Paul Atreides, Mahdi, Usul, Muad'dib... if you were confused about the names and meanings of Timothée Chalamet's character names this is the perfect article for you.
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| Image Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures |
The wait seemed to never end, but now the highly anticipated Dune: Part Two is in theaters around the world. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, the film boasts a stellar and exceptional cast, which includes Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Austin Butler, and Florence Pugh. The film, which has already reached $500 million, continues the story of Paul Atreides on the planet of Arrakis as he seeks to avenge the death of his father and his house while becoming the Messiah the Fremen have waited for thousands of years. Watching the film, many may have been confused by the various names that Paul Atreides acquires during the narration of the two films. Between Usul, Muad'dib, and many others it is easy to lose the thread of the conversation. In this article, we will try to give a definitive guide to the names and meanings behind the characters played by Timothée Chalamet.
1. Paul Atreides, a name that comes from the past
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| At the top left is the portrait of his grandfather Paulus Atreides, at the bottom his tomb; on the right, the bull's head at the top and the bullfighting sculpture at the bottom |
So let's start from the basics. Paul Atreides, who in the film has the face of Timothée Chalamet, is the son of Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac) – ruler of the planet Caladan and of the House Atreides, and of Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) – active member of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood. Paul owes his name to his paternal grandfather Paulus Atreides, who we never see personally in the films, but who is mentioned in some scenes by Duke Leto (a few frames below). In fact, in the first film, we can see a portrait of him in the Royal Palace but also his tomb, decorated with a bas-relief depicting him fighting with a bull. Toro, whose stuffed head appears in various scenes of the first film. Furthermore, again about his grandfather, in Dune – part 1 we see Paul observing a small sculpture depicting a bullfight, which therefore reflects his ancestor's passion for fighting bulls.
2. Muad'dib, the one who leads
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| Muad'dib, the mouse-kangaroo who inspired Paul |
In Dune – part 2, Paul joins the Fremen to learn their culture, habits, and customs, but at the same time to destroy the Harkonnen together with them. Paul must learn to fight like a Fremen, survive in the desert, and ride sandworms. Victorious feats lead him to become a Fedaykin and therefore to be part of the elite of Fremen warriors, who in the tradition of the desert people choose a secret battle name, a private name to share only with their companions. Paul therefore chooses Muad'dib, the name of the desert mouse-kangaroo (which we see in some scenes in both films), a wise animal, capable of surviving in the extreme conditions of Arrakis thanks to its great ability to adapt.
Furthermore, in the Dune universe, Muad'Dib is also the second moon of the planet, which shows a rocky conformation with mouse-like lines, and whose tail points to the north, effectively becoming a real orientation tool. Hence the symbol of Muad'Dib as a guide, "he who shows the way". A name that the author of the book Frank Herbert derived from the Arabic word “mu'addib” which means “master”. In the film Muad'dib, being Paul's nom de guerre, becomes the name with which the Harkonnens and Emperor Shaddam IV learn of the presence of a new Leader among the desert people. A guide, a warrior, a prophet, who together with the Fremen is destroying the Empire's spice crops and is wreaking havoc on the planet of Arrakis.
3. Dune and the meaning of Usul, the base of the pillar
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| Paul and Chani in a scene from Dune – part 2 |
Also in Dune – part 2 Paul, as a now accepted member of the Fremen population, adopts a Fremen name: Usul, to be used in private only among members of the Sietch community. A name that is among the people of Arrakis is a symbol of strength, and means "the base of the pillar". A name that in the film - and in the course of the subsequent books - will be used in a particular way by Chani (Zendaya), Paul's beloved, but which also symbolizes the value that Paul has for the people of the desert, strength, and help for the community.
4. Lisan al-Gaib, a name with obscure origins
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| Paul as Lisan al-Gaib in Dune – part 2 |
Lisan al-Gaib is a term that we already hear in the first film when, as soon as they arrive on Arrakis, the inhabitants of Arrakeen, upon seeing Paul and his mother Lady Jessica, point to them by shouting Lisan al-Gaib, which means "the voice of another world". The name refers to a prophecy that exists in the Fremen culture for which one day a messiah, a prophet, will arrive, capable of saving the people of the desert from their oppressors. In the films (and also in the novels) it is underlined how these messianic legends have been strongly influenced over the millennia by the Bene Gesserit, who - to create a chosen one capable of guiding the universe - have planted in Fremen culture (and not only) myths, legends, prophecies to be used in the future for their eventual and chosen Messiahs. Prophecies which are narratives intended to be used over time for the benefit of the Bene Gesserit and their chosen ones.
5. Mahdi, the Messiah, is among the names used in Dune
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| Paul as the Messiah in Dune – part 2 |
Similar, but also partly different from the name Lisan al-Gaib, Mahdi in Fremen culture indicates the long-awaited Messiah, "he who will take us to Paradise". A name that already in the first film many Fremen associate with Paul Atreides, and which in the second film is accepted as such by all the people of Arrakis. Mahdi is the one who will lead the Fremen towards the Green Paradise, towards a future in which on the planet of Dune water will be abundant and will be colored with the green of the plants. A future towards which the Fremen are fighting and towards which the ending of Dune – part 2 hints.
6. Kwisatz Haderach, the chosen one
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| Chani and Paul leading the Universe in one of Paul's visions of the future |
Perhaps the most complex and most important term in Dune is Kwisatz Haderach, which indicates a messianic figure endowed with powers of foresight, capable of looking into the past and predicting the future thanks to his genetic memory. But to better understand the term and this figure we must look at the sisterhood of the Bene Gesserit. The sisterhood, over the millennia, through a genetic program, has tried to create a Chosen One, the Kwisatz Haderach. A man capable of not only possessing the knowledge and skills of the Bene Gesserit but also the mental power to bend time and space. An immense power, that the sisterhood has patiently cultivated by carefully choosing the lines of succession between the Houses of the Universe, and which in the hands of such a powerful human being would be capable of leading the universe towards a "better future".
A Messiah, who for the Bene Gesserit, is "he who can be in many places at the same time" and therefore capable of dominating and guiding the entire population of the existing Universe. For this reason, over time, the sisterhood has planted prophecies on various planets, so that, when the Chosen One was ready, he could be welcomed anywhere in the Universe. In this case, the Kwisatz Haderach turns out to be Paul Atreides, although still ahead of their predictions. As we see in the films, Paul not only has visions of the future, but in the second film, after drinking the water of life, he manages to complete the prophecy, having access to the past memories of his ancestors and having a clear vision of the potential futures.
