Leto Atreides I
Encyclopedia
Duke Leto Atreides I (ˈleɪtoʊ əˈtreɪdiːz; 10,140-10,191 A.G.) 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
.
In David Lynch
's 1984 film version
, Duke Leto was played by Jürgen Prochnow
. In the Sci-Fi Channel
's 2000 miniseries
, William Hurt
played the role.
__FORCETOC__
") on the planet Caladan
, to Paulus Atreides and Lady Helena Richese-Atreides. Paulus is the reigning Duke
of House Atreides
, their noble
House ruling Caladan
for 26 generation
s. House Atreides is distantly related to the Imperial House Corrino
(through Leto's maternal grandmother) and has feuded with House Harkonnen
since the time of Vorian Atreides
, founder of the Atreides family line.
Duke Paulus arranges for Leto to spend a portion of his adolescence on planet Ix
in the care of House Vernius
and its then-Earl, Dominic Vernius — over the objections of Lady Helena. There, Leto becomes fast friends with the Earl's son and daughter, Prince Rhombur and Lady Kailea. They return to Caladan after the uprising of Ix's working class of mentally-limited subhumans, and subsequent Tleilaxu
invasion, forces Leto and the members of House Vernius to flee from Ix. Earl Dominic and his wife, Lady Shando Balut-Vernius, each must flee to different locations, Paulus grants sanctuary to Rhombur and Kailea—again, over the objections of Helena, whose family of House Richese
have been economic competitors (nearly to the point of being hostile enemies) of House Vernius.
Duke Paulus engages in the sporting event of bullfighting
mutated Salusan bulls, both for the sport and for the spectacle; he plays every bull for all it was worth, and the people of Caladan love him for it. Soon after the Vernius heirs are given sanctuary, Paulus is killed when his treacherous wife arranges for a stablehand loyal to House Richese to drug a bull to extraordinary levels of rage, strength, and endurance. She intends to rule House Atreides as regent
through her son Leto, as he is still under-age. Leto realizes what she has done and exiles her to a remote location with the Caladan Sisters of Isolation, rather than have her executed; public knowledge of what happened would have brought serious negative impacts on House Atreides and all of Caladan.
Leto keeps the head of the beast wall-mounted opposite a portrait of his father, as a grisly reminder of the event.
Leto takes Kailea as his concubine
, and they have a son named Victor. However, Leto declines taking Kailea as his wife or name Victor as his heir, obligated to keep a political marriage a possibility. Leto and Kailea grow apart, and after the arrival into his household of the Bene Gesserit
acolyte Jessica, whom Leto finds attractive, Kailea takes matters into her own hands by attempting to kill Leto. Kailea fails, but her brother Rhombur is injured and her son Victor is killed in the process, whereafter she commits suicide.
Leto and Jessica fall in love with one another, and she becomes his bound concubine. Unknown to both of them, she is the illegitimate daughter of his rival, Vladimir Harkonnen
. They never marry, in order to maintain the possibility of an alliance with another Great House — although this never occurs. Leto and Jessica are devoted to one another; any marriage on Leto's part would have been purely political, and meaningless to him. In the year 10,176 A.G., Jessica gives birth to Paul Atreides
, their son.
Leto is known in some Imperial circles, and especially by the Padishah Emperor
Shaddam Corrino IV
, as "the Red Duke" referring to House Atreides' red hawk symbol. He gains fame as an effective politician
, a fair and just statesman
, and a capable leader of his small military. He recruits skilled individuals—including Thufir Hawat
, Gurney Halleck
, and Duncan Idaho
-- to lead and train his military forces. Jessica and Hawat serve as his two main advisors. Emperor Shaddam IV both admires and dislikes Leto, after Leto makes a bluffing attempt to blackmail the Emperor into intervening on his behalf in a case in the Landsraad
court, in which he has submitted to a Trial by Forfeiture to prove that he has not fired on a Tleilaxu ship inside a Heighliner in foldspace
. He has been framed for this by lifelong enemy, Vladimir Harkonnen.
In the year of Paul's birth, Leto's successful military overthrow of the joint Tleilaxu and Emperor's Sardaukar
occupation forces on Ix
, and his role in the subsequent political censure of Shaddam in the aftermath of Ix and the Emperor's other destructive actions across the Imperium, ensure Duke Leto a vengeful enemy in Emperor Shaddam. This culminates into the history-shaping events on Arrakis
15 years later.
to House Atreides, which requires Leto to transfer all his people to the inhospitable desert planet. Aware that some plot is afoot, Duke Leto accepts his new fiefdom so that he might form an alliance with the Fremen
and end the plots against him and his House. Leto's plan to forge a formidable army, by unleashing what he termed Arrakis' "Desert Power", would not culminate until after his death, through the efforts of Jessica and Paul.
His term as planetary governor of Arrakis proves short, as he is betrayed by Dr. Wellington Yueh
, his family physician
, who surrenders Leto alive to the Baron. Yueh takes revenge on the Baron for the death of Yueh's wife and provides Leto with a false tooth filled with poison gas. This would kill those nearby when Leto bit down on the tooth and exhaled, and Leto would do so in the Baron's presence. Unfortunately for both Yueh's plan and Leto, he only manages to kill the twisted Mentat
, Piter De Vries
.
Leto dies at age 51 and is survived by Paul and Jessica, who is pregnant with Leto's daughter, Alia
, at the time of his death. Paul later names his first son Leto, and then his second son Leto II
, in honor of his father.
, the Reverend Mother Sheeana, on the no-ship Ithaca, begins to grow a ghola of the Duke in secret. However, the awakened ghola of Wellington Yueh, unknowingly manipulated by a Face Dancer imposter on board, poisons the axlotl tank in which the Duke grows, killing him before he is born.
At the novel's conclusion, a second ghola of Duke Leto has been created and is being raised back on Caladan
in the care of the restored gholas of Jessica and Yueh.
Dune universe
Dune is a science fiction franchise which originated with the 1965 novel Dune by Frank Herbert. Considered by many to be the greatest science fiction novel of all time, Dune is frequently cited as the best-selling science fiction novel in history...
created by 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...
. He features in the novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
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...
by Frank Herbert and in the Prelude to Dune
Prelude to Dune
Prelude to Dune is a prequel trilogy of novels written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, set in Frank Herbert's Dune universe....
prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
trilogy
Trilogy
A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected, and that can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, or video games...
by 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...
.
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 1984 film version
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...
, Duke Leto was played by Jürgen Prochnow
Jürgen Prochnow
Jürgen Prochnow is a German actor. His most well-known roles internationally have been as the sympathetic submarine captain in Das Boot , Duke Leto Atreides I in Dune , the minor, but important role of Neo-Stalinist dictator General Ivan Radek in Air Force One and the villain Maxwell Dent in...
. In the Sci-Fi Channel
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
's 2000 miniseries
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...
, William Hurt
William Hurt
William McGill Hurt is an American stage and film actor. He received his acting training at the Juilliard School, and began acting on stage in the 1970s. Hurt made his film debut as a troubled scientist in the science-fiction feature Altered States , for which he received a Golden Globe nomination...
played the role.
__FORCETOC__
Prelude to Dune
Leto I is born in the year 10,140 A.G. ("after GuildSpacing Guild
The Spacing Guild is an organization in Frank Herbert's science fiction Dune universe. With its monopoly on interstellar travel and banking, the Guild is a balance of power against the Padishah Emperor and the assembled noble Houses of the Landsraad...
") on the planet Caladan
Caladan
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...
, to Paulus Atreides and Lady Helena Richese-Atreides. Paulus is the reigning Duke
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
of House 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...
, their noble
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
House ruling Caladan
Caladan
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...
for 26 generation
Generation
Generation , also known as procreation in biological sciences, is the act of producing offspring....
s. House Atreides is distantly related to the Imperial House 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...
(through Leto's maternal grandmother) and has feuded with House 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...
since the time of Vorian Atreides
Vorian Atreides
Vorian Atreides is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. The ancestor of Paul Atreides, Vorian is a key character in the Legends of Dune trilogy created by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.-Family history:...
, founder of the Atreides family line.
Duke Paulus arranges for Leto to spend a portion of his adolescence on planet Ix
Ix (Dune)
Ix is a fictional planet featured in the Dune series of science fiction novels written by Frank Herbert, and derivative works. In Dune it is noted that Ix is classed with the planet Richese as "supreme in machine culture," and that Ixian solido projectors "are commonly considered the best." In...
in the care of House Vernius
House Vernius
House Vernius is a fictional noble family from the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. They are featured in the prequel series Prelude to Dune and Heroes of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J...
and its then-Earl, Dominic Vernius — over the objections of Lady Helena. There, Leto becomes fast friends with the Earl's son and daughter, Prince Rhombur and Lady Kailea. They return to Caladan after the uprising of Ix's working class of mentally-limited subhumans, and subsequent 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...
invasion, forces Leto and the members of House Vernius to flee from Ix. Earl Dominic and his wife, Lady Shando Balut-Vernius, each must flee to different locations, Paulus grants sanctuary to Rhombur and Kailea—again, over the objections of Helena, whose family of House Richese
House Richese
House Richese is a fictional noble family from the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. Their homeworld is the planet Richese, which is described thus in the glossary of Dune:- The family :...
have been economic competitors (nearly to the point of being hostile enemies) of House Vernius.
Duke Paulus engages in the sporting event of bullfighting
Bullfighting
Bullfighting is a traditional spectacle of Spain, Portugal, southern France and some Latin American countries , in which one or more bulls are baited in a bullring for sport and entertainment...
mutated Salusan bulls, both for the sport and for the spectacle; he plays every bull for all it was worth, and the people of Caladan love him for it. Soon after the Vernius heirs are given sanctuary, Paulus is killed when his treacherous wife arranges for a stablehand loyal to House Richese to drug a bull to extraordinary levels of rage, strength, and endurance. She intends to rule House Atreides as regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
through her son Leto, as he is still under-age. Leto realizes what she has done and exiles her to a remote location with the Caladan Sisters of Isolation, rather than have her executed; public knowledge of what happened would have brought serious negative impacts on House Atreides and all of Caladan.
Leto keeps the head of the beast wall-mounted opposite a portrait of his father, as a grisly reminder of the event.
Leto takes Kailea as his concubine
Concubinage
Concubinage is the state of a woman or man in an ongoing, usually matrimonially oriented, relationship with somebody to whom they cannot be married, often because of a difference in social status or economic condition.-Concubinage:...
, and they have a son named Victor. However, Leto declines taking Kailea as his wife or name Victor as his heir, obligated to keep a political marriage a possibility. Leto and Kailea grow apart, and after the arrival into his household of the Bene Gesserit
Bene 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...
acolyte Jessica, whom Leto finds attractive, Kailea takes matters into her own hands by attempting to kill Leto. Kailea fails, but her brother Rhombur is injured and her son Victor is killed in the process, whereafter she commits suicide.
Leto and Jessica fall in love with one another, and she becomes his bound concubine. Unknown to both of them, she is the illegitimate daughter of his rival, Vladimir Harkonnen
Vladimir Harkonnen
The Baron Vladimir Harkonnen is a fictional character from the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. He is primarily featured in the 1965 novel Dune, in which he is the secondary antagonist, and is also a major character in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson...
. They never marry, in order to maintain the possibility of an alliance with another Great House — although this never occurs. Leto and Jessica are devoted to one another; any marriage on Leto's part would have been purely political, and meaningless to him. In the year 10,176 A.G., Jessica gives birth to Paul 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...
, their son.
Leto is known in some Imperial circles, and especially by the 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...
, as "the Red Duke" referring to House Atreides' red hawk symbol. He gains fame as an effective politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, a fair and just statesman
Statesman
A statesman is usually a politician or other notable public figure who has had a long and respected career in politics or government at the national and international level. As a term of respect, it is usually left to supporters or commentators to use the term...
, and a capable leader of his small military. He recruits skilled individuals—including Thufir Hawat
Thufir Hawat
Thufir Hawat 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...
, Gurney Halleck
Gurney Halleck
Gurney Halleck is a fictional troubadour warrior in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. He is a major character in Herbert's Dune and Children of Dune , and appears in some of the prequel and sequel novels by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.Gurney is portrayed by Patrick Stewart in the...
, and Duncan Idaho
Duncan Idaho
Duncan Idaho is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. Introduced in the first novel of the series, 1965's Dune, the character became a breakout character as the readers liked him and was revived by Herbert in 1969's Dune Messiah...
-- to lead and train his military forces. Jessica and Hawat serve as his two main advisors. Emperor Shaddam IV both admires and dislikes Leto, after Leto makes a bluffing attempt to blackmail the Emperor into intervening on his behalf in a case in the Landsraad
Landsraad
The Landsraad is a fictional organization in Frank Herbert's Dune universe. It is the assembly of all noble Houses in the Imperium.-Overview:...
court, in which he has submitted to a Trial by Forfeiture to prove that he has not fired on a Tleilaxu ship inside a Heighliner in foldspace
Holtzman effect
The Holtzman effect is a fictional scientific phenomenon in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert, beginning with the 1965 novel Dune...
. He has been framed for this by lifelong enemy, Vladimir Harkonnen.
In the year of Paul's birth, Leto's successful military overthrow of the joint Tleilaxu and Emperor's Sardaukar
Sardaukar
The Sardaukar are a fictional fanatical army from Frank Herbert's Dune universe, primarily featured in the 1965 science fiction novel Dune, as well as Brian Herbert and Kevin J...
occupation forces on Ix
Ix (Dune)
Ix is a fictional planet featured in the Dune series of science fiction novels written by Frank Herbert, and derivative works. In Dune it is noted that Ix is classed with the planet Richese as "supreme in machine culture," and that Ixian solido projectors "are commonly considered the best." In...
, and his role in the subsequent political censure of Shaddam in the aftermath of Ix and the Emperor's other destructive actions across the Imperium, ensure Duke Leto a vengeful enemy in Emperor Shaddam. This culminates into the history-shaping events on 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...
15 years later.
Dune
In the year 10,191 A.G., Leto's two greatest enemies conspire against him. The Baron Harkonnen appears to surrender ArrakisArrakis
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...
to House Atreides, which requires Leto to transfer all his people to the inhospitable desert planet. Aware that some plot is afoot, Duke Leto accepts his new fiefdom so that he might form an alliance with 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...
and end the plots against him and his House. Leto's plan to forge a formidable army, by unleashing what he termed Arrakis' "Desert Power", would not culminate until after his death, through the efforts of Jessica and Paul.
His term as planetary governor of Arrakis proves short, as he is betrayed by Dr. Wellington Yueh
Wellington Yueh
Dr. Wellington Yueh 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...
, his family physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, who surrenders Leto alive to the Baron. Yueh takes revenge on the Baron for the death of Yueh's wife and provides Leto with a false tooth filled with poison gas. This would kill those nearby when Leto bit down on the tooth and exhaled, and Leto would do so in the Baron's presence. Unfortunately for both Yueh's plan and Leto, he only manages to kill the twisted Mentat
Mentat
A Mentat is a profession or discipline in Frank Herbert's fictional Dune universe. Mentats are humans trained to mimic computers: human minds developed to staggering heights of cognitive and analytical ability.- Overview :...
, Piter De Vries
Piter De Vries
Piter De Vries is a fictional character from the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. He is featured in 1965's Dune, the original novel in the science fiction series, as well as the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.In David Lynch's 1984 adaptation of the...
.
Leto dies at age 51 and is survived by Paul and Jessica, who is pregnant with Leto's daughter, Alia
Alia Atreides
Alia Atreides is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. Introduced in the first novel of the series, 1965's Dune, the character was originally killed in Herbert's first version of the manuscript. At the suggestion of Analog magazine editor John Campbell, Herbert kept...
, at the time of his death. Paul later names his first son Leto, and then his second son Leto 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...
, in honor of his father.
Sandworms of Dune
In Sandworms of DuneSandworms 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...
, the Reverend Mother Sheeana, on the no-ship Ithaca, begins to grow a ghola of the Duke in secret. However, the awakened ghola of Wellington Yueh, unknowingly manipulated by a Face Dancer imposter on board, poisons the axlotl tank in which the Duke grows, killing him before he is born.
At the novel's conclusion, a second ghola of Duke Leto has been created and is being raised back on Caladan
Caladan
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...
in the care of the restored gholas of Jessica and Yueh.