Murbella is a fictional character

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...

 in the 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...

 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...

. She appears in Heretics of Dune

Heretics of Dune

Heretics of Dune is a 1984 science fiction novel by Frank Herbert, fifth in a series of six novels. It was ranked as the #13 hardcover fiction best seller of 1984 by The New York Times.-Plot introduction:...

and Chapterhouse: Dune by Frank Herbert, as well as 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....

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...

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...

.

Storylines

Murbella is raised as an Honored Matre

Honored Matres

The Honored Matres are a fictional matriarchal organization in Frank Herbert's science fiction Dune universe. They are described as an aggressive cult obsessed with power, violence and sexual domination...

, and has above average superhuman

Superhuman

Superhuman can mean an improved human, for example, by genetic modification, cybernetic implants, or as what humans might evolve into, in the near or distant future...

 abilities. Among these abilities are the superhuman reflexes independent of her central nervous system, which makes her a formidable fighting force. Also a part of her Honored Matre heritage is her ability to amplify sexual ecstasy to near unimaginable levels.

Heretics of Dune

When Murbella tries to imprint (sexually condition

Classical conditioning

Classical conditioning is a form of conditioning that was first demonstrated by Ivan Pavlov...

) the young 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...

-loyal 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...

 ghola, she is confronted by the power 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...

 have secretly built into him. His power is the male equivalent of the powers of the female Honored Matres, and Murbella experiences the same sexual ecstacy that enslaves the Honored Matres' male victims. Her energy is completely drained as a result, and in her weakened condition she is easily captured by the Bene Gesserit. Murbella and Duncan Idaho become sexually addicted to one another, and have four daughters. This addiction enables the Bene Gesserit to keep Murbella subdued, and they train her to become a Bene Gesserit sister.

Chapterhouse Dune

Duncan Idaho and Murbella are living together. The bond created by their mutual imprinting in Heretics has made them somewhat reluctant lovers. The Bene Gesserit have accepted Murbella as a novice and are training her to be a Sister, despite their belief that she intends to steal their secrets and escape back to the Honored Matres.

Murbella collapses under the pressure of Bene Gesserit training and pregnancy, giving in to "word weapons" that the Bene Gesserit planted to undermine her earlier Honored Matre identity. Murbella realizes that she really admires and wants to be Bene Gesserit, and sees her former Matres as ignorant children. The words of her initiation are repeated with an emphasis not in the original.

Finally it is decided that Murbella is ready to become a Reverend Mother. Odrade relaxes the strictures, and for the first time ever, a man — Duncan — is allowed to watch a spice ceremony. Duncan is filled with trepidation, first because he fears Murbella will not survive the ritual, and second because he wonders whether she will still love him after going through such a life changing experience. Odrade watches with equal trepidation because Murbella is vital to her plan to deal with the Honored Matres and to reform the Sisterhood. Odrade believes that the Bene Gesserit made a mistake in fearing emotion, and that in order to evolve, the Bene Gesserit must learn to accept emotions. Murbella, Odrade is pleased to find, takes and survives the hard path to becoming a Reverend Mother.

Murbella goes through a manic phase after becoming a Reverend Mother, and her feelings for Duncan are not the same — a fact that worries Odrade as much as Duncan. Whether it is a temporary effect of the experience or a permanent one is unknown.

Odrade calls a Convocation (a meeting of all the Bene Gesserit) announcing her plan to attack the Honored Matres. She tells them that this attack will be led by Teg. She also announces candidates to succeed her as Mother Superior; she will share with Murbella and Sheeana before she leaves.

The attack seems headed for failure, and Murbella saves as much of the Bene Gesserit force as she can and they begin to withdraw to Chapterhouse. The potential failure of the Bene Gesserit attack was planned for by Odrade, who left Murbella instructions for a last desperate gamble. Murbella pilots a small craft down to the surface, announcing herself as an Honored Matre who has managed to escape the Bene Gesserit in the confusion with all their secrets. She arrives on the planet and immediately announces her intentions by killing an overeager Honored Matre with a blinding speed enhanced by Bene Gesserit training that makes her faster than any Honored Matre before her.

Murbella is taken to the newest Great Honored Matre and immediately declares herself hostile. Logno cannot help herself and attacks, Murbella disposes of her and some allies. Odrade is killed in the melee. Murbella shares with Odrade and takes charge of the Honored Matres, who are awed by her physical prowess.

Murbella's ascension to the leadership of the Honored Matres and, by necessity, the Bene Gesserit as well, is not accepted as victory by all the Bene Gesserit. Some feel that she will suborn the spirit of the Bene Gesserit and many worry that her plan of merging the two orders into a New Sisterhood is doomed to failure. Some then decide to escape, notably Sheeana, who has a vision of her own. They ask Duncan and Teg whether they wish to join them and they flee Chapterhouse in the giant no-ship, with Scytale and the Jews from Gammu

Giedi Prime

Giedi Prime is a fictional planet in Frank Herbert's 1965 science fiction novel Dune. A planet of Ophiuchi B , it is the homeworld of the vicious House Harkonnen, the sworn enemies of House Atreides.-Description:...

 still aboard.

Murbella recognises their plan at the last minute, but is powerless to stop them, realizing at the same time that Duncan's departure solves many problems for her.

Hunters of Dune

Murbella takes the title Mother Commander, a mingling of the titles Mother Superior and Great Honored Matre. Her four daughters by Duncan Idaho are called Rinya, Janess, Tanidia, and Gianne.

Now that Murbella has the ability to delve into her Other Memory, she tries to find the origin of the Honored Matres. After taking a dangerous amount of spice, she is finally able to break through the wall in her memory keeping her from the origins of the Honored Matres. She discovers that they are descendants of Tleilaxu females originally used as axlotl tanks, freed by Fish Speakers and rogue Bene Gesserits who allied in The Scattering. This reveals the motive behind the Honored Matres intense hatred of the male gender. Murbella also discovers how the Honored Matres first provoked the "Enemy". One of her ancestors found an outpost belonging to the enemy and immediately attacked it. In the attack technologically advanced weapons were stolen, including Obliterators (later used to destroy Dune, Richese, and other planets). This attack provoked the enemy, Omnius and the thinking machines, who were already preparing to destroy mankind in the final battle, Kralizec.