The Rise of the God Emperor | Dune Lore

The God Emperor of Dune Leto Atreides II serves as a central character for much of Frank Herbert’s saga. In this video I discuss the life of Leto II, his rise to power as the God Emperor, and how his rule fundamentally altered the course and fabric of humanity. SPOILER WARNING as I will be talking about significant elements throughout Frank Herbert’s Dune series.
Twitter: / nerd_cookies
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Thumbnail art by Devon Cady-Lee @Gorrem on Instagram www.artstation.com/gorrem
Art Credits
(if I missed your credit or miscredited a photo please let me know via email at [e-mail] and we'll get it sorted out ASAP)
God Emperor of Dune by Furio Tedeschi www.artstation.com/furio
A Bit of Sight by Alex Cristi www.artstation.com/alex314
Paul Atreides Book Cover art by Matt Griffin
Sandworm Book Art by Matt Griffin
God Emperor of Dune by Ebrahel Lurci www.artstation.com/ebrahellurci
Leto II by Andrew Ryan www.artstation.com/andrewryan
The Golden Path Continues by Berkan Özkan Instagram: @berkanozkan_art
God Emperor by Tucker Cullinan www.artstation.com/wintermute
Fish Speaker Art by James Leggett www.artstation.com/legit based on a concept by Alex Boca
Leto Atreides II The God Emperor by Joe Peterson
Siona and Leto By Mirko Calusic www.artstation.com/mirkocalusic
Siona and Leto Atreides 1 God Emperor of Dune by Ivan Kantarovich www.artstation.com/melange
Fantasy Bridge over water Art by Juan Novelletto
God Emperor by Marc Simonetti art.marcsimonetti.com/
Dune Concept Art Illustration 01 by Maxime Desmettre
Leto Atreides II, God Emperor of Dune by Devon Cady-Lee @Gorrem on Instagram www.artstation.com/gorrem
Music Credits - Background Music: Marion - Wanderland
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Facebook / vecerekmichal
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Bandcamp marionmusic.bandcamp.com
Twitter / vecerek_michal
Intro Track Name: "Watching The Clouds" Music By: LAKEY INSPIRED @ / lakeyinspired
Official "LAKEY INSPIRED" KZbin Channel HERE - / @lakeyinspired
License for commercial use: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported "Share Alike" (CC BY-SA 3.0) License.
Information sources:
Frank Herbert’s Dune Novels
dune.fandom.com/wiki
en.wikipedia.org/wiki
creativecommons.org/licenses/...
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Use of any copyrighted material in this video qualifies as fair use.

[@hildriet056]

Imagine how all this started..a 9 year old covered himself in larvae, made himself a biological suit, runs like the Flash, able to control sandworms at will then lasted 3,000 or so years to become half man/half worm who saved humanity by being an absolute asshole to humanity until humanity said 'screw this im going' and yeet themselves into the farthest reach of the universe.

[@CantankerousDave]

Fair summary. I nominate replacing The Scattering with The Yeeting in canon.

[@NRV0]

Dude made the ultimate sacrifice

[@tedwojtasik8781]

Yeah man....those were some AWESOME buttons man

[@semmtexx]

But y tho

[@Imsuper656]

He was physically 9 years old, but he was 'Pre born', he had memories going back thousands of years from his ancestors.

[@WorgenGrrl]

Leto II: The Savior of Humanity by becoming it's most oppressive dictator.

[@BanjoSick]

classic Kissinger politics:)

[@jakegreen5607]

Jesus said he'd got the wheel when I get the reigns🤠👽that's two planets you know of now

[@captainvalourous6668]

Now I can finally see where the Zero Requiem came from. 🙁

[@admiralkabubuto4978]

@@captainvalourous6668 lelouch might have sucu capabilities of a tyrant rule, but Leto II did it with precision and tactful planning

[@captainvalourous6668]

@@admiralkabubuto4978 You forgot another thing. Leto died with the woman he loves on his side while Lelouch perished alone.

[@ThatUmbrellaGuy]

My one hope from all this...getting a movie with the God Emporer

[@NerdCookies]

That would be DOPE 🤩

[@Despotic_Waffle]

Can't wait to see some 40kfans who get converted to the dune fandom when they realise dune somewhat inspired 40k

[@CrazyHorse151]

You really want to see a human worm? Have yet to find a depiction of him on the web I can take serious.

[@michaelfisher7170]

Yeah I'm right there with you. I'd LOVE to see a movie about Leto II.

[@Steve3Thumbs]

Need to recast James Mcavoy as Leto II

[@aloosnackbar2204]

He turned himself into a sandworm, funniest shit i've ever seen

[@WanderfalkeAT]

Well, if that Sandworm is 500 Meters in Lenght and cannot be harmed by anything, also lives for Thousands of Years, has Psycic Powers unimagined by others...

[@masterpbk]

@@WanderfalkeAT I mean he wasn't small but he wasn't 500m, that's 3k feet dude. Like 3 aircraft carriers.

[@alfriesmacdonalds5879]

sounds stupid and disgusting.....

[@VigilanteMike]

I feel like you guys don't seem to understand how terrifying something of that size actually is and not only that but sandworms are incredibly hard to kill so I mean he might not be able to eat someone but he can just simply close its mouth and ram into you or simply command you to kill yourself while he's in it idk

[@alfriesmacdonalds5879]

@@VigilanteMike just pour water on it

[@sveintheberserk]

The whole arc and concept of the Golden Path and The God Emperor is such a crazy concept. It's my favorite thing about the entire series.

[@NR-rv8rz]

Actually, of the Jewish or Christian faith or not, if you read the Old Testament, that is exactly the thread throughout the history of Israel leading up to Jesus. Every story in the Old Testament is basically a recounting of how god manipulated bloodlines to create a lineage that produced Jesus. It even uses the metaphor of 'refining' them generation after generation and you can see certain people being prevented from forming a union to create children and other, unlikely people being brought together as, generation after generation, certain people are brought together until the birth of Jesus. The idea being not that Jesus would guide humanity to be invisible to prescience, but rather, more in line with the ultimate goal of the Bene Geserit, the teachings of Jesus would refine some of the savagery out of humanity. Of course, the Christian world, continue their savage momentum just as the non Christian world did, but they also improved and ultimately, the concept of men serving women (opening doors, offering seats, lifeboats on a sinking ship etc), human rights, giving up slavery, unions, international charity etc all came from Christian society. Yes, so did some savage stuff, but savage stuff is the norm for all humans, loving your enemy is not.

[@sveintheberserk]

@@NR-rv8rz Neat.

[@timnebilton9209]

@@NR-rv8rz I like the summation. I took a similar interpretation from Herbert's intent though I focused more on the refinement of exploration and stewardship over dominance themes throughout the Bible. God's first decree to man was to populate, fill the earth and become stewards of a life within it. Once corruption was introduced into the human strain, man focused only on dominating other man starting with Cain and Abel, Tower of Babel, Ishmael and Isaac and so on. The nation of Isreal and the coming Messiah would become guides back to the pure purpose of man. And after an enforced peace of 1000 yrs be ready for the final test and next step of populating the universe-- finding balance between harmony of purpose and diversity of method that insures the survival of God's matter based lifeforms.

[@NR-rv8rz]

@@timnebilton9209 An elegant and inspiring take on things Timne. Though, my faith tradition varies slightly on that we consider what we call 'The three blessings' to be not just 'procreate and take stewardship of creation, but rather that 'be fruitful means 'grow to indivisual, personal maturity' in other words (as Jesus said) 'be perfect'. Adam and Eve were on track to be perfect before they fell. So it is: Be perfect as an indivudual is the first part, marry and have children so create a family is the second part. Then, have dominion meaning to take charge in responsible stewardship of the Earth. A tree that bears fruit is a sign of a tree that has grown to maturity/completion.

[@cheechee6473]

Children of Dune and God Emperor of Dune was so good, especially after a terrible book like Dune Messiah (I’m sorry that book was sooo freakin boring)

[@stormtreeproductions6477]

Herbert has often said that the story of Paul was to warn people against a charismatic leader. Yet his message seems more confused with the God Emperor because it seems an example of how an absolute authoritarian dictator is actually necessary for human survival. It always felt quite strange to me as if Herbert’s message was that it would take something this terrible for civilization to make it.

[@Alex.Holland]

But its humanity hating Leto, and their act of rejecting his authority, which ultimately saves the species.

[@genmaicha.lapsang]

Also another read on this is that Leto is like an anti-Paul. He’s not charismatic and is a literal monster. But he is doing what is necessary and teaching the lesson of the danger of centralizing power, it becomes oppressive. Also, him being a monster yet doing the good thing for everyone is a play against the idea of a charismatic and likeable person doing the worst for everyone, like his father did.

[@Alex.Holland]

@@genmaicha.lapsang I like your take.

[@Alex.Holland]

:)

[@stormtreeproductions6477]

@@genmaicha.lapsang did you really feel Paul did the worst for everyone? I didn’t feel that. He felt more like Oedipus- trapped by a horrible prophecy, unable to escape it. He tried to mitigate the violence if anything. But I like your theory as to the construction of Leto II.

[@SelwynClydeAlojipan]

This synopsis makes it look as if Book 1 of the Dune series is a prequel like The Hobbit was to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I really appreciate all the work Nerd Cookies is doing and for her expert use of the Voice!

[@playbookshowme484]

Book one was just an eye opener of known past events.

[@Drawnartist]

Expert use of the voice 🤣 love it

[@erikbjelke4411]

*40k Fans:* So, is Leto II supposed to be based on the God-Emperor of Mankind? *Dune Fans:* (rage intensifies)

[@-SayWhatAgainMF-]

Gene manipulation, an all-seeing God-Emperor, warp space navigators, armies of elite fanatical zealots, different guilds with monopolies on shit...am I talking about Dune or 40ks Imperium of Man?

[@erikbjelke4411]

@@-SayWhatAgainMF- Yes.

[@vosieet3222]

40k interstelar traveling is cooler tho via literal hell instead of "blink? fold?.navigator in dune more instresting tho drugged orange human fish

[@jonpaul3868]

1965 novel V 1983 table top games. I leave it there.

[@misterangel8486]

The sacriifice of the God Emperor for humanity will not be forgotten🙏

[@RAINSMAN79]

I thought Trump was the god emperor of mankind

[@rottenmeat5934]

It’s funny because Herbert’s work rejected the messiah. It’s just that no one can write a world without one.

[@Torlik11]

@@RAINSMAN79 Don't you dare mentioning that name in the same sentence as the god emperor. He's not worth half of the Emperor's excrement.

[@moguldamongrel3054]

@@rottenmeat5934 lol ironically he didn't reject the "messiah", since he was writing the quetzakkadurac to have been between the harkonen males and the atreides female. Lol Only it didn't happen the way they wanted lol. Also Herbert seemed to forget that Paul atreides was a fremen first, imperialist second, who was actively at war with the imperial family because of their betrayal of his family to the harkonens, so why Paul wouldn't dismantle the empire after beating the sardukar and the emperor after controlling the only source of spice, has always baffled me. Lmao Actually considering the people who wrote the book, it kinda makes sense. Lol "We" didn't get the "messiah" so "we" reject this "one", and "I'll" write it out so that Paul abandons the fremen and becomes space emperor instead. Lmao man kinda reminds me of another group of people bahahahaha

[@moguldamongrel3054]

And then theirs the whole marrying the princess haughty pants when he already loved chani. And chani basically became his what?mistress? Considering his upbringing as an atreides, and the love he had for his mother, not to mention the qualities instilled in him from the fremen, ditching chani like that never made alot of sense... And yes I'm aware the the marriage of irulan and Paul was political...but what's the point of politics if you already won? If all irulan cared about was the pomp and pageantry, he could have commanded that she hold her wealth but the station was getting dismantled to go in a different direction. She could still have all the luxuries she was accustomed to... I mean he was the boss, and while yes her family would have conspired to reassert themselves since that's all they knew how to do, to the point they couldn't see anything else. Especially if you control the galaxies only spice production and you've already beaten the empires sardukar. It just seemed so, out of character for Paul. I mean he hadn't completely leapt off the "chosen one" bridge yet.

[@Anglomachian]

He had to impress upon humanity a racial memory that would instill in them a desire to never again fall under tyrannical domination. It took three millennia to instill that level of scarring. Three thousand years of oppressing people for their own good. It's hard to know what to think of Leto. Pity is definitely one of them.

[@oclarke31]

That’s very well put. Thank you

[@Anglomachian]

@@oclarke31 holy crap, a positive comment on the Internet. Respond appropriately. Thank you. I typed it myself. :D

[@oclarke31]

@@Anglomachian it was like reading my own thoughts that I couldn’t quite express about the book. Longtime fan of the first dune book (20 years) but only read the following books on this go around. Still not sure how I feel about them haha. Commented that reply coming back from the pub and I’m glad it brought you some joy, as your comment brought me. Much love

[@Anglomachian]

@@oclarke31 I on the other hand only read the first book a few years back after being properly introduced to it by someone at work. I’ve read all of the Herbert books but none of the others. God Emperor is my second favorite after the first one. I love the character of Leto II.

[@federicorudolph949]

I think God emperor doesn't gives an absolute answer because its end is to rather questioning than resolve anything.

[@sammed92]

This blew my mind. God Emperor sacrificing himself to save humanity by creating an uprising against himself which he had planned all along... IQ level 3500

[@swordmonkey6635]

The God Emperor was the "tough love" parent humanity needed. He basically set humanity up by their mutual resentment and fear of his tyranny and upon his death, they were compelled to leave to stagnation of culture and society to spread out. Growth through pain and learning through trauma was Leto II's lesson to humanity by way of The Famine Times and The Scattering.

[@johnedgar7956]

Wow... This is so sadly poignant and depressing, yet amazing at the same time. Paul and his son Leto seem to have been born destined for sadness and tragedy. It makes me wonder how Frank Herbert came up with all this. I don't know much about him, but he must have been a rather cynical fellow, well acquainted with sadness or depression. --Having said that, thank you Nerd Cookies for explaining this for those of us who weren't as familiar with the story.

[@architenthisdux4172]

"Heavy is the head that wears the crown."

[@paulghignon4092]

It's a style of writing. Many plays during the 16th century utilized it, romeo and juliet being an example. It's done because it subverts hopes and expectations, and will be more memorable to those who read or watch it.

[@petercrozier4917]

He used to do a lot of mushrooms hes inspiration for Dune came whilst under the influence

[@davidmorgan5581]

​@@petercrozier4917That makes some sense lmao

[@baronvonslapnuts]

Such a cool balance of power and vulnerability in the same character.

[@robertjorg6645]

Frank Herbert with the Golden Path and Isaac Asimovs Foundation are some of the best works of SciFi. Stories and plans that are not just within one lifetime but spans millenia to serve a greater goal.

[@chasx7062]

Lucky for you Both are about to be released

[@mcrib8330]

It's a good time to be a sci-fi book nerd. 2 of the best series ever written

[@Ni999]

@@chasx7062 Have seen the trailer explaining that Foundation is really a perfect Apple commercial. Lucky is not the word I'd describe about either of these films, other than luckily, I can choose to avoid both.

[@chasx7062]

@@Ni999 I guess you take out of it what you will LOL Orwell's 1984 is now a blueprint for totalitarianism heh

[@Ni999]

@@chasx7062 I took these quotes right out of the official teaser - _Foundation had a huge influence on _*_Star Wars_* and my favorite, _If ever there was a company that sought to connect people it's Apple and that's exactly what Asimov was trying to do._ Add in the major character change with Salvor, just like Liet, and you've got two new adventures that fundamentally don't understand the authors much less respect them and are more than happy to take timeless material and root it in today. You know, that same old Hollywood excuse, _Sci-fi doesn't do well, but I know how to fix it and isn't it exciting that no one ever thought of it before!_ No no, let's just follow the formula and be confused as to how it turns out so badly. So yeah, my takeaway is to get in early on avoiding whatever dumpster fires are coming next. Maybe they can pass through Paramount and then Chibnail for their next reboots. There's some subtlety about your 1984 reference I'm missing. It was an indictment and a warning - so - do you mean that instead it's literally a blueprint now for building totalitarianism? I wouldn't be surprised nor say that you're wrong. Personally I feel like it's all a nightmare where Animal Farm met Fahrenheit 451 but you may be right.

[@frankrobinsjr.1719]

I think that Hwi Noree's greatest regret was meeting the God-Emperor. Her empathic abilities made her aware of what was done to her and how she had been used to trap Leto II. How horrific it must have been to understand the pain a man felt by giving up his love of family, his ability to feel love, and the immense amount of time he bore that burden just to have others try to destroy it again and again.

[@fernandauribe2503]

Nunca la sentí arrepentida del todo, en su última conversación estaba tranquila, después de todo, para ella solo era un día normal... para él y Leto

[@lennoxshepherd3905]

The explanation of the golden path here is giving me a better understanding of another god emperor

[@OdintheGermanShepherd]

Your videos are always great. I hope the movies go this far in the story.

[@MisterZimbabwe]

"Prescient Man overdoses on worm poop in the desert, fuses with worm on a cellular level and gets super powers, turns into K-Mart Jabba the Hutt." Who co-wrote this arc, cocaine?

[@Blynat]

Its not poop Its a chemical reaction that happens after a worms death. But it is nuts. that's why many like it.

[@redthursday]

Yeah, this is a wacko sci-fi plot line for sure, but calling the God Emperor (the prescient, omnipotent, nearly immortal ruler of the whole of the known universe) a "Kmart" version of a boss of the Giant Slug Mafia is way off the mark. Also, Leto begins his transformation in 'Children of Dune' 1976, a year before Jabba's first graphic appearance in the Star Wars comics in 1977, and is fully "fleshed out" in 'God Emperor of Dune' 1981, two years before Jabba's first on-screen appearance in 'Return of the Jedi' in 1983.

[@Cbricklyne]

@@redthursday Holy Crap!!!! Did you really think he was being serious??!?!? Geeez

[@captiannemo1587]

Some of us take Starwars seriously.

[@originalketchup7498]

@@Cbricklyne don't fuck with nerds dude

[@richarddeese1991]

Thanks. One review of this novel stated simply, "What Herbert has drawn is the most complex and mystifying character in science fiction." I agree. I've read & reread the original 6 books in this series many, many times. I always get something new out them. For me, it's not only about the story or the world that Herbert created. It's about the philosophy, the analysis, and the mental connections one can make between things here in our reality. It will alter your consciousness. tavi.

[@federicorudolph949]

As Siona said, the Golden path was true, but we can't just forgive nor forget the things that the emperor did. That's the question in Dune: does the end justify the means? Siona understand the end, but she rejected the means, and she was right to do so.

[@Kaslor1000]

Man, this series is a masterpiece in so many aspects.

[@Marcelo83uk]

The more I see of this the more I want to learn! Only read the first book and played the games so this channel and quinns just expands and blows my dune mind everyday!

[@PathsUnwritten]

Really glad I came across this channel. Thank you for the great videos on scifi!

[@angiejoy3802]

Your videos are such a treat. Solid lore, well-explained, and the accompanying visuals are curated perfectly. Thank you Nerd Cookies!

[@1977Yakko]

The abilities of the God Emperor make the Sith Emperors and such seem tame by comparison.

[@TheRadivoje]

Nope.

[@TheMelancholicWriter]

Nah, the Sith have a lot more versatility and diversity in their abilities.

[@mdc3227]

@@TheMelancholicWriter You've obviously never read God Emperor of Dune. Leto is omniscient. He can see the past and future in it's entirety and stretch his consciousness across the entire known universe which he uses to lock trillions into his vision of the future. He possesses superhuman speed, strength and reflexes as far as being completely impervious to physical injury and is immortal. Even before his full ascendancy Leto was casually lifting starships off the ground and mind fucking thousands of people at a time. There is nothing a Sith Lord or Jedi Master could do to Leto that would even phase him. His perfect clairvoyance would make it so he could anticipate every move they made years before they made it. They wouldn't be able to hurt him even if given the opportunity seeming as though Leto can tank battle-ship caliber weaponry. The only person that comes close would be EU Sidious but this would depend on the writing. Leto stomps the entire Jedi and Sith orders simultaneously.

[@Sloimer]

@@TheMelancholicWriter yo mama

[@Sykohsis]

@@mdc3227 I would love to see a fight with Leto vs the God Emperor of Mankind from Warhammer 40k. The God Emperor from 40k pretty much has the same amount of power for the most part. Not to mention that a majority of his power is holding back chaos (chaos entities reside in the Warp and are by far the most powerful enemies of mankind) as well as using his immense psychic abilities to project the Astronomicon. Without the Astronomicon, human vessels would not be able to travel through the Warp just like how without spice, navigators would be useless. And yes, before anyone says anything, the God Emperor from 40k was inspired by the God Emperor from Dune.

[@johnwong8146]

Thanks so much for synopsis! There were so many things I missed and you cleared up with the video. It makes me appreciate the book so much more.

[@henrysaizofficial]

I’m addicted to your videos! Thank you so much for all the info and the great quality content! ❤️

[@Brainfryde]

Great summary of the Leto II era of rule :) Few note the difference between the memories, which are separated by gender, and the past egos, which are only limited by genetic lines. It should be remembered that Leto's rule was much smaller than his time of manipulating the houses of power, which goes on for thousands of more years through his journals. Great video as always :)

[@runswithphantoms1757]

Yo, is that actually an emoji of _Sting as Feyd Rautha?!_

[@NerdCookies]

It's a special channel members only emoji

[@DarthLee117]

Only recently discovered your channel but so glad I did, have loved your videos on Dune, it's made me even more excited for the upcoming film but also to finally actually read the books of Hank Ferberts universe.

[@ailingsoong3113]

I have never read any sci if novels but after watching the movie I’ve become addicted to this frank herbert series. It is honestly fascinating. And these programs created by ultimate fans are just so great to get entrenched in the dune universe. Thanks for the content. Love it

[@georgewilliams8448]

Another excellent and informative video. Thank you for all the time and effort that you devote to each of these videos.

[@allisonwade4840]

I've always wondered if Frank Herbert intended to skip ahead 3,500 years... or found he had written himself into a corner. The same thing kinda happens in Dune itself. The jump from Muad'ib to the Prophet is 2 years, and Herbert just sort of glossed over that Chani bore Paul his first son (at a tender young age), that he accrued a squad of death commandos, that he united the various sietches into a single force, and all in only 2 years. I think that Herbert just didn't have the pedestrian details in his head.

[@donnyemig6001]

It took 3500 years because he needed arrakis to be transformed

[@clydedoris5002]

the ending really felt rushed and ruined my desire to read the rest of the books after this video im no longer interested in the series

[@nicksillver]

Clyde Doris you should give them a go mate. The end of book one is pretty poor and definitely rushed. I’ve just finished book four and loved them all. The writing and depth matures with each book

[@STohme]

Excellent video as it is usual with Nerd Cookies, congratulations. Frank Herbert Dune story is complex (several written books) and the video gives a very good overview and relevant explanations allowing to understand better this complex universe. Many thanks.

[@HVLLOWS1999]

Asimov's Foundation Series Herbert's Dune Series & Simmons Hyporion Series Are so far feeling and beyond. I love the vibes. SCIFI is great.

[@hajorm.a3474]

Dune and Hyperion took a lot of things from Foundation

[@kp-da]

I'm brand new to Dune and this explanation helped me understand so much. Thank you!!

[@walkswithwounds]

I love listening to your voice. Its so sweet and gentle and soothing. Sometimes I drift off like a baby, not even knowing or caring what you are saying, just happy to be swattled in the sound of your voice. You are my Hwi Noree.

[@Jared_Wignall]

These Dune videos are always interesting. Keep up the great work!

[@SummerYeti]

What stands out most to me was his manifestation. He must have had consciousness for hundreds if not thousands of years prior to being born as Leto, giving himself time to understand the bloodline requirements to generate a physical body with the right characteristics as well as time to subtly guide the efforts of the spice witches.

[@reckoner1913]

What's manifestation?

[@Dadecorban]

........

[@SummerYeti]

@@reckoner1913 it's found in a dictionary

[@Jerubarbaruah]

Where was such a concept articulated in the series? Or is this one of those weird things Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson added to the series?

[@SummerYeti]

@@Jerubarbaruah neither, this is out of my own creativity

[@cesarespinozaspain]

The Sacrifice Leto II made for humanity, living all those countless years, without the physical comfort of others, and only your genetic memory and his unbreakable duty to his species to keep him sane. Even though many despised and hated him, he bore their anger hate and loathing, to protect them, and to set them free, Humanity owes Leto II a debt that could never be re-payed. God Emperor's do sacrifice everything for humanity (Warhammer 40K) "When I set out to lead humanity along my Golden Path I promised a lesson their bones would remember. I know a profound pattern humans deny with words even while their actions affirm it."

[@tellurianapostle]

Did anyone even read the book or do they just like roleplay 40k? He led interstellar genocide and has a line about how he led humanity to darkness, laughing when he says something that Hitler had said before him lmao.

[@christopherbouier1089]

I was wondering if you were going to expand this series beyond the Paul Era/ first book. Glad you did and enjoyed the synopsis as usual. But the way I remember it Irulan undertook the contraceptive program of her own volition out of pure spite and jealousy in hopes that Paul with whom she had fallen in love would turn to her to bear the royal heir instead of a barren Chani and that love of him was also the reason she protected the children after his disappearance and fully renounced her Bene Gesserit affiliation becoming completely a loyal member of House Atreides. And also I remember Paul not being able to see Ghani in his vision, hence him naming her Ghanima: the spoils of war, because she was the bonus that he had acquired alongside Leto. And finally the way I understood Siona's mutation was that it was an invisibility to prescience that worked as part of her or her descendants' being without having to have their own prescience activated and in use; and that it was more effective than the "mechanics" of an oracle canceling another oracle because Leto could perceive other oracles to an extent but even before her prescient awakening Siona would vanish from even his prescient sight. Then again it's been at least 10 years since I read any of these books so I could be remembering incorrectly... Regardless though in my opinion Leto's arc really is the central theme of the saga and all of Dune's story really is his story (his heritage and circumstances, his reign and actions , and the consequences of his having been): all of "time" and all of "humanity" was focused and contained in him and his actions, and no greater sacrifice was or could ever have been made in that universe than the one he made and continued to make through the next-gen worms of the latter books. And the last time I did read any of these books I started with God-Emperor. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on Darwi Odrade and Miles Teg! Keep em coming!

[@AssKrak69]

Just found your channel and have binged quite a few videos already. Really great content. Keep up the good work.

[@NerdCookies]

Thank you!

[@dankuchar6821]

An excellent understanding of the novels is shown in these videos. Congratulations!

[@northernzeus768]

God Emperor and Chapter house are my 2 favorite books. They are deep… thoughtful and bring the religious tones of the dune series to the fore. Nice job,👍

[@JessWLStuart]

The notion of a hybridized human / Sandworm is genius. I wonder what Frank Herbert's inspiration was?

[@joshportal2808]

H P Lovecraft had a few ideas when it came to hybrid humans.

[@zachburskey8868]

I believe what was behind it was the symbolism of natural processes trump artificial ones. The Kwisatch Haderach wasn't ultimately born from forced marriages and breeding but from the love of a woman who refused to not bear children to the man she loved. The saduarkar were criminals put in an artificial environment to be killers, where the Fremen were humans simply existing in a natural environment. For most of the books the goal is to make Arrakis into a paradise world, but that would kill the sandworms, kill spice production, and in turn doom humanity as withdrawal from spice was death. So Leto merging with the sand trout is in a way the merging of the machinations of man with the merging of the natural cycle. Leto doesn't see himself as a person anymore but a device that is needed to spur humanity onto something greater.

[@Grumbledookvid]

We all dream of becoming worm men deep down

[@JeffCaplan313]

Lots of psilocybin. If you do a bunch, the idea that civilization came as a result of AND FOR THE BENEFIT OF "doing" mushrooms seems to be a little less crazy.

[@xFuzzyxPicklesx]

Mushrooms and acid

[@BimboBaggings]

Wow, i just realized how Leto's story in its full resembles that of any religious figure. The idea of sacrificing yourself for humanity's sake, the people whether despising or worshipping that idea, whether or not you see religion as bad or good, the outcome is a cycle of bloodshed and rebuilding.

[@SwiddyDiddy]

Reminds me a lot of Lelouch from Code: Geass

[@Roguemiester]

Not only did he sacrifice himself but he did it with the knowledge he would live 3500 years knowing it. 3500 years living a story you already know, what a hellish existence.

[@captainvalourous6668]

@@SwiddyDiddy Well I think this is where they got the idea of Zero Requiem.

[@carson21211]

Captivating stuff. The fact that it took loads of psychedelics and a hybrid human-worm merging to finally bring mankind to peace is indicative of our current situation. Only a hail-marry miracle can save us from certain demise. We must unify. The spice must flow.

[@callithasmed8468]

He didn't bring peace; he helped them genetically adapt to their reliance on technology and ensured that the entire human race could not be destroyed.

[@carson21211]

@@callithasmed8468 Ah, I see. So he brought stability. Thanks for the reply my friend.

[@ValirAmaril]

the spice must flow

[@jimclark2824]

@@carson21211 Leto enforced tranquility. Those are his words, not mine. He did not bring peace or stability. He brought a scattering. Human kind fled to all corners of the universe to fulfill an instinct to not be oppressed. Leto created this instinct by enforcing tranquility (sometimes brutally).

[@nemo99nemo83]

Nobody said anything of peace ;)

[@charlesc2095]

God Emperor of Dune was that just last sprinkle in the saga that solidified the idea that its probably the best series written, ever. Everything that happened in the 1st book, all the way to the beginning of time tied up neatly. To this day I still find myself in awe with everything that happened in the 4th book.

[@milliashford8148]

this channel is so AEESTRUCK! I found it a while ago but just recently blitz watched a bunch of these videos

[@robertsosna3557]

The rise and transformation of Leto II had always fascinated me. As well as its effects on Leto II was unique for any character I previously experienced. I wish Frank Herbert had written more about the character. I would have loved to see more adventures of the God-Emperor between Children of Dune and God-Emperor of Dune. As well as any adventures of Siona after God-Emperor.

[@theImpalerman]

Love your work! Keep it up!

[@NerdCookies]

Thank you!

[@hentaimonster]

Impressive how you summed it up in 13 minutes. Not an easy feat with how dense the material is.

[@toddk2737]

Great summation

[@mikepette4422]

really enjoy your takes. love your channel

[@NerdCookies]

Thank you!

[@tarkajedi3331]

Your work is Fabulous !!! It is marvelous to listen to someone who gets the work to such depth.

[@jfranks1295]

I feel this book was the culmination of Herbert’s message to all of us. In the first three Dune books he illustrated the folly of blindly following leaders. In the God Emperor of Dune he envisioned how humanity could truly evolve beyond it’s self-destructive tendencies and survive in perpetuity. The brilliance of Leto’s journey was that he used humanities curiosity to push them into the future and tempered their desire to be led, and through enforced peace at that. My favorite book of the series. Ultimately, I consider it to be the true ending of the saga, since he was never able to complete the next “chapter” of our potential future.

[@jazzwarren6941]

The point about Irulan causing Chani’s death isn’t necessarily true. Paul saw through his prescience that Chani would die if she gave birth again, so Irulan preventing her pregnancy would, therefore, extend Chani's life in Paul's eyes. However, Chani was pretty much going to die no matter what Paul did, so in the end, Irulan was just staving off the inevitable. In a way she was keeping her alive.

[@essanance]

Your videos are amazing and your voice so calm and soothing

[@SnakeBiteKisssS]

Love this channel. Good stuff

[@pEMDASist]

Having briefly studied the concept of the left and right hand path - and also having read the Celestine Prophecy, a modern copy of the Kybalion and a few other obscure reads...this gave me goosebumps on another level and ive never read a page of the Dune series (which is going to change VERY soon)

[@paul20g20]

Thats why the revelations say of an anti-christ uniting the world as One and everyone worshipping as the savior of mankind. But then Jesus comes in and takes the kingdom. But a science-fiction based story is more interesting than a real fucking thing that happens. Oh well magic and miracles are fAkE ..

[@med.ismailmouline7094]

Im a leave a comment to look for these books

[@pEMDASist]

@@med.ismailmouline7094 the Secret Teachings of All Ages by Manly P Hall is a must-have as well

[@Magnificent7Seven]

I read the first book many years ago as we traveled out to visit my uncle who is a big Dune fan and had sent me the book. I had a hrd time plowing through the book. I only read the backs of the following books so these summary's are very helpful! Thank you.

[@smeghammer305]

I’ve seen so many of these videos that I think I could have actually spent my time reading the books

[@mithrander12345]

You sure do a great job with all these dune videos

[@NerdCookies]

Thank you!

[@kennethschweighardt4920]

I believe the Golden Path was a necessary evil. People function best in Freedom, that was removed by The Tyrant purposefully. I would also like to humbly point out as I understand the book, Leto II was kidnapped and held hostage. His captors plowed him with spice in order to solicit a vision out of him. Leto II did not 'plan' on taking that much spice, it was forced upon him by his captors. I really enjoyed your presentation. Thank-you for taking the time.

[@rajoosamy201]

You’re videos n sharing a are incredibly wonderfully satisfying. Thank you.

[@XxIkeWittxX]

Leto wasn't exactly god but he was more or less omniscient. And he could see far enough into the future to ensure humanity survives. The sacrifice he made was huge. How old was he when he made the choice his father could not?

[@ExodusPaddy]

Excellent video. Quality Content 👍🇬🇧

[@ScaryBaldMan]

Great video about Leto II and his Golden Path. It's one of the most fascinating aspects of the entire Dune sage. I would love to see you do an analysis of Duncan Idaho, his many ghola copies, and his ultimate version in Heretics of Dune.

[@SardaukarSentinel]

Nice touch for using Marion - Wanderland as the background music.

[@versatilevizions5109]

All your vids are good IMO, but this one, by far, was my favorite.🤙🏼

[@NerdCookies]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@playbookshowme484]

As time goes on in Dune you might think it as a Horror novel, except the scary house is a universe, a universe we wish we never knew, some might be brave enough to try and live in.

[@federicorudolph949]

I found quite grotesque the transformation of Leto, gave me a lot of anxiety... so yes. Also the description of his death, the sandstrout dismembering him and turning him into semi-conscious pieces. God, fucking horrible man.

[@anarwally]

One of the sadest things in literature is that Herbert died before he could finish the entire Dune saga.

[@shanenolan8252]

Sweet thanks elaine and nick. Im listening to the audiobook of it for the fourth or fifth time .

[@handofgod9386]

Great video. Thank you.

[@SDM121888]

Leto’s story is one self sacrifice, of seeking power not for ones self but for one’s people. To sacrifice yourself and your humanity to ensure to continuation of the species, knowing full well in the end you’ll be hated for it. It’s the ultimate form of self sacrifice.

[@crushedscouter9522]

Lol no its not. Its a story of ego. Humanity chooses its own destiny. One man saying “no, i know better than all of you” is the definition of an evil egomaniacal tyrant

[@oskartengberg8792]

Great vid. Please do Duncan as well!

[@jeffreyfuller5105]

As a teacher, I can relate to conspiring for the betterment of others. It is a strange path to walk. In the end, like with Leto II, some of your greatest accomplishments will not even be understood to have taken place. I think Leto's story is also a nod to a true moral path. As human beings, we are drawn to charismatic and attractive people automatically, and many of them take advantage of it. In fact, I think it is almost impossible not to take advantage of an excess of any sort of resource because you lose respect for it, an understanding of its value. Therefore, a truly moral person with power to do so should refrain from attracting, enticing, manipulating, persuading others because not only does it give you control over them, it also devalues your own ability to appreciate resources like love and devotion. What is left then? A person with power must go about setting others free, and, unfortunately, the easiest way to do that is to have those people hate and mistrust them and others like them and learn to rely on themselves. Zen masters practice a version of this. They will often abuse disciples in order to disabuse them of their misconceptions involving value. Show them, in a sense, that desire is pain.

[@rebeccarebeccaa2515]

I just realized that there was a difference in Alia and the twins becoming preborn. Alia had her mothers guidance during the event but the twins didn't have their mothers help. Also Alia had the event happen at a certain time while there might not have been a specific event that lead to the twins being preborn. Could that also be a reason why the twins turned out differently?

[@berryhomchas]

Once again your fresh-from-oven pan of Nerd Cookies offer the smoky spice biscuits we all crave. I agree with other commenters that Leto The God Emperor is by far the most interesting character in Frank Herbert’s Duniverse. He blends the role of the classic Trickster with that of mankind’s ultimate predator. Although Herbert himself described his books as his exploration of the Messiah Mystique, when both Paul and Alia became aware of the sacrifice necessary they turned away from the Golden Path. By becoming the God Emperor Leto was the only Atreides strong enough to offer their own life to save the universe: a life of over 3,000 years of being a herdsman of ungrateful and rebellious humans. On a random note many readers have wondered why there are no “aliens” in the books but they fail to realize that in the Duniverse it is the humans that created aliens from themselves: Bene Gesserit, Guild Navigators, Mentats and, beyond most readers’ imagination, the God Emperor. Thank-you again for the nerd cookies. They go great with spice coffee!

[@MrFreakybeer]

Great comment! thank you 😊

[@Feirelyth]

Yes but he set all that in motion because there was a hostile alien force beyond the galaxy he was trying to protect humanity from

[@berryhomchas]

@@Feirelyth …and that “hostile alien force beyond the galaxy” was the Honored Matres from The Scattering fleeing the superior Face Dancers…

[@zhaojiuling2960]

watching all these short clips made me want to buy the books so much haha

[@Roni62]

Great job 👏

[@Tommy1977777]

this is excellent.

[@Tuberiascaesar]

I would have loved to have know what Frank Herbert really planned for the final books.

[@MastaFista]

They all scattered and reverted into into a mech based society, the only difference is, they're not vulnerable to mindfucks anymore.

[@natporter5817]

I swear these people's response to any problem is just to consume a massive amount of spice

[@xnotic24]

FANTASTIC JOB!!!:

[@papamoore4341]

They need to make movie of this

[@armandvasquez2704]

God emperor is probably my favorite in the series

[@austinharris9077]

Same!

[@zhitchcresttail3387]

Same, it makes me dislike Duncan though I'll admit

[@zhitchcresttail3387]

Or I guess I should say, this version of Duncan.

[@austinharris9077]

@@zhitchcresttail3387 He was kinda bad, wasn't he? "Hwi!" was a lot of his dialog. XD

[@armandvasquez2704]

@@zhitchcresttail3387duncan was totally deconstructed in GEoD. He was astronomically down bad

[@gilbja01]

Amazing as always, Thank you!

[@jessesmith-garcia5313]

Crazy story, but totally awesome and kinda beautiful at the end..

[@mshea12341]

Your great video made me think: if Norma Senva (daughter of the Reverend Mother)built the guild, did she force the mutation in the Navigators or did it happen naturally? If she forced it is she also responsible for Leto II having the understanding to create the Golden Path?

[@tateantrim2203]

I've wondered this myself...was she able to foresee the golden path and actually manipulated the blood lines to bring about Paul -> Leto II -> etc??? Could she see the "fork in the road" - the path that lead to destruction or the path that lead to a new step??? She could after all manipulate space-time at will which I find enormously intriguing and I doubt she let any guildsman get to her level of development. Norma Senva is as much a character I'd like to see developed as GEoD has been.

[@hucklebuck411]

Great synopsis of The God Emperor Leto II. I couldn't add a thing.

[@playbookshowme484]

A few keynotes left out so read the books.

[@Ghhyuttgg]

Christ, that was complicated!

[@SaltyBob355]

I’ve never read the books, but this sounds off the wall bonkers!

[@arrozconmgtow5026]

Wow...having slow-read and currently 'audible reading' the entire series I don't remember jack squat about a certain gene that masks against prescience. I just remember the Atreides name being synonymous with badassery. I was in my late 20s when I powered through the primary series and the Herbert/Anderson prequels and sequels so you'd have thought I would have caught some of this stuff.

[@marknovak6498]

Seemed that part of his plan was to isolate humans on their respective planets for close to the time of our own recorded history on earth. This effectively pressed the reset button on the human race to start over in there spreading. But this time, instead of one planet of origin there were thoughts of them making loyalty to a centralized authority impossible and they sharted to race into the unknown.

[@NR-rv8rz]

Can you do a video on Norma. I think she was some human who became some kind of god figure in a different dimension. I believe the last Duncan was able to contact her but she was annoyed about being distracted from whatever it was that she was doing in another dimension and didn't seem too concerned whether humanity survived or not. I don't really know what kind of being she is and would like to hear more.

[@TookieMacSpookie]

This was excellent..

[@warren286]

I'd love to see the reemergence of the thinking machines, which I would think be immune to prescience via shear calculation power.

[@jackuber7358]

I think that the follo-on novels described a dystopia of horrific proportions. Maranatha!