These biographies are for the book Dune Messiah only, information only given in the first book of the series. The long form biographies have their complete lives or look to the other short form biographies in the Dune, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune, and Chapterhouse: Dune pages. The highlighted names have long form biographies, check back for more long form bios. If you'd like to contribute a long-form (or short-form) bio of any character(s), or if you find any mistakes or missing characters, or if one was added that should not have been, e-mail me. There are more than one long form biography in some cases. Names are in alphabetical order. I apologize for how raw some of these bios are.

 

 

Abumojandia: The aide to Bannerjee and was named as a traitor by Bijaz.
 

Lady Alia Atreides: b. 10,191 m. 10,207? Alia was fifteen and as Scytale said "she is of an age when she can be distracted by a charming male designed for that purpose. She will be attracted by his maleness and his abilities as a mentat." She sits on her brother's Council and wields a great amount of power as another figurehead in the religion of Muad'dib. Known as Saint Alia of the Knife and thought to be a goddess, she is feared and worshiped. As the Tleilaxu intended, Alia slowly falls in love with the ghola of Duncan Idaho. She knows him from her mother's memories which were transferred to her when her mother drank the water of life before Alia's birth. Dangerously, the ghola and Alia fall in love. They confess their love for each other when she overdoses on Melange in an attempt to break through the fog thrown up by the Dune Tarot. Since her prescient powers are inferior to her brother's, she cannot see the conspiracies around them. When Chani dies, Scytale, disguised as Lichna, offers to make a ghola with restored memories of Chani for Paul for a price. Both Paul and Alia are tempted, but Paul kills the Face Dancer. Alia blamed herself for the situation. When Paul walks into the desert to die as a blind Fremen, he leaves Alia as regent for his infant twins. She later marries Duncan Idaho.
 

Ghanima Atreides: b. 10,206 The daughter of Muad'dib. Paul named his daughter Ghanima, the Fremen word that means "something acquired in battle or single combat. Commonly, a memento of combat kept only to stir the memory." Harah objected saying it was "an ill-omened name," but he reminds her it was once the name by which Alia called her when she was young. Ghanima and her twin brother Leto II were pre-born like their aunt Alia and could focus and look at each other very soon after birth. In Paul's visions he only saw her, not her brother.
 

Leto Atreides II: b. 10,206 The son of Muad'dib. Leto and his twin sister Ghanima were pre-born like their aunt Alia and could focus and look at each other very soon after birth. In Paul's visions he only saw Ghanima, not Leto. This was also the name of Paul's first son who died twelve years earlier. Both boys were named after their paternal grandfather.
 

Paul "Muad'dib/Usul" Atreides: b. 10,176 d. 10,206? Emperor for Twelve years, during which time his Fremen legions waged a Jihad over the entire Imperium. After his Fremen warriors won against the Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV's Sardaukar legions, Paul married the Emperor's eldest daughter, Irulan Corrino, whom he promised never to take into his bed. Since he had to marry Irulan to become Emperor, Paul made Chani, his love and mother of his first child (who was killed by the Sardaukar during the Battle of Arrakeen), his bound concubine. For twelve years Paul and Chani tried to conceive another child, but failed. Paul had done all he could to prevent the Jihad, but it ravaged the Known Universe, springing new religious devotes and new enemies. The Spacing Guild, the Bene Gesserit and the Tleilaxu have conspired against their Emperor. The Guild purchased a ghola from the Tleilaxu, a ghola of Paul's old friend and teacher, Duncan Idaho. The Guild presented the ghola to the Emperor as a gift when the Guild envoy Edric arrived in the Atreides court to establish a Guild embassy on Arrakis. Paul was disturbed by the ghola, but too fond of the man to turn the ghola away, despite the advice of Stilgar and even the ghola himself. On the highlinger that brought the Guild envoy, Paul saw the Reverend Mother Mohiam. Paul ordered her detained under the pretext of being on Arrakis despite the fact that Paul had forbidden Mohiam to ever set foot on Arrakis again. With Paul's prescience, Paul knows of plots against him, but he does not see all the specifics of every plot. Paul attempts to bargain with the Reverend Mother for Chani's life, but it is a bargain Mohaim cannot accept by herself and is able to stall by sending a message to the Sisterhood. Finally, Chani becomes pregnant. Paul saw that she would bare a daughter and the pregnancy would shorten Chani's life. He secretly thanks Irulan in his mind for prolonging Chani's life with the contraceptive she had been slipping to Chani. Paul sees three paths, the success of the Fremen conspiracy, the Golden Path, and the fate he chooses. He chooses to defy the Bene Gesserit, the Guild, and the Tleilaxu. When Paul finds out that Chani is pregnant, he chooses to take her back to Sietch Tabr so his child can be born in sietch. Scytale, disguised as the Fremen girl Lichna, tells Paul to go to the home of Othyem to receive a distrans with the names of the Fremen traitors. Scytale intended Paul to take Chani so she could be killed, but Paul maneuvers to keep Chani out of it. Paul goes and knows everything that will happen. He accepts the distrans in the form of the Tleilaxu dwarf Bijaz. As they leave, Stilgar arrives and takes the dwarf away, leaving Paul with several guards. Suddenly, a stone burner goes off and blinds every man present with J-ray radiation. Paul is physically blind, but he still has his vision. He holds a trial, prosecuting the Fremen traitor Korba who bought the stone burner. It was all a show for the Naibs and for Alia to pick out the other traitors, then orders Korba killed. Paul then takes Chani into the desert and takes all the members of the conspircy with them. The ghola was given a complusion to kill Paul after Chani's death. When an aide arrives to tell Paul that Chani died in childbirth, Duncan Idaho awakens from the ghola and does not kill Paul. Paul becomes blind with his grief and surprise at the news that she bore two children. Paul now needs to leans on Duncan's arm to go see his wife and children. There, he is tempted by Scytale to make a ghola of Chani like Duncan, but the price is high. As Alia bargains with Scytale as Paul mourns. Through his grief, he starts to see through the eyes of his newborn son. Using his eyes, Paul kills Scytale. Paul is later tempted by Bijaz, but asked Duncan to kill the dwarf. Paul names his children Leto and Ghanima then walks into the desert to die like a good blind Fremen.

 

Bannerjee: A high level and very loyal Freman Security Officer in the Palace, trusted by Stilgar, Chani, and Muad'dib. Bannerjee came up throught the Freman Constabulary to his position of trust. He was the officer that came took the Face Dancer of Lichna to Muad'dib. His aide, Abumojandia, was named as a traitor by Bijaz.
 

The Bene Gesserit Sisterhood: After losing complete control of the Kwisatz Haderach program, the Sisterhood now conspires to regain control of the Atreides bloodline. Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam became the representative of the Sisterhood in the conspiracy which included the Spacing Guild and the Bene Tleilax. Irulan is their spy in the royal household. Paul stubbornly refuses to mate with Irulan, only with Chani. Chani's wild Fremen blood is a danger to the program, so when Chani switches to a diet which eliminates the chance of Irulan putting the contraceptive in her food and she becomes pregnant, Reverend Mother Mohiam orders the assassination of Chani, but Irulan delays. In the end the Bene Gesserit lose control over Irulan and any connection to the Imperial Palace.
 

Bijaz: d. 10,206. The Tleilaxu dwarf used by the conspircy against Muad'dib. Othyem gives the dwarf to Muad'dib telling him that the dwarf is a human distrans that holds the names of all the Fremen traitors. He was also a ghola from the same tank as Hayt, the ghola of Duncan Idaho, just before Hayt. Bijaz was also trained to awaken Duncan Idaho from Hayt. He planted the compulsion to kill Paul in Hayt when he heard the Emperor say "She is gone." He also gives the names of traitors, Abumojandia, Bikouros, Cahueit, and Djedida. Bijaz is taken to Sietch Tabr with the Emperor. When Chani dies and Duncan awakens from the ghola, Bijaz tries to tempt Paul into making Chani into a ghola, he is also excited because he now hopes to regain his past lives as well. Unwilling to give into the the temptation, Paul asks Duncan to kill Bijaz, and he does.
 

Bikouros: Named as a traitor by Bijaz.

 

Bronso of Ix: d. 10,206? A historian born on the planet Ix, imprisoned for heresy by the Qizarate. Executed shortly after his death cell interview. Apparently his last work, "Analysis of History: Muad'dib" was written in the dungeons of Paul's Keep. In the interview Bronso asks if Muad'dib knew what the Qizarate did in the dungeons and the Priest said they "do not trouble the royal family with trivia." So he was imprisoned and condemned to death before Muad'dib walked out into the desert to die. The Analysis of History paper covered the conspiracy against Muad'dib and the events surrounding Muad'dib's "death," therefore he must have still been alive after Muad'dib went into the desert.
 

Cahueit: Named as a traitor by Bijaz.

 

Chani: d. 10,206. The Imperial concubine of Emperor Paul Muad'dib Atreides and father of his dead son, Leto II. Forced by fate and necessity, Paul marries Irulan, but promises his concubine never to take her into his bed. Paul and Chani try for the next twelve years to have more children, but Irulan, jealous of the concubine and wanting to found the new Imperial dynasty, puts contraceptives into Chani's food. Chani is unaware of the danger her life is in. The Qizarate plot to make Paul a martyr and blame her for his death. Paul sees this and that fact that baring his child will result in her death. Chani, determine that Paul should have an heir, tries to persuade Paul to mate with Irulan. Paul refuses. Knowing that she is the only chance for Paul to have an heir, Chani begins an ancient Fremen diet that promotes fertility. With this new diet, Irulan cannot give Chani the contraceptive. Chani finds out what Irulan had been doing and threatens to kill her, but Paul orders her not to. Paul takes Chani to Sietch Tabr to give birth. She bares twins, Leto II and Ghanima and dies. Paul is given the opportunity to bring her back as a ghola, but refuses.
 

Princess Irulan Corrino: Eldest daughter of the last Corrino Emperor Shaddam IV. When Paul Muad'db Atreides beat the Emperial Sardaukar, he married Irulan to become Emperor, but refused to take her into his bed, swearing all his love to his conubine Chani. Paul never made her his Emperess, but allowed her to sit on his Council. She does not appreciate the way in which Paul uses her Bene Gesserit training as a recording devise. For years Irulan had been giving Chani a contraceptive. At the same time, she was being used as a spy by the Bene Gesserit. She reported to Wallach IX and her teacher the Reverend Mother Mohiam. There she was drawn into the conspiracy against her husband, the Emperor. When ordered by Mohaim to kill Chani and any child she may have, Irulan hesitates. She could not do that. In fact, after Chani's death, Irulan forsakes the Sisterhood and swears to raise her children as her own. She also breaks down and realizes she had love Paul all along, but did not realize it until he was gone.

 

Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV Corrino: b. 10,134 d. 10,202? Exiled to his prison planet Salusa Secundus after Paul married his eldest daughter Irulan. He came to Paul's attention when the Qizarate report he's been putting his Sardaukar legions through landing maneuvers. Paul suggests Irulan inform her father of the delicacy of Shaddam's position. His year of death cannot be accurately determined.

 

Dhuri: Othyem's wife. She is Lichna's step-mother and aunt. Dhuri and Othyem both die in the stone burner explosion that blinds Muad'dib.

 

Djedida: Secuary to Korba and named as a traitor by Bijaz.

 

Edric: d. 10,206. The Guild envoy, ambassador to Arrakis, and the Spacing Guild's representative in the conspiracy with the Bene Gesserit and Tleilaxu. Edric presented the ghola of Duncan Idaho to the Emperor. He was killed by Stilgar after Chani's death and Paul's walk into the desert.

 

Elpa: One of the men blinded with Muad'dib by the stone burner. He said he would commit suicide rather than take Tleilaxu eyes.

 

Face Dancers: Tleilaxu creations that can take the shape of any man or woman they desire, even copy their voice. A Jadacha hermaphrodites, either sex at will and mules unable to reproduce. They are products of the Axolotl tanks.

 

Farok: d. 10,206. A Fremen Fedaykin who served Muad'dib in the Jihad as a Bashar in the Ninth Legion. Farok was born in Sietch Tabr under the leadership of Stilgar. He joined the Jihad because he heard of a sea. He had to see it. He found his sea on the planet Enfeil where he led his men to victory. When he entered the sea he felt cleaned of the Jihad. After he told Scytale all he needed to, Scytale (Zaal) killed him.

 

Farok's son: d. 10,206. Blinded by a stone burner in the Jihad on the planet Naraj where he father children. He would not buy Tleilaxu eyes saying that "such eyes are metal and he is flesh, that such a union must be sinfil." He was also disused by the tales of slavery that comes with such eyes. Coming home to Arrakis, he could not find a wife, no Fremen woman would marry a blind man. When they entered the conspiracy, he met Otheym's daughter Lichna and fell in love with her. He gave Lichna a narcotic, Semuta, to win her, but the drug took what he hoped to gain. He fed her false memories for the time she spends with him and she believes she is in love with him. This disturbs her parents. He is killed by Scytale (Zaal).

 

Fash: A Fremen Naib, member of the Council of Naibs who fled Arrakis with a stolen worm.

 

The Fremen: Once they dreamed of water on Dune and freedom, once they followed Muad'dib and fought the Imperium to be free. But now they fear the greening of Dune and conspire to bring Muad'dib down.

 

Gurney Halleck: He returned to Arrakis after Paul became Emperor with the Lady Jessica and became planetary governor.

 

Harah: The widow of Jamis, she became Paul's servant after he killed Jamis. After several years, she was free to do as she willed. She married Stilgar and became one of her numerous wives.

 

Hobars: A Fremen Niab who attended Korba's trial. There is a landmark on Arrakis of the same name, Hobars Gap. He showed anger when she cut off some Niab's protest that Alia, not Paul, would oversee the trail against Korba, arguing that a Reverend Mother was to oversee matters of live and death.

 

Duncan Idaho/Hayt: After his death in a Botanical Testing station on Dune immediately fallowing the Harkonnen attack on the Atreides in Arrakeen, the Sardaukar that killed him recognized him. Duncan Idaho's reputation was legendary, one of the last graduates of Ginaz and the finest swordsman in the Known Universe. The Sardaukar commander took the corpse and sent it to the Tleilaxu to be made into a ghola and a teacher for the Sardauar. Apparently word never reached Emperor Shaddam, most likely the Sardaukar were killed. The Tleilaxu did make a ghola of Duncan Idaho and trained him as a mentat and a Zensunni philosoper. When Paul Muad'dib became Emperor, The Spacing Guild bought the ghola named Hayt. Hayt had no memory of his past life, but his skills and instincts remained the same, his muscles too retained their excellence. He was given to the Emperor by the Guild ambassador Edric. Hayt enjoyed Paul's voice, a sign that he had heard the voice before. Being a mentat, he divined the reason he was given to Paul and told him the reason when asked. "They intend me to destroy you." As a mentat, Hayt is sent with Alia to investigate a body of a Fremen addicted to Semuta in the desert. On their trip back to the Keep, they probe each other's mysteries and Hayt feels some parts of his past. In the end Hayt kisses her. Hayt becomes something a a philosoical foil for both Paul and Alia. When the dwarf Bijaz is brought back to the Keep, Paul sends Hayt to interview him. The Tleilaxu had keyed Hayt to Bijaz's voice. The dwarf planted a compulsion into Hayt to kill Paul when he heard Paul say "She is gone." Afterward, Hayt becomes more attentive to Alia, afraid that she will die, but he does not know why he is so afraid of her death. When Alia takes an overdose of Spice to see through the fog thrown up by the Dune Tarot, they confess their love for each other. Paul prods him to show Chani the man inside the ghola. When Paul takes Chani to Sietch Tabr to give birth, he take Hayt with him. Chani stood out of the sietch to "spend some time with her desert" before she gave birth. Hayt went out to bring her in as a storm approached. The same fear he had for Alia grew in him for Chani as her labor began. Once he got her into the sietch, he realized he was given a compulsion. He went to Paul and explained it. As they stood out there, an aide came to tell Paul that Chani had died and gave birth to twins. When Paul said "She is gone," Hayt pulled out his knife and was about to attack Paul, but he was able to hold his hand long enough to tell Paul to go, calling him "young master" as he had done before he became a ghola. Then Duncan Idaho awoke. Duncan became Paul's crutch as he was blinded by grief and surprize at the fact Chani gave birth to twins where he only saw a daughter. Then when Bijaz attempted to tempt Paul in making a ghola of Chani, Paul asked Duncan to kill the dwarf. He did. Then after Paul walked into the desert to die, he married Alia.

 

Jamis: d. 10,191. The man Paul killed in his first days in the wild deserts of Arrakis. As a result of Jamis' death, Paul took responsibility for his wife Harah, her sons, and was given the man's coffee service.

 

Lady Jessica: b. 10,154 d. 10,256. After her son became Emperor, Jessica returned to Caladan with Gurney Hallack, but she remained in contact with Paul. It is reasonable that she remained on Arrakis for some time after Paul ascended the throne and was on his Council, there is some evidence to support this.

 

Keke the Lame: A Fremen Naib, member of the Council of Naibs who fled Arrakis with a stolen worm.

 

Korba: d. 10,206. The Imperial Panegyrist and leader of the Qizarate. Korba is behind the plot to martyr Muad'dib and blame Chani for his death. For that purpose he set up the stone burner he bought on Tarahell as a "curiosity" and for "defense of the Qizarate." He was killed by Stilgar after his trial. His secretary, Djedida was named as a traitor by Bijaz.

 

Legg: He showed anger when she cut off some Niab's protest that she, not Paul, would oversee the trail against Korba, arguing that a Reverend Mother was to oversee matters of live and death.

 

Lichna: d. 10,206. Daughter of Otheym. Her mother died some time during the Jihad. She had known Muad'dib in Sietch before he became Emperor. At some point in her life, Lichna became addicted to Semuta. Lichna was brainwashed by Farok and his son to believe she was in love with the blind son of Farok. Under this influence Scytale killed her, removed any flesh that could have been used for identification and left in the desert. Scytale then used her shape to gain entrance to Paul's Keep and led him to Otheym's home so that he might lose Chani and gain power over the Emperor. Paul knew of the deception and the plot. The plot failed, but did blind Paul. Later Scytale/Lichna was taken to Sietch Tabr with many other as Chani was nearing the end of her pregnancy. When Chani died, Scytale/Lichna made an offer to bring Chani back as a ghola, but Paul was able to kill her using the eyes of his son Leto.

 

Dr. Liet Kynes: d. 10,191. Chani's father. He was killed by the Harkonnens shortly after the joint Harkonnen/Sardaukar attack on the Atreides. His dream and the dream of his father was to greening of Dune. A dream which Paul was bring to fruition.

 

Merkur: A Fremen Naib, member of the Council of Naibs who fled Arrakis with a stolen worm.

 

Otheym: d. 10,206. One of Paul's Feydakin commandos. He caught the spitting disease on a planet when he led a band in the Jihad. He and his wife sold many of their possessions to treat the disease. He came into possession of the dwarf Bijaz. He bought the house next to the house where he knew the traitors of Muad'dib met. He summoned Paul through his daughter Lichina, who was switched by a face dancer. He had married twin sisters, one was dead, but the second remained with him. They both died in the explosion of a stone burner.
 

The Qizara Tafwid: Collectively Qizarate; individually Qizara. The religious arm of the government led by Korba. They are "god's spies" as Alia said. They conspire to make a martyr of Muad'dib and blame Chani for his death.

 

Rajifiri: He showed anger when Alia cut off some Niab's protest that she, not Paul, would oversee the trail against Korba, arguing that a Reverend Mother was to oversee matters of live and death. Alia was certain he was a traitor who conspired with Korba. Paul noted he wore gold and remembered Rajifiri as being untidy. When Paul identified him despite the fact he was blind Rajifiri made a warding gesture which Paul saw.
 

Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam: d. 10,206. A powerful Bene Gesserit and former truthsayer for Emperor Shaddam Corrino. She was forbidden by Paul to ever set foot on Arrakis again. She was the Bene Gesserit representative in the conspiracy against Muad'dib with the Spacing Guild and the Tleilaxu. She accompanied Edric to Arrakis on his highliner, but did not leave it. Paul kept the highliner from leaving and took the Reverend Mother off it under the pretext of her breaking his commandment. She is held in a cell and visited by Irulan. She orders Irulan to kill Chani and any child she may have. Paul then tries to bargain for Chani's life. Mohiam is taken with the others to Sietch Tabr and killed by Stilgar after Paul walks into the desert to die.

 

Saajid: He was one who showed anger when she cut off some Niab's protest that she, not Paul, would oversee the trail against Korba, arguing that a Reverend Mother was to oversee matters of live and death.

 

Scytale: d. 10,206. The Tleilaxu representative in the conpricy with the Bene Gesserit and the Spacing Guild. A Face Dancer who easily weaves his way through Arrakeen as Zaal in the form of Duncan Idaho, Farok, and Lichna. He kills Farok after Farok tells him everything he needed to know. Then kills Farok's son and in the form of Farok takes Lichna out to poison her and leave her body with no means of identification. He then gains entrance to the Keep as Lichna. He is one of those taken to Sietch Tabr with Paul and Chani. After Chani's death, Scytale offers to make a ghola of Chani while holding a knife over the new born twins. As he is negotiating with Alia, Paul uses his son's eyes to kill Scytale.

 

The Spacing Guild: The Spacing Guild usual remains neutral in politics, but with the new Emperor they decided to be apart of the conspiracy against the Emperor. They join the Bene Gesserit and the Tleilaxu. Edric is their representative and he buys the ghola of Duncan Idaho as a gift for the Emperor and poses as the Guild Ambassador on Arrakis.

 

Stilgar: The Fremen Naib turned Imperial servant. Stilgar sits on the Imperial Council and still is the Naib of Sietch Tabr. Stilgar personally assassinates Korba, Edric, Mohiam, and several others, some even against Paul's wishes.

 

Takim: A Fremen Naib, member of the Council of Naibs who fled Arrakis with a stolen worm.

 

Tandis: The aide who informed Paul of Chani's death in child birth and that she had given birth to twins. He also escorted Paul into the desert to die. He gave the last report of Muad'dib.

 

Tasmin: A Fremen Niab who attended Korba's trial. There is a landmark on Arrakis of the same name, Tasmin Sink. He showed anger when she cut off some Niab's protest that she, not Paul, would oversee the trail against Korba, arguing that a Reverend Mother was to oversee matters of live and death.

 

Tecrube: The Clerk of Assemblage. Described as "a wiry Fremen" who "carried himself with weary cynicism, flaunting shaven head, clumped whiskers." Alia distrusted him because of the prying curiosity she sensed from him as he watched Paul leave after Korba's trail.

The Tleilaxu: The despised race from the lone planet of the star Thalim, Tleilax. The Tleilaxu are known for being genetic wizards who train "twisted" Mentats and create gholas (clones made from dead cells and repairing dead flesh and bringing them back to life with no memory of their former lives) and Face Dancers from their powerful Axolotl tanks. They are one of the three great factions plotting together to bring down Muad'dib with the Spacing Guild and the Bene Gesserit. They sell the ghola of Duncan Idaho to the Guild. They send Scytale as their representative to the conspiracy and to Arrakis.

 

Umbu: A Fremen Niab who attended Korba's trial. There is a sietch of the same name, Umbu Sietch. He showed anger when she cut off some Niab's protest that she, not Paul, would oversee the trail against Korba, arguing that a Reverend Mother was to oversee matters of live and death.

 

Zaal: The code name used by Scytale when visiting the old Fremen Farok. At this time he is disguised as Duncan Idaho. He killed both Farok and Farok's blind son. See Scytale.