The Messiah Revealed In Frank Herbert's Dune

Throughout history messiah’s have been talked about in works of literature, religious scriptures and everything in between. A messiah is “A professed or accepted leader of some hope or cause”(Merriam-Webster). In all of these works the messiah was forced to overcome a task, in most cases numerous tasks, to reach a specific important point or goal. These prophets have in turn been used as figures to model ourselves after and teach us the proper way to live. In Dune , Frank Herbert uses the Messianic figure of Paul Atreides to teach lessons of morals, beliefs, and life.
From the when he began writing Dune Herbert knew he wanted to follow this theme, as stated by C.N Manlove “his wish to write an analysis for humanity’s need for a messiah or superhero.”(Herbert,Manlove 101). This is talked about early on in the book when Paul and Dr.Yeuh are discussing the Fremen, or natives of Arrakis. The spoke of the Fremen culture and how they worshiped unknown gods in hope that a saviour would one day come. The Fremen had entire religious sects devoted to praying for water, something in short supply on Arrakis. This shows the characteristic of hope, a characteristic often related to the nature of all human beings. Hope isn’t something we are taught, it is within all of us from the beginning. When the Fremen originally landed on Arrakis they were castaways from their old home. Soon after landing they realised there was all but nothing on the desert planet. Water is so scarce on the planet that special suits called “stillsuits” were developed to help conserve the precious substance. The
Paul then teaches a lesson by following his senses and signing a pact to prolong the start of the war. However, by doing this Paul sets in motion a series of events that expedite the beginning of the