevin J...
), is killed as an infant in a Corrino
House Corrino
Imperial House Corrino is a fictional noble family from the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. The Corrinos come to power after mankind's victory against the thinking machines at the Battle of Corrin , and rule until deposed by Paul Atreides approximately 10,000 years later during the events...
raid on their home in the deep desert.
To cement his control of the Empire after deposing Padishah Emperor
Padishah Emperor
Padishah Emperor is the title given to the hereditary rulers of the Old Empire in the science fiction Dune universe created by Frank Herbert.-Original series:...
Shaddam Corrino IV
Shaddam Corrino IV
Shaddam Corrino IV is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. He is Padishah Emperor of the known universe in Herbert's 1965 novel Dune. Shaddam's accession to the throne is chronicled in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.Born...
, Paul takes Shaddam's daughter, the Princess Irulan as his wife. Chani understands the political reasons, but Paul reassures her:
"I swear to you now ... that you'll need no title. That woman over there will be my wife and you but a concubine because this is a political thing and we must weld peace out of this moment, enlist the Great Houses of the LandsraadLandsraadThe Landsraad is a fictional organization in Frank Herbert's Dune universe. It is the assembly of all noble Houses in the Imperium.-Overview:...
. We must obey the forms. Yet that princess shall have no more of me than my name. No child of mine nor touch nor softness of glance, nor instant of desire."
Jessica adds:
"Think on it, Chani: that princess will have the name, yet she'll live as less than a concubine — never to know a moment of tenderness from the man to whom she's bound. While we, Chani, we who carry the name of concubine — history will call us wives."
Dune Messiah
Twelve years later in Dune Messiah, Paul remains completely loyal to Chani. With their breeding program in mind, the Bene GesseritBene Gesserit
The Bene Gesserit are a key social, religious, and political force in Frank Herbert's science fiction Dune universe. The group is described as an exclusive sisterhood whose members train their bodies and minds through years of physical and mental conditioning to obtain superhuman powers and...
are desperate to regain control of Paul's bloodline, and are fearful of the effect Chani's "wild" genes may have on their offspring. Wishing to rid himself of their machinations, Paul negotiates with the Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam
Gaius Helen Mohiam
Gaius Helen Mohiam is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. She is a Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother, and initially appears in the 1965 novel Dune and its 1969 sequel, Dune Messiah. Mohiam also has a major role in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy by Brian Herbert...
, saying "You may have my seed, but not my person ... Irulan banished and inseminated ... You may have my seed for your plans, but no child of Irulan's will sit on my throne." Of course, artificial insemination
Artificial insemination
Artificial insemination, or AI, is the process by which sperm is placed into the reproductive tract of a female for the purpose of impregnating the female by using means other than sexual intercourse or natural insemination...
is prohibited in the wake of the Butlerian Jihad
Butlerian Jihad
The Butlerian Jihad is an event in the back-story of Frank Herbert's fictional Dune universe. Occurring over 10,000 years before the events chronicled in his 1965 novel Dune, this jihad leads to the outlawing of certain technologies, primarily "thinking machines", a collective term for computers...
, and the idea of it is as horrific to the Sisterhood as the loss of the "precious Atreides
House Atreides
House Atreides is a fictional noble family from the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. One of the Great Houses of the feudal interstellar empire known as the Imperium, its members play a role in every novel in the series. It is suggested within the series that the root of the Atreides line...
genes."
Leto Atreides II
Leto Atreides II is a fictional character from the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. Born at the end of Dune Messiah , Leto is a central character in Children of Dune and is the title character of God Emperor of Dune . The character is brought back as a ghola in the Brian Herbert/Kevin J...
. His intricate plan coming to fruition, the Tleilaxu
Bene Tleilax
The Bene Tleilax or Tleilaxu are an extremely xenophobic and isolationist society in Frank Herbert's science fiction Dune universe. Genetic manipulators who traffic in biological products such as artificial eyes, gholas, and "twisted" Mentats, the Tleilaxu are a major power in the Imperium...
agent Scytale
Scytale (Dune)
Scytale is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. In the novel Dune Messiah , Scytale is a Tleilaxu Face Dancer who participates in the conspiracy to topple the rule of Paul Atreides. He later returns as a ghola and Tleilaxu Master in Heretics of Dune and...
offers to "resurrect" Chani as a ghola in return for Tleilaxu control of the empire, but Paul declines the offer violently. Through his prescience, Paul can see that Chani's death during childbirth is far less painful and cruel than her possible future fates had she survived.
Children of Dune
Despite her death, Chani lives on as part of the Other Memory of her pre-born twins. In Children of DuneChildren of Dune
Children of Dune is a 1976 science fiction novel by Frank Herbert, third in a series of six novels set in his Dune universe. Initially selling over 75,000 copies, it became the first hardcover best-seller ever in the science fiction field...
, this ancestral self is summoned by Ghanima for her guidance, but Chani's persona nearly possesses Ghanima completely. Leto II manages to save his sister from this Abomination
Abomination (Dune)
Abomination, in the context of the Dune series written by Frank Herbert, refers to one who acquires full consciousness as a fetus as a result of being exposed to the ritual spice agony, gaining all their ancestral memories before birth .The spice agony ritual involves a Bene Gesserit acolyte drinking...
by summoning Paul though his own Other Memory; Paul threatens Chani, who releases her hold on Ghanima. At the end of the novel, Chani's memory-self becomes a guardian against Ghanima's other ancestral memories who may try to possess her, allowing her daughter's personality to continue and grow in safety.
God Emperor of Dune
According to God Emperor of DuneGod Emperor of Dune
God Emperor of Dune is a science fiction novel by Frank Herbert published in 1981, the fourth in the Dune series. It was ranked as the #11 hardcover fiction best seller of 1981 by Publishers Weekly.-Plot introduction:...
, a version of Chani's memory-self also exists in Leto II. By the time of the novel, Leto is able to allow his ancestral memories to speak through his mouth without threat of abomination. At one point, he allows Chani to speak through him.
Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune
In the 2006 Brian HerbertBrian Herbert
Brian Patrick Herbert is an American author who lives in Washington state. He is the elder son of science fiction author Frank Herbert....
/Kevin J. Anderson
Kevin J. Anderson
Kevin J. Anderson is an American science fiction author with over forty bestsellers. He has written spin-off novels for Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files, and with Brian Herbert is the co-author of the Dune prequels...
sequel Hunters of Dune
Hunters of Dune
Hunters of Dune is the first of two books written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson to conclude Frank Herbert's original Dune series of novels....
, gholas of Paul and Chani are among the others created to assist mankind in the climactic battle with what turns out to be the thinking machines
Thinking machines (Dune)
Thinking machines is a collective term for artificial intelligence in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. The Butlerian Jihad a human crusade against thinking machines is an epic turning point in the back-story of the Dune universe...
.
In 2007's Sandworms of Dune
Sandworms of Dune
Sandworms of Dune is the second of two novels written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson to conclude Frank Herbert's original Dune series of novels. They have stated that it is based on notes left behind by Frank Herbert for Dune 7, his own planned seventh novel in the Dune series...
, Paul ultimately duels another Paul Atreides ghola — named Paolo — created by the Face Dancers and twisted by the sadistic ghola of Baron Harkonnen himself. Paul is mortally wounded, but the trauma restores his memories and he manages to heal himself. Later on the recovering planet Dune, the awakened gholas of Paul and Chani go about restoring the planet to its former glory. They have reverted back to the ways of the ancient Fremen
Fremen
The Fremen are a group of people in the fictional Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. First appearing in the 1965 novel Dune, the Fremen inhabit the desert planet Arrakis and are based on the desert-dwelling Bedouin and Kalahari Bushmen. In Herbert's novels, Arrakis is the sole known source...
, resolving to lead simple lives and unafraid of the plots and schemes that had threatened them in their previous lives. Now able to devote all of his attention to her, Chani remarks that Paul has finally learned how to treat his wife. As the novel closes, Paul reaffirms his love for Chani, telling her he has loved her for five thousand years.