Abomination (Dune)
Encyclopedia
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 (these individuals are also referred to as "pre-born" in Children of Dune
).
The spice agony ritual involves a Bene Gesserit
acolyte drinking the Water of Life
, a poison, which she must internally convert to a harmless substance. She who survives this ordeal becomes a Reverend Mother; the agony awakens Other Memory and the Reverend Mother can access the full memories of all her female ancestors. If, however, the Reverend Mother is pregnant at the time of drinking the Water of Life, the same will happen to the fetus or fetuses she carries.
In Children of Dune, Leto II
quotes from the Bene Gesserit Azhar Book
:
Hence the danger of Abomination: Reverend Mothers can resist the inner voices because as adults they have a full personality of their own and a very solid sense of self. The pre-born don't, and so they become very vulnerable to the tides of ancestors.
Interestingly, it is also hinted in Children of Dune that the word Abomination refers also to Bene Gesserit who abuse their metabolic control in order to extend their lives. The Sisterhood feels that public knowledge of the Bene Gesserit's capabilities for near-immortality would result in a devastating backlash against them:
, becomes pre-born when Jessica undergoes the spice agony as part of her effort to become Reverend Mother of Sietch Tabr. Later in Alia's life (in the novel Children of Dune
), Alia becomes possessed by the ancestral presence of her maternal grandfather, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen
.
In Dune Messiah, the twin children of Paul Atreides, Leto II and Ghanima, also become pre-born as a result of high levels of spice in the diet of their mother, Chani, during their gestation. Later in Children of Dune, Leto and Ghanima avoid becoming "Abominations" through the protection of benign ancestral memory-selves. Ghanima actually finds the cure for the Abomination syndrome while trying to conceal truth through a form of deep hypnosis.
Dune Encyclopedia (1984) by Willis E. McNelly
quotes the Bene Gesserit Azhar Book, which states that Abomination is "that soul resting quietly within its womb-bed whose entire life is destroyed by a pre-birth knowledge of its ancestors' personae. We cause such a chaotic state if we allow a breeder to take of the Water of Life when she is with child."
In another quote from the Azhar Book, the conditions for Abomination are stated: "First a pregnant Bene Gesserit breeder must ingest the Water of Life ... This chemical, carried in her blood to the womb, activates the fetal psychic awareness and produces a babble of sound and sensory imagery which the un-born is unable to comprehend or assimilate. At birth, this "awakened" baby supposedly sees with adult comprehension because of the active, intelligent, adult memories it now carries at a conscious level. The child, therefore, appears to the uninitiated as extremely precocious but to the knowledgeable as a possible Abomination."
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...
series written 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...
, refers to one who acquires full consciousness as a fetus
Fetus
A fetus is a developing mammal or other viviparous vertebrate after the embryonic stage and before birth.In humans, the fetal stage of prenatal development starts at the beginning of the 11th week in gestational age, which is the 9th week after fertilization.-Etymology and spelling variations:The...
as a result of being exposed to the ritual spice agony, gaining all their ancestral memories before birth (these individuals are also referred to as "pre-born" 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...
).
The spice agony ritual involves a 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 drinking the Water of Life
Water of Life (Dune)
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:...
, a poison, which she must internally convert to a harmless substance. She who survives this ordeal becomes a Reverend Mother; the agony awakens Other Memory and the Reverend Mother can access the full memories of all her female ancestors. If, however, the Reverend Mother is pregnant at the time of drinking the Water of Life, the same will happen to the fetus or fetuses she carries.
In Children of Dune, 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...
quotes from the Bene Gesserit Azhar Book
Azhar Book
The Azhar Book is a text in the fictional Dune universe created by Frank Herbert.-Dune:Appendix II: The Religion of Dune in the novel Dune refers to the Azhar Book as "that bibliographic marvel that preserves the great secrets of the most ancient faiths," and notes that it predates the Orange...
:
It is with reason and terrible experience that we call the pre-born Abomination. For who knows what lost and damned persona out of our evil past may take over the living flesh?
Hence the danger of Abomination: Reverend Mothers can resist the inner voices because as adults they have a full personality of their own and a very solid sense of self. The pre-born don't, and so they become very vulnerable to the tides of ancestors.
Interestingly, it is also hinted in Children of Dune that the word Abomination refers also to Bene Gesserit who abuse their metabolic control in order to extend their lives. The Sisterhood feels that public knowledge of the Bene Gesserit's capabilities for near-immortality would result in a devastating backlash against them:
These words spoken so easily touched on a subject the Bene Gesserits made almost unthinkable. Many Reverend Mothers could choose that course ... or try it. The manipulation of internal chemistry was available to initiates of the Sisterhood. But if one did it, sooner or later all would try it. There could be no concealing such an accumulation of ageless women. They knew for a certainty that this course would lead them to destruction. Short-lived humanity would turn upon them. No — it was unthinkable.
In the novels
In the original Dune novel, the unborn child of Lady Jessica, AliaAlia 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...
, becomes pre-born when Jessica undergoes the spice agony as part of her effort to become Reverend Mother of Sietch Tabr. Later in Alia's life (in the novel 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...
), Alia becomes possessed by the ancestral presence of her maternal grandfather, Baron 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...
.
In Dune Messiah, the twin children of Paul Atreides, Leto II and Ghanima, also become pre-born as a result of high levels of spice in the diet of their mother, Chani, during their gestation. Later in Children of Dune, Leto and Ghanima avoid becoming "Abominations" through the protection of benign ancestral memory-selves. Ghanima actually finds the cure for the Abomination syndrome while trying to conceal truth through a form of deep hypnosis.
The Dune Encyclopedia
The non-canonCanon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
Dune Encyclopedia (1984) by Willis E. McNelly
Willis E. McNelly
Willis Everett McNelly was a professor and writer best known for The Dune Encyclopedia, the 1984 companion to Frank Herbert's classic Dune series of science fiction novels....
quotes the Bene Gesserit Azhar Book, which states that Abomination is "that soul resting quietly within its womb-bed whose entire life is destroyed by a pre-birth knowledge of its ancestors' personae. We cause such a chaotic state if we allow a breeder to take of the Water of Life when she is with child."
In another quote from the Azhar Book, the conditions for Abomination are stated: "First a pregnant Bene Gesserit breeder must ingest the Water of Life ... This chemical, carried in her blood to the womb, activates the fetal psychic awareness and produces a babble of sound and sensory imagery which the un-born is unable to comprehend or assimilate. At birth, this "awakened" baby supposedly sees with adult comprehension because of the active, intelligent, adult memories it now carries at a conscious level. The child, therefore, appears to the uninitiated as extremely precocious but to the knowledgeable as a possible Abomination."