Water of Life (Dune)
Encyclopedia
The Water of Life is a fictional drug from Frank Herbert
's science fiction
Dune universe
.
In Terminology of the Imperium, the glossary of the 1965 novel Dune
, Herbert provided the following definition:
While "Water of Life" is the term used by the native Fremen
of the planet Arrakis
, the substance is referred to as spice essence by the Bene Gesserit
and other groups starting in Dune Messiah
(1969), the second novel in the series. Described as a blue liquid in Children of Dune
(1976), the drug is noted in Chapterhouse: Dune (1985) to possess the "pungent odor" of "bitter cinnamon" associated with melange, the other, more important by-product of the sandworm life cycle.
The Bene Gesserit
test their acolytes by feeding them the Water of Life in a ritual known as the spice agony (other poisons had been used before the discovery of the Water of Life on Arrakis). A skilled adept is able to transmute the poison safely within her body and becomes a Reverend Mother. Failure means death. The process also unlocks Other Memory, which gives Reverend Mothers access to the memories and personalities of their female ancestors.
Paul Atreides
also perceives that the Water of Life could also be used to catastrophic effect to initiate a chain reaction which would destroy the sandworms and the spice-cycle ecosystem. With the power to destroy all the spice at its source, Paul is able to exercise a degree of control over both the Bene Gesserit and the Spacing Guild
.
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 science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
Dune universe
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...
.
In Terminology of the Imperium, the glossary of the 1965 novel 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...
, Herbert provided the following definition:
WATER OF LIFE: an "illuminating" poison ... Specifically, that liquid exhalation of a sandwormSandworm (Dune)The sandworm is a fictional form of desert-dwelling creature from the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. They first appear in the 1965 novel Dune, considered to be among the classics in the science fiction genre, and are iconic of the Dune series.In the series, the sandworms called Shai-Hulud...
... produced at the moment of its death from drowning which is changed within the body of a Reverend Mother to become the narcoticNarcoticThe term narcotic originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with any sleep-inducing properties. In the United States of America it has since become associated with opioids, commonly morphine and heroin and their derivatives, such as hydrocodone. The term is, today, imprecisely...
used in the sietch tau orgy. An "awareness spectrum" narcotic.
While "Water of Life" is the term used by the native 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...
of the planet 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...
, the substance is referred to as spice essence by 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...
and other groups starting in 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), the second novel in the series. Described as a blue liquid in Children of Dune
Children 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...
(1976), the drug is noted in Chapterhouse: Dune (1985) to possess the "pungent odor" of "bitter cinnamon" associated with melange, the other, more important by-product of the sandworm life cycle.
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...
test their acolytes by feeding them the Water of Life in a ritual known as the spice agony (other poisons had been used before the discovery of the Water of Life on Arrakis). A skilled adept is able to transmute the poison safely within her body and becomes a Reverend Mother. Failure means death. The process also unlocks Other Memory, which gives Reverend Mothers access to the memories and personalities of their female ancestors.
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...
also perceives that the Water of Life could also be used to catastrophic effect to initiate a chain reaction which would destroy the sandworms and the spice-cycle ecosystem. With the power to destroy all the spice at its source, Paul is able to exercise a degree of control over both the Bene Gesserit and the Spacing Guild
Spacing 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...
.