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- What is the Lisan Al Gaib?
- Where did the Prophecy Come From?
- Paul Wasn’t Always Destined to be the Lisan Al Gaib
Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part One hinted at a couple of prophecies in the Dune universe: The Lisan al Gaib and the Kwisatz Haderach. Dune: Part Two explored these prophecies in more depth by making them the central focus of the film. Audiences get to witness Timothée Chalamet’s Duke Paul Atreides undergo an intense transformation that makes him nearly unrecognizable from the person he was in the first film.
While there are noticeable differences between the book and film, the narrative remains the same, and the prophecy of the Lisan al Gaib is unchanged. The movie does its best to explain what the prophecies are, but with so much material to cover and Villeneuve having a very clear plan, there was only so much he could include in the already dense film without bogging it down.
What is the Lisan Al Gaib?
Like almost every religion and culture on Earth, the Fremen of Arrakis have their own messianic prophecy. They call their messiah the Lisan al Gaib, or “The Voice From the Outer World.” The Fremen also call the messiah Mahdi, which translates to “The One Who Will Lead Us To Paradise.” This trope is known in literature as the Chosen One prophecy. The most recognizable iteration of this from a media perspective is Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars. The Fremen believed that the Lisan al-Gaib was going to be a person from another planet who would liberate them from their oppressors and bring peace.
Paul fits many aspects of the Lisan al Gaib. Audiences hear from Kynes, the Imperial planetologist, that the messiah will adjust to the Fremen ways as if he were Fremen himself. The Lisan al Gaib is also supposed to be the son of a Bene Gesserit and have control over the Voice, which fits Paul perfectly.
He shall know your ways as though born to them.
The Difference in the Novel
Unlike in Dune: Part Two, Frank Herbert’s novel didn’t require any outside help for Paul to fulfill the prophecy. The film changed Chani’s (Zendaya’s) character in a few ways, including her being a part of the Lisan al Gaib prophecy. Her Fremen name is Sihaya, translated to “Desert Spring.” When Paul falls into a coma after ingesting the Water of Life, the film reveals that he can be revived by the “tears of the desert spring,” Chani’s tears. While her literary counterpart shares the name, her part in the prophecy is nowhere to be found in the novel.
Where did the Prophecy Come From?
The messianic prophecy didn’t appear on Arrakis out of thin air. More importantly, it didn’t actually come from the Fremen themselves. The Bene Gesserit uses agents to accomplish a great many things, and one of those missions is to prepare the universe for the coming of the Kwisatz Haderach. The Kwisatz Haderach is designed to be a superior being with unrivaled knowledge, presence, and control over others. However, besides the Bene Gesserit, the Kwisatz Haderach wouldn’t have any faithful followers unless they orchestrated it as such.
Just as Duke Leto Atreides saw the Fremen as a formidable ally, the Bene Gesserit saw them as a capable fighting force that the Kwisatz Haderach would need to ascend to the throne. Thus, the propaganda arm of the Bene Gesserit, the Missionaria Protectiva, spread superstition throughout Arrakis to prepare the way for their Kwisatz Haderach.
The Kwisatz Haderach wasn’t the only reason for the Missionaria Protectiva. They spread superstition on primitive planets to aid their Bene Gesserit sisters in case they were ever stranded and needed a safe haven. Bene Gesserit could tap into the superstition to prove themselves to any native populace and find refuge, just as Paul and Jessica did on Arrakis. The Lisan al Gaib prophecy taking such a hold on the Fremen told Jessica just how harsh the conditions were on Arrakis.
Paul Wasn’t Always Destined to be the Lisan Al Gaib
While Paul checks off many boxes for the Lisan al Gaib and, by extension, the Kwisatz Haderach, he wasn’t originally destined to be the Chosen One. The Bene Gesserit had a plan that Duke Leto Atreides and Jessica would raise a daughter together. That daughter was to then be matched with a Harkonnen male, so that they could merge the bloodlines and end the feud between the two families. The Bene Gesserit planned for their heir to become the Kwisatz Haderach, leading humanity into an age of peace and enlightenment. Jessica, however, had other thoughts.
The film explores Paul’s reluctance to fulfill the prophecy, and the Reverend Mother hints at others around the universe, including Feyd-Rautha, being prepared to take on the role of the Kwisatz Haderach. Had Paul walked away from it all, another would have taken his place.
What if Jessica Stayed the Course?
Since Jessica chose to have a son instead, it accelerated the timeline and changed everything for the worse. If she followed the Reverend Mother’s orders and had a daughter, a suitable groom from the Harkonnen House would have been chosen and House Atreides likely would never have been sent to Arrakis. In fact, the feud between the two families would have been quelled long before.
Duke Leto wouldn’t have been popular enough around the universe for Emperor Shaddam IV to feel threatened, which prompted the Emperor to betray House Atreides in the first place. Leto’s daughter would have become a Bene Gesserit like her mother, and she would have raised her son with Bene Gesserit lessons. With the Harkonnen and Atreides Houses merged, and Emperor Shaddam IV having no male heirs, the throne would have been passed onto the fully realized Kwisatz Haderach.
Of course, there are some variables that could have thrown a wrench into the plan anyway, such as the Kwisatz Haderach not being as benevolent as the Bene Gesserit hoped. With Harkonnen being in his blood, that was a likely outcome, but there was less of a chance for a holy war resulting in billions dead.
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