The Bene Gesserit Explained | Dune Lore

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WARNING - THIS VIDEO CONTAINS DUNE SPOILERS
Learn about the ancient order of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood in Frank Herbert's Dune Universe and their intentions for the human race
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[@kallistiX1]

I've always felt like the Sisterhood misunderstood Paul. He was exactly what they schemed for, through his son their goals was achieved. Painfully, certainly. But, task failed successfully.

[@AllisonMoon-SheWandersFeral]

Nobody can predict clearly. They see what they want or fear, but not without their own filters…

[@jennabronson4704]

He just wasn’t theirs to control. His son spanked them even harder.

[@LaineyBug2020]

They wanted one they could control. They miss stepped not discouraging Shadam from trying to take out the Atreides. If they had kept Paul away from the Fremen, Jessica would have had Alia on Caladan and she could still have been paired with Feyd.

[@thomasjackson721]

The issue was also an oversight that they wanted a son from a Harkonnen male and Atreides daughter to control the son of the two biggest houses, but there’s a secret that Jessica was Baron Harkonnen’s secret daughter, so their kind of goal/prophecy already came true.

[@malhenning1608]

it may of been Herbert's subtle warning to feminists. This perfect integrated man you want, you won't be able to control

[@BlueSkyCountry]

Dune is an amazing blend of both sci fi and high fantasy. It has starships, advanced tech, and energy weapons. It also has castles, chivalry, knights, damsels in distress, magic, sorcery, and dragons (sandworms). Dune was also a direct inspiration of both ASOIF (Game of Thrones) and Warhammer 40K.

[@Mayakran]

Not to mention Star Wars

[@RiverSprite30]

George RR Martin basically copied tolkien, lovecraft, and real history, and blended it all together. I'm surprised the man hasn't been sued for some form of copyright litigation. Everything's a copy of something else. Everything was inspired by something else. And before that, before we started copying each other, nature inspired us. But yes, you are right. George RR Martin basically copied everyone... Made me like the series less. Especially when you consider that Lovecraft was a Nazi. But I don't see a lot of people defending the Jewish these days, because they're white, and Democrats run everything, and they only defend the minority, and with Jewish people being white, Democrats aren't able to capitalize on that. It doesn't get them about. But they know that if they defend palestine, Islam, and middle easterners, then they will get the vote in this country from those groups. It ain't that hard to figure it out.

[@BlueSkyCountry]

@@RiverSprite30 The Democrats don't defend the minorities, they exploit them for votes, and many have woken up to the fact that they had been played.

[@N8N88]

@@RiverSprite30what???

[@TyBe-uo4ud]

@@RiverSprite30 literally, all media copies each other. no, TAKES INSPIRATION, is more like it.

[@mojojim6458]

A ten thousand year selective breeding program.

[@calistafalcontail]

They are kinda like the Illuminati (according to the conspiracy). Infiltrating elites, social engineering and greedy for power.

[@StephNuggs]

Reversed habsburg

[@anothertarnishedone5960]

Probably the most alluring part of Dune's lore.

[@amacuro]

Yeah I think part of Villeneuve's success comes from focusing so much on the Bene Gesserit. So many amazing scenes with them.

[@danieldevito6380]

Definitely

[@danieldevito6380]

​@@amacuroCouldn't agree more! They're incredibly fascinating and he did a fantastic job at making them feel so mysterious and mystical without having them come off as text book witches.

[@amacuro]

​@@danieldevito6380 yes, and don't get me started on their costumes.

[@danieldevito6380]

The future in Dune is absolutely terrifying.

[@DaciValt]

You should see Warhammer lol. At least in Dune they get centuries of blissful (yet tyranical) peace and tranquility lol.

[@michaelodonnell824]

The Bene Gesserit purpose in POWER - their own power and arrogance...

[@TheLorebrarians]

Yes, and I think the sisterhood is a great example of how alluring and dangerous power can be. Even through indirect methods of weilding it they are still corrupted by it. They also strike me as an example of how much time can warp reality, what are your interpretations?

[@rosebroady6618]

These videos are fantastic. Reading Dune feels a bit like understanding modern politicals without snd knowledge of the basics of human history. These videos help fill in tge gaps so i can make sense of nuances of their world and religion

[@SyahmiLaggger]

There is a specific term used for the observation technique in the Dune series. It is called "gestalt". Can be used as a noun and as a verb.

[@MarcelinoToysExpress]

Doesn’t mean one from many or a combination of sorts.

[@Pumkintale]

hypnosis too

[@SyahmiLaggger]

@@MarcelinoToysExpress yeah. thats the definition from normal dictionary. in the context of Dune, it is a made-up word by Frank Herbert for almost-supernatural observation capability.

[@MiucciaPradaify]

Priming also, the priming effect, occurs when an individual's exposure to a certain stimulus influences their response to a subsequent prompt, without any awareness of the connection.

[@calistafalcontail]

Gestalt is the german word for design/form or appeareance...the verb is gestalten. Its not a made up word, he just took it.

[@apx476]

What an amazingly written presentation 👏 thank u for the great work

[@ashtinanne5836]

the Fremen sayyadinas use the water of life which is a spice derivative to achieve prescience. an awareness spectrum narcotic is all that's needed, not every bene gesserit must use spice

[@BlueSkyCountry]

The Fremen's branch of Islam called Zensunni actually exists in our world. It is called Sufiism, and it is a meditative, mystical form of Islam that were followed by many nomadic conquering powers of the past, like the Seljuks and Ottoman Turks.

[@jcho806]

Here we also have a powerful sisterhood that rules the Earth, they're called ANTS.

[@MFLimited]

Wait

[@Anthony_Gx]

Hahha well they don’t particularly RULE earth

[@KanoniaMakesMusic]

We're making it all the way back to the library of Alexandria with this one 🔥🔥

[@JacksonKruse-k7j]

This man whipped out the thesaurus with this one

[@wolfattacker1]

Haha

[@wanderingseth]

It's annoying to be honest. Good writing doesn't pack in as many ten-dollar words as it can.

[@travismcgrath6917]

Maybe dune isn't for you?

[@Dr_Larken]

I was wondering why you thought he used a thesaurus? it wouldn’t make sense to spend all that time trying to come up with various words, then looking them up to replace them. Finally ending up with the script or writing the script and then going back over it with a thesaurus! I get it though, especially if you live in America! When kids can barely even read! One would assume such things when interacting or listening to someone with an extensive vocabulary!

[@honeygirlryn236]

I found this comment funny✨

[@UpsetFather]

Dune is wild. I'd love to see an animated series to visually expand on the universe more. The live action is fun, but is far more limited where animation is not. Maybe I'll check the comics out 🤷 anyone know if they're worth it?

[@MROJPC]

I did not know there was a comic available, but there are several books written by Frank Herbert who created the original story. He originally intended 7 books, but completed 6. They cover thousands of years of history with the first 3 books (Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune) covering the first decades after House Atreides comes to the Planet Arrakis and final book (Chapterhouse Dune) taking place about 5,000 years after Paul Atreides. There is also a Dune Encyclopedia that was authorized by Herbert and contains tons of background and historical information, bur it went out of print and is very rare. The 6 books, however, greatly expand the Dune Universe and take it into some amazing, far reaching ideas. Aside from that there are also some prequel novels written by Herbert’s son, Brian Herbert, and Kevin J Anderson, but there is disagreement about whether they are faithful or not to Frank Herbert’s original vision.

[@michaeltrent2726]

Right?!?!?? Imagine a 3D ultra HD anime style

[@windturbinesyndrome1067]

There are comic novels my library have them. They do a good job with synopsis of the book.

[@tomwinston6758]

Great summary, enjoyed it.

[@mrpeacecraft]

Great video (as always) and I think the lore of "The World of Darkness" would be really fitting your style.

[@sailorcitrus6505]

I second this

[@lainiefrye8249]

All that a BG becomes thru methodical learning of multiple disciplines very much reminds me of an ‘accomplished lady’, like in the days of Pride and Prejudice.

[@amitadhikari7796]

Just started reading dune this past weekend

[@TheLorebrarians]

Enjoy the adventure! A truly grand epic that captures the imagination

[@azalea9]

It’s been a minute- how are you finding the book?

[@LaineyBug2020]

Could you do the many lives of Duncan Idaho?

[@TheLorebrarians]

Appreciate the suggestion! A very unique character for sure

[@AdmiralSpaceballs]

i never understood why the sisters never got themselves a mentat , seems like someone who knows probabilities will be of great help

[@leroymcleroyify]

Waiting 1:03 just to learn how to pronounce Ben’s Gesserit, thank you friend

[@MFLimited]

Bene

[@leroymcleroyify]

@@MFLimited damn, got it

[@nandobritto]

Maaaaaaaaaan

[@AlejandroMadrid-tn1gp]

My favorite sisters Taraza, Odrarde, Lucilla, and Lady Jessica.

[@syferpolski4344]

I have to try reading Dune beyond the original book some day... Maybe once I'm done with the Culture series :D

[@carloscrecelius9597]

In my opinion the best books in the series are the last two, Heretics and Chapterhouse. It's a damn shame that Frank died before finishing the story.

[@PilotFlo]

not worth it

[@adamplentl5588]

Why?@@PilotFlo

[@PilotFlo]

@@adamplentl5588 They're boring, badly written, make oftentimes no sense (in Universe) lack the depth of the original and go in some points against canon

[@margaretburr7975]

​@@PilotFlothey didn't make any sense to me. They were too weird for me, should have stopped at Children of Dune!

[@Liz86000]

Fascinating.

[@chikomufc]

Great video mate. Thanks

[@headphoneactivist]

W video. thank you.

[@TheLorebrarians]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Esandeech2]

Omg.. Sorceress Ultimecia is a Bene Gesserit!!

[@kerryclay1806]

no fr. her, bayoneta and evelyn salt (from the movie salt)

[@tironhawk1767]

Could I ask where I might find that awesome font used in the captions?

[@TheLorebrarians]

"Dune Rise" on Dafont

[@MFLimited]

Nuns! Are they really witches? Or is that more of a condescending term? Are they really priestesses? Are they nuns? Bene Gesserit (which means ‘ properly done’ in Latin)Always sounded to me like Bene Jesuits (the proper Jesuits). The Jesuits being the Society of Jesus, a Roman Catholic order of priests founded by St Ignatius Loyola and St Francis Xavier. There are no Jesuit nuns, so no actual order would be offended. But the similarity was not lost on me. I think they’re nuns and priestesses the most powerful among them being the popess

[@o5ben000]

Why are the words going crazy at the beginning. Like AI got the dictionary and thesaurus going quantum speed.

[@MFLimited]

?

[@karenshort3880]

They did not teach the fermen the weirder way

[@ryanmussell739]

Is pauls sister speaking to her mother in the womb mentioned in the books ?

[@TheLorebrarians]

Yes, she is a pre-born. She becomes self-aware and conscious before being born. Because of the spice agony interaction, she has all her Other Memories opened to her before being born as well

[@stuartburns8657]

I don't think it's close to how it's portrayed in the film however

[@donkorte80]

In the book she had to project love and reassurance toward the frightened Alia… there words only between Jessica and the reverend mother… I don’t recall Alia speaking til she was born and perhaps a toddler. At two she spoke with a lisp yet because her vocal equipment had not fully developed.. likely she understood language soon after birth but would have had great difficulty speaking…

[@nathanhimmerich2]

Yea, she was roughly 10 years old when the Baron Harkonnen was killed, and she mourned his death. I felt the movie changed this in an alright way, but misses some aspects of the nuance in her character.

[@MFLimited]

Pick up the book and find out?

[@InaEsin]

10:30 - Hannibal Lector is Bene Gesserit.

[@nurlindafsihotang49]

But.....do they weight lighter than a duck, tho?

[@roizen7874]

I know that reference! 😂

[@GorilkaCore]

Where do I sign up?

[@FMA10901]

I’ve read book one and two. I haven’t gotten around to three. Should I read three before listening to this video or am I good?

[@margaretburr7975]

I would read it, don't read the other books!

[@courtneyc3850]

I read 1-3 and I have no regrets. Agree with other comment to not read other books.

[@Megatronman1]

And how can this be?

[@arshiyalekhi2619]

That music is too distracting.

[@noneofurbusiness5223]

Can you leave the Bene Gessetett?

[@MFLimited]

Not if they don’t want you too

[@MsHippieMonster]

You're better than me, i would have started responding to that last woman with prayers to Satan & the tenets of Satanism 🙄🙄🙄

[@acemiller101]

I wish you didn't Hans Zimmer as your score.... made it very difficult to follow when I'm so enthralled by the background music.

[@CosmosPeony]

I would have loved your videos if you hadn't used such intricate and literary words to narrate the video. I don't understand a thing (not quite but I don't understand a lot).

[@skweejee]

whats up with the weirdo music in the background

[@constancekavanagh1125]

Interesting 🙌🇮🇪🔥

[@eduardopassarelli2514]

It’s a metaphor for missionary work y’all. That’s what the priests did to make colonized natives accept Christianity and their colonizers

[@MFLimited]

It’s a little more to it than that. you’re referring to colonisation, rather than missionary work on its own. But these women actually have supernatural powers. This is a metaphor for colonisation and missionary work teaching truth and true benefit, rather than just false colonial power. It’s sort of pro colonisation

[@eduardopassarelli2514]

@@MFLimited no, it’s not. lol. Frank said many times that Dune is a satire of the messiah trope. That’s why he literally becomes a tyrannical leader… also missionary work was/ still is a tool they use to convert the masses to the religion of their oppressors. Just look at missionary work in Asia and Africa in the 1800’s

[@regiment6541]

Was the term “witch” considered derogatory by the Bene Gesserit❓

[@vision5092]

It was probably an extinct word that doesn’t exist anymore

[@hallmark55]

No. They lived off the "fear" people had of them. The term "witch" just proves that the universe didn't know their true purpose and abilities.

[@calistafalcontail]

@@hallmark55 The term witch (at least in connection to dark magic) is a term that suits them very well imo. They are cold beings deprived of valubale emotions that prevent you from becoming a monstrous or monotone creature and they are only interested in power now. They posses arrogance beyond measure, but they are just a bunch of nasty b*tches, who turn themselfes into breeding ovens to infiltrate the universe like a virus that slowly corrupts everything. They are kinda like the Illuminati (according to the conspiracy)

[@MFLimited]

They used witchcraft and being called a witch was condescending, but they liked the Power gave them. They’re actually nuns and priestesses.

[@nuggetwagon]

When DUNE begins, The BG order understood their weakness perhaps more than anyone other than the navigators, who I think were already the kwizatz haderach, but much too well monied to care about how they themselves end. Greed can blind us. So can singularity of purpose. Which, I think, is the dune saga. Singularity of purpose and drive for success to that end blinds us to the necessity of just simply being. There are a lot of messages in the DUNE novels. I think the most important aspect of DUNE is its ability to shatter gender normative expression. In fact, it becomes a thing of ridicule and scientific examination of what becomes of a woman who becomes a mere tank for a baby. At the same time, it’s a horribly sexist series of what would happen to a society if women had any control, whatsoever. Dune is dark. It’s complex. It examines politics and sexism from so many angles that its genius can never be understated. It leaves me believing, in many ways, that the DUNE saga is a much greater work of literature than mere sci-fi movies can express. It deserves acclaim. It’s salient, today.

[@Justnothankyou132]

Bro you are just speaking gibberish

[@bumbochaka]

Lol you def just don't read much ​@@Justnothankyou132

[@yensid4294]

Gotta love The Sisters of Eugenics. j/k I don't think it's a coincidence that Herbert was writing this during a time when hormonal birth control (& later abortion ) gave women more control over their bodies than they had previously. The rise of feminist philosophy & women entering the workforce as well as politics has caused a lot of social change in the 20th & 21st century. I always felt the Bene Gesserit were an expression of those social anxieties as well as being built on on the history/mythology of the Oracle of Delphi, The Vestal Virgins of Rome, the witch hunts of the 17th century, the female leaders of Spiritualism & Harem Culture within the Ottoman Empire & ancient Egypt. There is definitely a lot to unpack about The Bene Gesserit.

[@calistafalcontail]

Spoken like a true woketard. "At the same time, it’s a horribly sexist series of what would happen to a society if women had any control, whatsoever."- As a woman, I know damn well that women and men in power are both equally able to be corrupted by power, greed, perversion etc. You act like women dont have any control anywhere or never had. Heck, my country was ruled by a woman for over a decade and it was sometimes good but also often VERY bad. Some of the worst bosses I had were women too. The bene gesserit turned themselves into monotone, emotionless creeps nobody wants to have as a mother. They eradicated everything that makes a mother, a female, who carries life and gives birth to it, so wonderful and powerful in its own right. Love beyond words, warmth, nuturing protection etc. and nobody told them to do so. The women in DUNE, who arent part of the bene gesserit, are not like that it seems. Their children are not conceived without love and only born to be their next "soldiers" (except for the Harkonnen maybe). If anything, the bene gesserit remind me of modern feminists, who turn children into products that can either be thrown away when they are unwanted, or conceived without love when the hate for men is to big but the selfish desire for a child, that gets deprived of a father then, is there too...and of course the disappointment when the baby is male in the end. They want power and control and lose their humanity in the end.

[@jaimicottrill2831]

Not to mention the dangers of organized religion, and mixing politics and religion.

[@TontonMacoute]

Your bias (typically) mistakes the Order’s tactics for the overall strategy. If you read the last two Dune books you will understand why they are central to the recovery of humanity. You fail to see the wood for the trees.

[@ishikawa8284]

Can you explain the strategy?

[@stuartburns8657]

The God Emperor wanted to ultimately merge several traits. From the atredies the sense of self serving loyalty, and from the sisterhood the removal of their lack of emotion but to incorporate their long view and planning

[@Ninnybroth]

The autogen subtitles on this are atrocious.

[@robertsmall5168]

Telekinetic?

[@MFLimited]

Psychokinetic

[@allanalvarenga1500]

Can't hear shit, turn the music down

[@travisjones2253]

They’re pretty hot also. 😂

[@scroogemcduckrich9705]

the young ones

[@regulariousweedimaximus9495]

I don't truly understand why they were allowed to exist

[@Mayakran]

Well, if they’re the ones in power, they don’t have to be “allowed” by anyone to do anything.

[@BlackPanther203]

They weren’t allowed. They evolved to what they are with none the wiser. It was excellent strategy.

[@anothertarnishedone5960]

They made themselves indispensable; no need of allowance.

[@MFLimited]

They weren’t “allowed” to exist they “allowed” other people to exist.

[@MFLimited]

They weren’t allowed to exist. They allowed other people to exist.

[@pitbullsensei179]

Bald...😂😂😂

[@agentcyberis6624]

The Bene Gesserit are Eve minus being the mother of the living and multiplied in their deceiving and being deceived. So a witch of the most malevolent formulation.

[@tomookay]

aka BAD ASS

[@MFLimited]

So nuns in the order of Lilith? (look up biblical Lilith)

[@AllisonMoon-SheWandersFeral]

get a POP SCREEN Bro.

[@mrbad9171]

They look like the women in Saudi Arabia

[@UpsetFather]

3st

[@raoulcorinth1712]

2nd

[@rontrezbeaugard8212]

Obligatory 1st

[@DamilolaAde-Odiachi]

This theme music is ass

[@anypercentdeathless]

Lots of malapropisms. Not a good match with the purple script.

[@MFLimited]

Example? Bene Gesserit sounds like Bene Jesuit for a reason

[@Nasser-bp6qf]

feminists is my first thought

[@MFLimited]

If feminists had the power of the Bene Gesserit, there wouldn’t be men named Nassar, or any Muslim men, treating women like garbage

[@joseph8762]

iudes