The Powers of the Bene Gesserit | Dune Lore

As a companion to Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune I’ve been exploring the characters, organizations and elements that make up this iconic fictional universe. In this video I talk about the powers of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood and how the Sisterhood uses these abilities to accomplish their clandestine agenda. Bene Gesserit Witch | Reverend Mother | Bene Gesserit the Voice
#DuneLore #Dune2021 #Dune2020 #BeneGesserit
Dune Lore: What is the Weirding Way - • What is the Weirding W...
Twitter: @Nerd_Cookies
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License for commercial use: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported "Share Alike" (CC BY-SA 3.0) License.
Information sources: Frank Herbert’s Dune Series
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Art Credits
(if I missed your credit or miscredited a photo please let me know via email at [e-mail])
Reverend Mother by Ke Sneller
Jessica’s Ceremony by Mark Molnar
Bene Gesserit by Luyseyal
Reverend Mother by Caitlin Yarsky
Dune Honored Matre by Guchi
Bene girl by Tsabo6
Bene Gesserit Art by Dennis Maznev
Dune - Adult Alia by Simon Goinard
Paul Atreides - Dune by Martin Sobr
Dune - Bene Gesserit 1 by Simon Goinard
Bene Gesserit by d1sarmon1a
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Use of any copyrighted material in this video qualifies as fair use.

[@thomasboyles9773]

I think of Voice more so as the tone and pressures a parent uses to make a child respond immediately. Something that would usually require extensive familiarity with the subject, but through the generational memory, they discovered patterns in the kind of people who respond to a silky tenor, a stern bark, or the distinct flatness of a voice dripping with disappointment, and taught their pupils to recognize the types of people who fall apart when engaged with the specific methods their parents may have used to make them comply.

[@briancaldwell871]

Totally agree. It took observation to learn their patterns. The voice was a flinch, a reflex. Like a parent telling a kid to DROP IT! They act without thinking. Great comment.

[@tgiacin435]

That’s how I figured it when she did it to either Thufir or Gurney

[@Nealetony]

So would it then affect a psychopath? 🤔

[@thomasboyles9773]

@@Nealetony My understanding was that BG could eventually figure out the trigger for anyone, but the amount of conversation you have to hear to reach it changes.

[@MrJedimedic]

I think the first time Paul uses voice on Jessica (in the Villanueve version) is really good. It’s not just a distorted regular voice, the pitch and speed of delivery (it’s so fast it’s hard to understand) seem like they could really tap into a persons reflex triggers at will. Sadly, the rest of the movie was just a distorted human voice :(

[@michaelfisher7170]

The Sisterhood was always, to me at a rate, the most compelling of all the various factions of the Dune series, and that began with my first reading of Dune when I was 15. Nearly fifty years later I can still say the Bene Gesserit are still one of the most amazing and compelling fictional groups I've ever encountered. Frank Herbert crafted them so perfectly. Their goals, which are questionable at best, and their determined longevity are jaw dropping.

[@aug-pahunters51]

It's simply an anology for secular jews

[@thedarkestfateful]

I agree. Normally something like the Bene Gesserit and their Missionaria Protectiva would be considered 'conspiracy' theories in a different fandom, but I love how Herbert designed a seemingly benign organization hiding a sinister and dark purpose, like unknown gods lurking just beneath your nose and it's honestly terrifying, especially since they have so much power.

[@LDT7Y]

I figured they were just nuns but with added powers.

[@Bushey4545]

​@@thedarkestfateful I always thought they were the dunes version of the Jedi, obviously a little creepier with a slight masonic feel to them but still basically a movie or story like this without someone with super natural powers would feel empty

[@darkroninmarvel]

Bene Gesserit : Wanna see me run to that mountain and back? you wanna see me do it again?

[@legendaryrat]

I was always under the impression that the Weirding Way didn't involve actual teleportation, but used subtle psychological manipulation to alter the perception of the opponent. From the foes perspective it would appear as though the Bene Gesserit was teleporting, when in fact their own perceptions had been altered. Basically it functions like a feint, where you lead your opponent to think you're doing one thing, when you're actually doing another, albeit a much more potent one.

[@cedriceric9730]

No it was a movement, but definitely not teleportation

[@Nerdy_The_Punk]

@@cedriceric9730 why did u say no? You are agreeing with him?

[@mrtommy9220]

I can do this. I can render invisible in other people perception. Only If I talk I am present

[@ScottHess]

Yeah, I'm with this. In my current read-through (of many dozens) I'm to the last chapter of God Emperor, and I have no idea where this teleportation thing even comes from. The BG surely are masters of misdirection, and I expect they have conscious access to "lifting a car off your kin" levels of superpowers as demonstrated by humans, but they don't straight-up sidestep reality using wishful thinking. That still plausibly means they could likely move 2x-4x faster than expected even if you expect it.

[@patrickjanecke5894]

I always thought of the Weirding Way as a precursor to the combat abilities of Miles Teg. Manipulation would also be in play, because Bene Gesserit are Bene Gesserit of course.

[@frankrobinsjr.1719]

I think you, as have many others, missed the first part of a Bene Gesserit's abilities. Observation. Gaius Helen Mohaim didn't go to Caladan to subject Paul to the Gom Jabbar. Nor did she merely have him put his hand in a box to cause him pain. She was there to test and observe Paul in crisis. The pain was the fulcrum, the gom jabbar was the punishment for a wrong choice. A bene gesserit's true power came from observation and their ability to know the truth. Sadly, for all their knowledge and ability, they were as blind to their own faults and ego as anyone else.

[@esraayousef5643]

They are the most intriguing element of the story so far for me, I've only watched the 2021 Dune film, never read the books or had any familiarity with the story before but I found them quite haunting, so mysterious and seemingly masters of manipulation.

[@haplozetetic9519]

I think you would enjoy the books. There is much more subtlety and detail than the movies have time to show. Added in edit: Begin with the original Dune through to Chapter House Dune before reading the prequels.

[@HarmonyEdge]

One of my favorite aspects of their training in the Voice is the identification of a person's cultural roots and behavior from subtle clues in how a person speaks, no matter how well masked it is, which I guess is how they tune their use of the Voice.

[@alanloeper3953]

Well done as always. In the original book, I found the Lady Jessica's teaching conversations with her son most interesting and very deep. Some of them are quite appropriate for our society.

[@JessWLStuart]

I hadn't thought of the connection between the concepts of Bene Gesserit and the Jedi! Good catch!

[@sophiawilson8696]

Remember the book Dune was release in 1965. Both Star Wars and Games of Throne took elements from Dune.

[@anthonywarren9885]

There is no connection. Does any of the Bene Gesserit powers anywhere the same as Jedi??? NO! It would be like saying the Bene Gesserit powers are closely connected to Superman.

[@anthonywarren9885]

@@sophiawilson8696 no they didn't. That's nerd urban myth.

[@cedriceric9730]

@@sophiawilson8696 They definitely did , which is why Lucas wants to erase the Skywalker saga completely. But it's fans are proving to be a problem.hahaha.

[@Despotic_Waffle]

@@anthonywarren9885 it's the religious order that manipulates the universe part which is connected.

[@erikbjelke4411]

The thing I loved about the Voice in the book was how it required observation, "registering" the person you were going to use it on, then pitching your Voice specifically to affect them. I got the impression that it was something like "speaking in the voice of their own thoughts," so when you speak, it sounds to them like their own thought in their mind, so there's no reason not to go along with it. It's a thing I didn't really appreciate until now, when I'm much older, and can respect it as not just a superpower, but a skillful and precise technique that requires intelligence, perception, and cool-headedness to employ effectively.

[@anydaynow01]

I feel FH's thought process behind their abilities definitely represent the highest form of female evolution in their control over their environments. I also find it as a welcome contrast and balance to both how House Harkonnen and the Bene Tleilax governed their societies. For me seeing how Villeneuve interprets the weirding way will be most interesting, I always saw it as an ultimate form of Akido, where a Bene Gesserit will take advantage of prescience to use the strengths of her enemy against her or him.

[@tigerpjm]

There is a clip of the "cattle and lovemaking" scene with Paul and Gurney available. Given that it appears in promotional material for the movie I can't imagine that it will change too much before release.

[@FH-cn3mg]

Everything that Herbert did was about human evolution into something more. Bene Gesserit being what you said the highest evolved form of female which has complete and total control of her body and even to an extent the space around her. We see this in different forms for different versions of the evolution paths, the Guild Navigators, the Mentats and Ginaz swordmasters being the other three most notable mentioned. The use of spice was a sort of evolution into something slightly super human.

[@richardferguson6893]

I'm a simple man: I see that Cookie has a new video, I click like and then watch.

[@Sporking]

Same here

[@tarkajedi3331]

This was so good I am back listening again!!! This group is so powerful because it mixes human development, politics, genetics and faith....

[@toddkes5890]

and gently guiding the people they are advising, while never appearing as part of the ruling group. I wonder if the Bene Gesserit also slowly work to unite the Houses against the organizations that don't have BG advisors?

[@paulh2468]

Thank you Elaine. I happen to experience the Spice Agony on a regular basis. Too many hot chillies in a curry will always produce the painful, eye-watering effect.

[@rupertmiller9690]

Your intro and outro is ten seconds of excellence, nothing extra, just here I am, let's go. Your narration is easy listening. Your scripts succinct and well researched. Ya got chops, kid. I''ll think on your questions at the end and get back to you if I have anything worth asking/contributing beyond a thank you.

[@toh786]

And then, everything changed when the Kwisatz Haderach arrived...

[@tgiacin435]

Literally lmao

[@Nealetony]

ATLA

[@chewface]

I am the most curious about how Denis Villeneuve’s version will tackle all the "inner thoughts" both Mentats and Bene Gesserits have. Their characters are based almost entirely around their mental abilities: calculations, suspicions, questions, theories, and sizing someone up. They talk more in their minds than they ever do out loud. Not portraying those thoughts in some way....would make the characters seem so lifeless in the movie. I really hope he includes internal monologues somehow. Even if that "upsets" people for some strange reason. It's very necessary for Mentats and Bene Gesserits.

[@CorvusCorone68]

i agree, i also think characters in TV and movies should do more INNER monologues, it's really not normal to be incapable of internalizing one's thoughts; it's an outright meme in anime that the main character will be talking to themselves, rather than THINKING, and someone else will walk in on them and be like "who were you talking to"

[@InsecureCreator]

I hope the Mentat calculations have some creative visual cues, I would be really interesting to see how their thoughts are put on a screen

[@hivera9665]

have you seen it yet? if so what did you think of the adaptation?

[@earlware4322]

Having voiceovers in film have been declared passê of late, mores the pity. Having access to the characters internal dialogue grants the audience huge insight into their minds and motivations. I loved how Lynch handled this in the '84 film, as qell as other films like the OG Blade Runner. The only inner monolgue DV gives us is Paul's "Fear is the mind killer" mantra (which was toned down so much as to be almost loat in the background audio) and a bit of Jessica's panicing over Paul's fate during the Gom Jabar test. Paul is such a well developed character in the books, hearimg his inner thoughts carries the reader along with him throughout his arc. Lately most directors prefer the whole "stand here, stare at the scenery and be broody" method for displaying a "thoughtful" character. As far as the mentats are concerned, having them mutter incomprehensibly, showing their eyes roll up in their heads when they perform calculations would be great... What we end up with is just staring at the whites of their eyes while their minds go walkabout. 😕

[@the1tigglet]

The teleportation thing was part of their physical training where they would control every muscle completely. IT would make it so they could move all of their muscles with the same intent at the same time which means they would move at astonishing speed. It's not unlike what some of the Shaolin masters practice honestly. Shaolin are taught how to control every muscle as well, so they can do things like dislocating fingers to escape bindings or cuffs or move at high speed suddenly to a new position. It's not shown to most outsiders but with the recent change in the number of students available, they've begun to reveal certain skills to the outside world.

[@Nerdy_The_Punk]

Keep in mind alot of those monks have been heavily fictionalized in there abilities. There are 2 reasons for this the first is because they were so secluded and kept what they did secret people started to speculate things. The whole if you don't understand it then it must be very different. The second reason is because a man claimed he went through the training and came back with all these powers which everyone believed and he even wrote a book which of course was all BS. Yes they can do some cool stuff but nothing unnatural and nothing that any human could do with practice

[@the1tigglet]

@@Nerdy_The_Punk Somethings are not though, you can actually learn to control every muscle in your body in order to move all at once, masters can do this who have learned the technique. Also, monks/mystics have known how to hide in plain sight, move silently in the shadows, and sneak up on people without their knowledge for hundreds of years. These aren't new skills these have been around forever. You can also heat up your body with enough feedback training. I'm not sure what people did back in the ancient times to learn this but in modern times people learn to control their bodies through the use of biofeedback from monitoring machines.

[@Nerdy_The_Punk]

@@the1tigglet unless you can show some proof I am inclined to believe that these are just people's beliefs of something they do not understand and therefore see it as mystical. I am a scientific guy so if I don't have evidence then I find it hard to believe.

[@peterhann9748]

Nerd Cookies, one of the most consistent providers of good videos on the net! Another great entry.

[@luisdotgarcia]

Elaine... You’re the Kwisatz Haderach of voicing...

[@raztaz826]

In one of the books I remember they could also explode their brains along with everyone else's in the area. Watching the movie as a kid, I thought their main ability was to win staring contests.

[@tgiacin435]

Those were the sorceresses of rossak. Sadly due to the rarity of their birth, and low birth rates, the number of sorceresses significantly dropped after the jihad. A bene gesserit may have latent sorceress blood, but are unable to use the powers.

[@Squeedow]

I recently finished the unabridged audiobook, Dune. It was fantastic! (and I absorb information best by listening.)

[@shanenolan8252]

Agreed the audiobooks are great , the voice guy is great , the rest are wonderful on audiobook

[@Jared_Wignall]

These lore videos are always entertaining and interesting to watch. Keep up the great work Elaine!

[@jimmywrangles]

Thank you Elaine, your hard work is very much appreciated. I still remember my first reaction to the Bene Gesserit when I read Dune, mysterious,powerful and supremely strange. They had me entranced from the very first page they appeared on. Two powers they have appealed to me as a kid, the voice and the ability to decapitate with a kick, I thought that was so cool.

[@RenzoCaballini]

Thanks for these videos! Been sharing them like crazy since the new movie came out. People keep asking me about Dune stuff as I am their “nerdy friend”. Save me from explaining so much. Thanks!

[@mitchelllawrence2798]

Love your narrating and backdrop music you use.

[@radiusone216]

Just wanted to say thanks for doing this series. I've never read the books and only watched the new movie and then went back to watch the Lynch and Sci-fi mini series so your videos have helped my understanding of the general world of Dune. Thanks

[@channelrandom2225]

I always saw the voice as a simple tone shift, I remember I did something similar to my family changing my tone to something non threatening and similar to a tone their parent would use to get them to do something it took sizing them up which is how I imagine the voice works it takes someone to size a person up and is clearly psychological in nature and could be replicated in real life

[@imgeorge81n]

I frickin love these Dune lore videos!!!!!! Thank you soo much 💓💗💖💛💕♥💓

[@tarkajedi3331]

As soon as I saw this I got fired up... this is an area rich and full ... what can we do to maximise our human potential ?

[@Sporking]

Thank you for these history/lore Dune videos

[@NerdCookies]

My pleasure!

[@Restilia_ch]

Hello lovely lore video and soothing voice, happy to have you once again.

[@MrCrimsonBubble]

Amazing explanation. Thank you!

[@toh786]

How ironic you uploaded this right after I finished Hunters of Dune xD

[@msgtpauldfreed]

The "weirding modules" always ticked me off as a betrayal of the original story.

[@GhostMonkey772]

Its such a dumb idea. The noise they make to fire them is really silly.

[@tgiacin435]

Yeah

[@JenWIL641]

How is it a betrayal?

[@jamesricker3997]

I agree it was against everything in the book. Ironically a Sonic weapon would be able to pass through personal Shields rendering Elite troops like the Sardaukar obsolete, that would have scared the crap out of the Emperor and every other House

[@erikbjelke4411]

They were really cool as an idea unto themselves, but yeah, as an extrapolation from the book, not very good. Especially bizarre is that Stilgar and Jessica's initial interaction is unchanged, where he wants to kill her until she puts him in a chokehold and he's staggered that she knows "the weirding way," and wants her to teach it to his Fremen. How did the Fremen know about this new sonic weapon House Atreides had only recently developed? Why is Jessica's martial arts ability indicative of her ability to explode people with a word? What makes Stilgar think this thing can be taught easily (if Yueh hadn't left weirding module plans, they would have been sunk)? Even watching the '84 Dune film as a kid, this interaction made no sense.

[@genmaicha.lapsang]

In addition to simuflow they also train their own mentats. Although, the Final Duncan recalls that the general opinion amongst mentats is that, "Reverend Mothers don't make the best mentats."

[@Durrtyboy]

Got addicted to dune now I'm addicted to your lore videos

[@sonarmb]

Ahhhhhhh Nerd Cookies fix!!! Week has started...I shall get through....thanks mate!!!

[@g.thomashart9368]

A very fine and inclusive summary. I would have liked perhaps an additional comment - in reference to the BG preference to work from the background - to the grand folly of the Honored Matres who are eventually destroyed because of their action from the forefront.

[@jerrysstories711]

I thought you were going to say at the end that the BG were a major influence on the Mists of Avalon series, specifically the priestess sisterhood. A semi-religious order of obsessively trained women who use sex and magic to manipulate politics and also breed with powerful men. The parallel always made me wonder if there could ever be such an organization in a world without magic or superpowers.

[@mooncake4371]

I’m most interested in the Voice and I loved Villeneuve portrayed it in his film. I didn’t know anything about Dune, neither did have I read the books, so I went in completely clueless. But I walked out of the cinema really moved by the story. I’m really intrigued by the Bene Gesserits and their ways. Thank you for this lore video!

[@Hate_wagon]

i love your vid's thanks for another one. cant wait for dune.

[@mpress469]

If we apply a crysknife to the word "Dune", we get the French word "d'une", a combination of the French partitive article "de" (english for "of") and the indefinite article "une" (english for "one") before a feminine noun. Translated, we get "of the feminine One".

[@paulwiggins4619]

I would to see demonstrations of all Bene Geserit powers in upcoming Dune.

[@toddkes5890]

Instead of the weirding Way being a method to 'teleport', I'd just settle with a faster and fluid fighting style, relying on the flexibility and bodily control of the wielder. A normal person might flinch if a knife came within a couple centimeters of their eyes, while a BG would know that she had plenty of room and be prepping her counterattack for right after the blade goes by. A normal person might not be flexible enough to put their arm and fingers in the right position to slice a specific tendon at the right spot, but a BG would use that as merely one maneuver among many at her disposal. The BG have access to more wealth than most people expect and can appear much younger than thy really are, so that young girl in her mid-20s likely has over thirty years of hand-to-hand combat skill and is in her physical prime (and thanks to BG training/exercises, her physical prime is higher than most people expect). The other deal is that the BG likely make sure to kill anyone who learns about their skills the hard way, so they never appear as a physical threat. A BG might have guards with her or be guaranteed protection from the host, so she never has to reveal her skills in public.

[@normknapp4404]

@@toddkes5890 If you’ve ever seen some of the forms used by practitioner’s of Taijiquan and Baguazhang you might find what your looking for. The fluidity, balance, and calmness of the forms just screams “Wierding Way”. It’s also in tune with the desired inner strength vs outer strength of most martial arts! Chinese Kung fu can be broken up into two categories of two categories of arts … you have hard (external, aggressive, and powerful attacks) vs soft systems (internal, graceful, and more deflectitive) and you have Northern vs Southern systems! The first relates to how the training and conditioning are conducted The second relates to how the system appears… Northern systems are seen as highly fluid and graceful high kicks vs Southern systems being low stances and powerful footwork and lower body kicks. Their are exceptions, but GENERALLY those are the two schools of thought Shaolin is an example of Hard system Wudang is an example of soft system! Both have elements of each other due to the nature of Ying and Yang. Just my 2 cents … I’m sure some will agree and some will disagree. But that all part of the balance !!!

[@liamcore7203]

Great video, bk 6, I think it was when Mother Superior Taraza (spoilers) was cut in half by the laz beam, she gave a grunt, then turned off her bodies pain functions. I could use that ability when I stub my toes.

[@MrJedimedic]

At about 4:40… I think that’s an Honored Matre…

[@t-god2439]

Watching the movie and this really helped clear some things up thank you

[@tigerpjm]

I'm looking forward to seeing how the voice is depicted. In Lynch's Dune the voice is a distorted demonic sound, whereas the book says that it is so reasonable and convincing that one had complied with it before they had even comprehend the words that were spoken. Obviously depicting a power that is so subtle that people didn't even realise it was being used is an interesting challenge, but I hope it is better than what Lynch came up with.

[@raydavison4288]

This is pretty random, but one of Saruman's (LOTR) powers was very much like the "Voice" skill of the Bene Gesserit.

[@toddkes5890]

One idea might be a form of echoing, where the BG says a command/suggestion, and similar to the 1984 Dune you would have echoes of the command being heard by the audience. The victim of the Voice would then insist that they stand, but find themselves sitting in a chair. Or using the 'chimes' sound when saying the command, similar to that from the movie "Love Potion #9"

[@nicbell8090]

What did you think of the effect? Closer to what lynch did, but with a more psychological element conveyed well

[@VoodooV1]

Now that you are referring to star wars in a Dune video. I now feel justified in bringing up a tangent of my own. If you haven't yet, go check out Auralnauts version of the Star Wars saga. They have a channel on youtube. Midichlorians = Heroin. its frickin hilarious. and damned good music too.

[@tgiacin435]

Lmao, I love that series. I watched the whole thing for Star Wars day

[@TheKartana]

The powers of the bene geserit seem based off of the second foundation's abilities from foundation

[@tigerpjm]

Could well have been influenced by that book for sure.

[@610vegas]

pretty sure the Jedi mind trick comes from reading these books too.

[@godfreyofbouillon966]

Those powers do not look so original and innovative that multiple people couldn't come up with them independently. Ask a ten years old to come up with a few super powers, and inhumane speed or a voice commands one cannot resist are likely to be among them. That's also the reason why I think Dune's influence on Star Wars is often overstated: multiple people can come up with similar things.

[@namedrop721]

They’re way older than that, they’re Buddhist siddhis. Look it up.

[@trajanparker]

Well done. Thx.

[@Blaxjax21]

You did not comment on what could be the BG biggest mistake, they allowed the war between the Harkonnen and Atreides houses had such a deep effect on the houses that it was imperative foe both houses to have a male are to carry on the family bloodline. Thus the wish of Duke Atreides for a son,over a daughter.

[@jennymann212]

i thought the artwork at the end of the video was so beautiful

[@eclatshwartzbaumcybertune2063]

I like your videos!

[@joetaylor486]

Great video! In answer to your question, I absolutely hated Lynch's invention of the "Wierding Modules". I felt this was a betrayal of Frank Herbert's vision. I understand his aversion to Kung-fu in the sand dunes, as such, clearly feeling he would be unable to do justice to the Bene Gesserit fighting style. If so, why choose to make a flawed film?

[@TheTruthseeker1231]

I agree. the weirding modules were trash and ruined the movie for me. I guess we are just Dune "purists".

[@genmaicha.lapsang]

I'm more interested in seeing how other memory is portrayed in the films. The previous adaptations kinda glossed over it. One thing about their abilities that was fascinating is how they weren't all unique to the Bene Geserit but rather they honed all of them at once. For example, Truthsay is a talent that a lot of non-bene gesserit (even some men) have. Even reverend mothers were found amongst the Fremen and the Jews.

[@tigerpjm]

Yeah, that's going to be super interesting!

[@austinharp7264]

Though I would love to see that also I feel like the show about the Bene Gesserit, coming out after the newest movie, will probably go further in depth of their actual powers.

[@Brainfryde]

Speed was not a mind over matter trick. Sisters would optimize their cells, tendons, muscles, sugars, and adrenaline to make their bodies better/faster at one thing for their next movement, and do it for every limb. This made them seem to move impossibly fast (they were), and they attacked the senses by moving more things that normally possible for a human. No mysticism, although still fantasy. Everything about the Sisters relied on the discipline of mind, shared with the Mentats, but never mysticism. The cellular tricks come from the belief that every cell was a continuation of memory from the first human cell, and thus could be controlled like a small mind. This was what biology sounded like to the layman in the 1970s, so it does not surprise me that the "Force" had some of the same aspects. The final part that made the Sisters isolated from the Mentats was Intuition: women have it, men don't. It is the key to seeing the future and using the voice, which is why Mentats could neither of these things, despite having the rest of the Sister's skills. If memory serves, Sisters were limited to previous Sister memories in their direct heredity line. Reverend mothers were limited to anyone in their heredity line since the formation of the Sisterhood; Abominations who did not succumb to madness could return back to the first human female.

[@aithjawcraig9876]

Can females be mentats?

[@jplee7210]

I like your overview of The Powers of the Bene Gesserit. Interresting, intelligent and I like the sound of your voice. The way Bene Gesserit spread his influence all across universe made me think about the 4 or 5 Main Religions. Both of them existe for hundreds of years, they have power, weight, richness. They influence culture, tradition, mentality and they have their own agenda. The authority and hierarchical structure looks similar. On Earth and in the universe of Dune they barely tolerate the other gender in their respective religion (I mean the pope was and will always be a man). I won't push and say they fabricate the Messiah, or they have a so direct power with their (Voice).

[@evilcartmensolo7198]

I don't think there is a book just on these groups but I think one on the bene geserates would be a fascinating read.

[@hanshenrikbuttner9340]

Best voice ever :)

[@constantinvasiliev2065]

Thank you. A great channel! You too, have a very nerdy day :)

[@ivanalaff5346]

The word is “ADEPT “ indicating the ability to do things exceedingly well. You said:” Adapt…thus basically rendering all that followed( while mostly correct) basically someone reading words they do not understand.

[@gimpytheimp]

There was also a psychic space warrior group from a 30's sci-fi novel called the Magi

[@FearandLoathinginLandonND]

I always assumed the bene Gesserit were able to "teleport" simply due to their extreme control over each and every individual muscle. That kind of control and understanding would allow them to move at speeds so fast that it would seem like a teleport to the untrained eye. To support this, the honored matres in the later novels were remarked upon, by bene gesserit, to be faster than them. It's not a real teleport, they're just so quick and dextrous it seems like a teleport to limited human perception.

[@megatronjenkins2473]

The picture at the end looks like the Bene Gesseritt as imagined by H.R. Giger.

[@champisthebunny6003]

One little detail about the BG I always found odd, or a poorly explained background detail, mentioned in this video, is the training daughters of the powerful houses in the BG way. This seems, odd, as the abilities of a BG would require training almost from birth to be of any value. And, there is the problem of training non-BG to be well, loyal to the BG over family or any other ties, or course. Training an adult in the BG skills strikes me as nearly impossible except perhaps at much lower level of ability than a 'real BG'. Perhaps they offer 'outsiders' a truncated, watered down version of BG training? The issue of what 'offering BG training actually entails', its scope and limitations for non-BG is never really addressed afaik. I mean, if I were the BG, the last thing I would do is offer training to people whose loyally and commitment to the order is anything less than 100%. Similar could said of mentat order in some respects, but, the comparison there is (NOT) exactly equivalent. The BG are very much a closed society within a society, in ways the mentats are not.

[@GrahamMilkdrop]

Often a BG would be part of the household/court of the aristocratic house and would therefore have access to them from birth. i think they'd essentially be recruited into the sisterhood whilst being raised with their family.

[@genmaicha.lapsang]

This may be a spoiler...So warrning. . , . In the last 2 books it is revealed that they do hold back quite a bit when they instruct non-BG. After Paul and his son, this became especially true if they are training men. Also, the way that I read the books Irulan was Bene Geserit and her first loyatly was the sisterhood. She was just not a very good BG sister.

[@Brainfryde]

Both the Sisterhood and Mentats had a chemical training stage, but first came mental discipline and physical training. For the Sisterhood, this included unarmed combat, political maneuvering in the Empire to backwater planets, and mental disciplines in persuasion, subversion, and the Voice. The nobles were usually Spice addicts as well, skipping the need to give it to them, but being a Sister required a deep sense of Intuition. Where the Mentat tries to remove emotion, the Sisterhood tries to embrace it. If you look at the Star Wars theory, it makes Mentats the Jedi and the Sisters the Dark Side. Explains the robes :p The Sisterhood trained acolytes had to submit everything about themselves before learning the "good stuff," and you were making a promise to people who could all but read your thoughts in real time. From birth, the nobles had their Sisterhood advisor training their children to be loyal to the Empire and acting as private tutor. The time spent amount Acolytes was rather short, a sort of finishing school really. It should be mentioned that the average Spice user lived to be 200-400 years old, so training time was not so critical. Just make sure to start with a child before puberty, and teach them how to have an ordered mind.

[@GrahamMilkdrop]

Also, the level that one could reach within the sisterhood depended quite a lot on individual aptitude. Even if they had been raised entirely within the sisterhood, not every sister would become a Reverend Mother. The majority would remain regular acolytes and there was a chance of dying in the ceremony even if they were thought of as being worthy of selection. Males were only officially trained when they were of interest for the breeding program or if they were to be used for specific missions. It seems that with their own male children it was kind of expected that they'd informally pass on some skills and knowledge. I don't think Jessica's training of Paul was supervised or overseen by the sisterhood even though he was an important part of their plans. Later on, the Duncans weren't so much trained as they were... activated. It's been over 20 years since I read the books though, so I may be misremembering!

[@raydavison4288]

I always assumed that the royal & aristocratic daughters WERE Bene Gesserit. Their first loyalties were to the sisterhood. For example; Anirul (mother of Irulan & wife of Emperor Shaddam) only gave birth to daughters because she was commanded to do so by the BG.

[@cliffcampbell8827]

"I think, for there I am. Now I'm over there. Now I'll think myself next to the fridge and polish off the rest of that double, double chocolate chip ice cream. Then to think my fat ass onto the couch for the view." - Unknown Benny jeserit

[@toddkes5890]

And with complete body control, she can exercise her muscles and burn off all the calories while on the couch

[@catwoman3247]

😂

[@GargantuanMedia]

Great videos and narration. Could you provide an example in the books where a Bene Gesserit displayed the ability to teleport?

[@NerdCookies]

Thanks! The weirding way (Prana Bindu) appears to be teleportation to onlookers. It's not actual teleportation. They are just moving so fast that it looks like that

[@jimmyhoffa2530]

Can you imagine how much better David Lynch's Dune would have been if he was truer to the book? I mean I love Lunch's Dune but he really did the movie a disservice by not accurately depicting the Weirding Way and other "mystical" elements. Because really thats where the story shines in my opinion.

[@temmy9]

Bene gesserit also inspired the Aes Sedai

[@genmaicha.lapsang]

One of those women had orange eyes! Orange eyes on a Bene Geserit?? The proctors of the sisterhood would discipline you harshly for that mix up!

[@NerdCookies]

That was actually a depiction of an honored matre.

[@shlazzargh]

She is not actually a 'real' Bene Gesserit. Rather, she was one of the Honored Maitres from the scattering. Post Emperor Leto, some Bene Gesserit went out with other people far out into the Universe. Much of the events of the last few books are based on when some of those folks came back. Honored Maitres used a modified form of adrenalin instead of spice and it gave them orange eyes.

[@genmaicha.lapsang]

@@NerdCookies Nerd licence revoked. Just kidding. haha Lots of love.

[@genmaicha.lapsang]

@@shlazzargh I'm re-reading Chapterhouse: Dune now. The Honoured Matries are to the Sith what the Bene Gesserit were to the Jedi.

[@shanenolan8252]

Yes orange is from the spice alternative adrenaline based

[@marknovak6498]

I always thought of the memories as some quantum connections through the underlying fabric of reality that exist but no one really understood how it was there. I like the idea the author thought of it as genetic but not explainable. an author need not explain everything. As we see in Star Wars, a story can be diminished by explaining too much. Like your takes. You cover the story ideas well.

[@tchy7246]

- excellent music choice. simultaneously warm and eerie - was truthsaying really that important to the Emperor to make him agree to the effective end of his dynasty by having only daughters? or did the BG manipulate him into it??

[@sophiawilson8696]

Good question remember Jessica love Duke. Did the woman loved the Emperor or the Order more and obey them. That why the 5 daughters.

[@shanenolan8252]

Curious how they cover the speed muscle control thing and voice

[@nickmattio3397]

Any of the Bene Gesserit Single? Asking for myself

[@daximil]

Unfortunately, most of the Bene Gesserit's most impressive abilities to not translate well to film. My favorite scene in the first book is the dinner scene, where the Lady Jessica and Paul are assessing the various political and economic power players of Arrakis. It's also the scene where these leaders inadvertently reveal how scared they are of Liet Kynes. A fantastic scene, that would be very difficult to translate to film, so most movie adaptations of the book just leave the scene out.

[@GafftheHorse]

I was fairly sure the Sisterhood just took a very large dose of spice in the ceremony. While water of life was the result of drowning a worm, and that would not have been available to any but the Fremen on Dune. Until later, the Chapterhouse Dune era, worms did not survive off of Arrrakis. Least, this was how I remember the books, it's been more than ten years since I reread the series.

[@sitroom8922]

I remember the same in Dune it is stated the the sisters could use other drugs but once the spice was introduced the other drugs became ineffective.

[@GafftheHorse]

@@sitroom8922 Yeah, I can't recall where that snippet came from, one of the little passages from writings of the universe (like the Princess Irulans books or the Stolen Journals) that litter the Dune books. Might be some musing of Odrades in Heretics or Chapterhouse Dune.

[@forestboyd4412]

I wonder about the influence The Foundation series had on Dune, tho. Banishment of A.I., Psychihistory and the ability to statistically see the future for many millennia over a galactic population, individual agents with brilliant and powerful minds, folding space technology. For Dune, you have Mentats, statistical geniuses, human computers. Bene Geserat manipulate bloodlines for multigenerational goals. Holtzman Drives. The singular manipulator of all things. Asimov is the Godfather, after all.

[@DEATH111183]

this is something that has always bothered me as a fan of this story series. in the book and movie.... the Harkonon drug Paul and Jessica, to subdue them and take over the palace on arakis. but not only did the baron know that Jessica was a member of the sisterhood. but how did he get her drugged to subdue her?? also a fun fact. a tell someone in the Duniverse is a member of the given house blood lines are very pronounced.... for example, the Harkonon family have red hair..... but a funny thing people often overlook is Jessica has red hair too. spoiler alert but Jessica is the niece of the baron.... when i found this out my mind was blown, then i understood where the Bene Gesserit sisterhood screwed up in their breeding plan. because they wanted to merge the bloodlines of the Atredies family, and the Harkonon family to produce a god long and short.... but they already did when Jessica gave birth to Paul. i could go on for days with this, but oh well. still jazzed about a new film

[@sophiawilson8696]

Jessica was his daughter unknown to her. It was plan Baron plan. Jessica was going have a daughter and have daughter marry the nephew of the Baron.

[@DEATH111183]

@@sophiawilson8696 my bad, i misremembered from another book i was reading. but yeah, jessica was Harkonon, so yeah..... not alot of first timers get that right away, it's only in the later books that it becomes known

[@eyeorigins77]

what font do you use for the thumbnail?

[@RobinJohnstonphotography]

How did Jessica miss the Doctors treachery again?

[@Jadyra]

Yueh's wife was a Bene Gesserit who had probably conditioned him slightly. Jessica does see the signs but doesn't look any further. Probably assuming he couldn't be subverted. The Harkonnens are specialists in breaking conditioning. Layers upon layers.

[@johns1139]

My mom showed her Benet Gesserit voice when I didn't clean the bathroom

[@brentmorris736]

You have the cutest girl voice, love your videos ive learned alot.

[@Davepool-hs7vr]

I think it’s cool that the BG can make any poison ☠️ harmless (to them) once it’s inside their system.

[@msgtpauldfreed]

The original novels by Frank Herbert were gold. I got up to Chapterhouse and wondered what was going on. Never figured it out, but recently tried reading the Butlerian Jihad series only to bog down and lose interest in the over indulgence in cloak and dagger politics (I know, politics were always important in Dune, but this series took it to ad nauseum). Still, from what I gathered, were the Honored Mater's running from the living machines we saw flung out into the Cosmos after the taking of Heidi Prime?

[@quillaja]

In the very very end of Chapterhouse, when Teg et al were flying away from Chapterhouse, they were being observed by some kind of powerful being, which I assumed (possibly incorrectly) to be the "threat" that Honored Matres had fled from. I'm nearly certain that the book describes these beings as basically evolved Face Dancers, the agents the Tleilaxu had sent along with the Scattering but had never reported back. Their power derived from a similar source as Other Memory...basically they had done the face dancer mimicry on so many people that they essentially gained a different form of other memory and immense power.

[@leaiplussize]

in the book to me I saw them as bad guys, to me there were as bad as the baron their agenda was differnt, but that is just me when I read the book

[@InsecureCreator]

They were writen as another form of control, not trough massive armies but careful manipulation of certain people.

[@toddkes5890]

Bad Guys? Why would anyone think they are bad guys? I mean, just because the Emperor of Humanity has BG-trained wife, a BG-trained advisor/Truthsayer, and BG-trained daughters (no sons for 'some reason'), why would you think they are the bad guys? ;)

[@FH-cn3mg]

In Dune they definitely do seem that way, but as the books go on and more of their plan is revealed you sort of get a sense of them being exceptionally patient, exceptionally strict, and demanding mothers for humanity. They aren't necessarily good people, but they believe they are doing what is in the best interest of humanity, which makes them fantastic as an organization and very interesting.

[@jhonrafaelbernardo3025]

@@FH-cn3mg True and the fact that they literally have the ability to be immortal yet chose not to stop their aging process is a testament to their discipline.

[@shawa1939]

WOW!!!

[@lithitrabu3399]

Kinda want to be a Bene Gesserit right now

[@Metrosplash]

It’s Awesome That Frank Herbert Realized, Feminine Strength might exceed Male Truth. And so much more.

[@g.dalfleblanc63]

Controlling others leads to your own death and those you control. Not sure if everyone is capable of realizing true genius is a rare thing, if we take Newton and Einstein as the two true geniuses so far, how many women have we lost because societies deemed them incapable? Then among the poor male and female how many there? We're at a 2/10 for geniuses, which means our chances of survival is probably at about 20%. Of course things have changed but it looks like it swings in the other retarded direction with feminist psychopathy being just as bad as masculinist psychopathy. It's all a game of smearing others and game rigging. These people will be the death of our species when a Great Filter event happens and the person who could have solved it never reached the position they needed to be in, and maybe was never even born.

[@dovgunn2234]

'The way of the voice' in Skyrim always made me think of Dune, especially at the end of the 84 version when Paul uses it without the module. Fos Ro-DA! Unrelenting force mutha cluckaz!.

[@jtownjumpcity5937]

The ability to slow aging down. They didn’t do it that much so not to attract attention. I so love Frank Herbert and all of his series. I still wish he could’ve finished it. What do you think of someone doing all of them in a Anime?

[@NerdCookies]

Would love to see Dune in a Ghibli style. Nausicaä was kind of based on Dune and I love that movie

[@67lionsoflisbon37]

Much prefer the Bene Gesserit. The story behind them indeed the history of the various factions in Dune is way ahead of star wars. The borrowings by the latter are clear to see. Brilliant concept by Frank Herbert RIP.

[@donkeykong4983]

R.I.P ✝️.

[@ron6575]

Question: was the Freman prophecy of “the one” (not sure how to phrase that properly) just a construct of the Missionaria Protectiva, but then ultimately Paul full fills the made up prophecy?

[@goliath9211]

I’m just wondering if a Bene Geserit used her voice to say “command me to use the voice” to another Bene Geserit they will be stuck in a loop and can’t stop saying to each other LoL 😆

[@nil4048]

this might sound weird but youre the only channel that creates dune content and doesnt have a dry mouth lmao

[@NerdCookies]

Lol thanks I'll take it

[@nil4048]

@@NerdCookies if it wasnt for you i probably would have given up reading the first book but now im on the second one, thanks for doing what you do!

[@NerdCookies]

Thank you for the support! IMO, the first 4 books are the best. I'd recommend at least getting through those. I don't blame anyone for stopping after that, it gets a little crazy lol

[@nil4048]

@@NerdCookies oh im planning on reading them all! although i will take my time to digest everything lol

[@lindas.8036]

No closed captions!

[@tarkajedi3331]

Accessing memories would be incredible .... Is it even possible with DNA?

[@gregmarsters2434]

It has been a long time since I read Dune. Do the books only refer to the universe, or does it differentiate the universe from the (Milky Way) Galaxy? Hubble identified Andromeda as extra-galactic in 1923. By the 1960's Astronomy had a good idea that there were many galaxies and space was "vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big".

[@unclefranklin4575]

I just realized the Bene Geserit got Baron Harkonnen to impregnate one of their own, then eventually planned to marry off his granddaughter to another Harkonnen.

[@eclatshwartzbaumcybertune2063]

I like them 😊 …. I kind to want to join lol .