Azhar Book
Encyclopedia
The Azhar Book is a text in the fictional Dune universe
created by Frank Herbert
.
refers to the Azhar Book as "that bibliographic marvel that preserves the great secrets of the most ancient faiths," and notes that it predates the Orange Catholic Bible
, the key religious text of the Dune universe which "contains elements of most ancient religions.". The creation of the Azhar Book is also attributed to the Bene Gesserit
.
The appendix subsequently quotes Paul "Muad'Dib" Atreides
, and references his words back to ancient texts using the Azhar Book:
In Dune, Lady Jessica examines the manual included in a Fremen
desert survival kit on Arrakis
:
The Bene Gesserit practice "religious engineering" through a faction called the Missionaria Protectiva, which spreads contrived myths, prophecies and superstition on primitive worlds so that the Sisterhood may later exploit those regions. It is later confirmed that the Fremen religion has been thus influenced.
, Leto Atreides II
quotes from "the Bene Gesserit Azhar Book" when discussing with Ghanima their suspicions about their aunt Alia
:
Leto later notes that "the watering-place of St. Thomas ... was preserved in the Orange Catholic Bible and the Azhar Book..." The Azhar Book is also quoted via epigraph
:
trilogies
Legends of Dune
and Prelude to Dune
by Brian Herbert
and Kevin J. Anderson
.
In Dune: The Butlerian Jihad
, Norma Cenva
notes the following regarding the Sorceresses of Rossak, the Butlerian Jihad-era predecessors of the Bene Gesserit:
Margot Fenring
also reads the title page of a Fremkit manual in Dune: House Harkonnen
:
In Dune: House Corrino
, to keep her writings secret from her husband, Padishah Emperor
Shaddam Corrino IV
, the Bene Gesserit Lady Anirul keeps a journal "in the impenetrable code language of the Bene Gesserit, the long-forgotten tongue used in the ancient Azhar Book." Later it is noted that "a copy of the Azhar Book, the Bene Gesserit volume of secrets written in a long-forgotten language" is on display in the Ishaq Hall of Magnificent Documents on Kaitain
.
s , it is unknown which of these (if any) are from those notes.
Dune universe
Dune is a science fiction franchise which originated with the 1965 novel Dune by Frank Herbert. Considered by many to be the greatest science fiction novel of all time, Dune is frequently cited as the best-selling science fiction novel in history...
created by Frank Herbert
Frank Herbert
Franklin Patrick Herbert, Jr. was a critically acclaimed and commercially successful American science fiction author. Although a short story author, he is best known for his novels, most notably Dune and its five sequels...
.
Dune
Appendix II: The Religion of Dune in the novel DuneDune (novel)
Dune is a science fiction novel written by Frank Herbert, published in 1965. It won the Hugo Award in 1966, and the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel...
refers to the Azhar Book as "that bibliographic marvel that preserves the great secrets of the most ancient faiths," and notes that it predates the Orange Catholic Bible
Orange Catholic Bible
The Orange Catholic Bible is a fictional book from the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert...
, the key religious text of the Dune universe which "contains elements of most ancient religions.". The creation of the Azhar Book is also attributed to the Bene Gesserit
Bene Gesserit
The Bene Gesserit are a key social, religious, and political force in Frank Herbert's science fiction Dune universe. The group is described as an exclusive sisterhood whose members train their bodies and minds through years of physical and mental conditioning to obtain superhuman powers and...
.
The appendix subsequently quotes Paul "Muad'Dib" Atreides
Paul Atreides
Paul Atreides is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. Paul is a prominent character in the first two novels in the series, Dune and Dune Messiah , and returns in Children of Dune . The character is brought back as two different gholas in the Brian Herbert/Kevin J...
, and references his words back to ancient texts using the Azhar Book:
- Muad'Dib: "Religion often partakes of the myth of progress that shields us from the terrors of an uncertain future."
- C.E.T. Commentaries: Identical wording. (The Azhar Book traces this statement to the first century religious writer, Neshou; through a paraphrase.)
- Muad'Dib: "If a child, an untrained person, an ignorant person, or an insane person incites trouble, it is the fault of authority for not predicting and preventing that trouble."
- O.C. Bible: "Any sin can be ascribed, at least in part, to a natural bad tendency that is an extenuating circumstance acceptable to God." (The Azhar Book traces this to the ancient Semitic Tawra.)
- Muad'Dib: "Reach forth thy hand and eat what God has provided thee; and when thou are replenished, praise the Lord."
- O.C. Bible: a paraphrase with identical meaning. (The Azhar Book traces this in slightly different form to First Islam.)
In Dune, Lady Jessica examines the manual included in a Fremen
Fremen
The Fremen are a group of people in the fictional Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. First appearing in the 1965 novel Dune, the Fremen inhabit the desert planet Arrakis and are based on the desert-dwelling Bedouin and Kalahari Bushmen. In Herbert's novels, Arrakis is the sole known source...
desert survival kit on Arrakis
Arrakis
Arrakis — informally known as Dune and later called Rakis — is a fictional desert planet featured in the Dune series of novels by Frank Herbert. Herbert's first novel in the series, 1965's Dune, is popularly considered one of the greatest science fiction novels of all time, and it is...
:
The glowing tab of the Fremkit manual between them on the tent floor caught her eye. She lifted it, glanced at the flyleaf, reading: "Manual of 'The Friendly Desert,' the place full of life. Here are the ayat and burhan of Life. Believe, and al-Lat shall never burn you."
It reads like the Azhar Book, she thought, recalling her studies of the Great Secrets. Has a Manipulator of Religions been on Arrakis?
The Bene Gesserit practice "religious engineering" through a faction called the Missionaria Protectiva, which spreads contrived myths, prophecies and superstition on primitive worlds so that the Sisterhood may later exploit those regions. It is later confirmed that the Fremen religion has been thus influenced.
Children of Dune
In Children of DuneChildren of Dune
Children of Dune is a 1976 science fiction novel by Frank Herbert, third in a series of six novels set in his Dune universe. Initially selling over 75,000 copies, it became the first hardcover best-seller ever in the science fiction field...
, Leto Atreides II
Leto Atreides II
Leto Atreides II is a fictional character from the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. Born at the end of Dune Messiah , Leto is a central character in Children of Dune and is the title character of God Emperor of Dune . The character is brought back as a ghola in the Brian Herbert/Kevin J...
quotes from "the Bene Gesserit Azhar Book" when discussing with Ghanima their suspicions about their aunt Alia
Alia Atreides
Alia Atreides is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. Introduced in the first novel of the series, 1965's Dune, the character was originally killed in Herbert's first version of the manuscript. At the suggestion of Analog magazine editor John Campbell, Herbert kept...
:
It is with reason and terrible experience that we call the pre-born AbominationAbomination (Dune)Abomination, in the context of the Dune series written by Frank Herbert, refers to one who acquires full consciousness as a fetus as a result of being exposed to the ritual spice agony, gaining all their ancestral memories before birth .The spice agony ritual involves a Bene Gesserit acolyte drinking...
. For who knows what lost and damned persona out of our evil past may take over the living flesh?
Leto later notes that "the watering-place of St. Thomas ... was preserved in the Orange Catholic Bible and the Azhar Book..." The Azhar Book is also quoted via epigraph
Epigraph (literature)
In literature, an epigraph is a phrase, quotation, or poem that is set at the beginning of a document or component. The epigraph may serve as a preface, as a summary, as a counter-example, or to link the work to a wider literary canon, either to invite comparison or to enlist a conventional...
:
The one-eyed view of our universe says you must not look far afield for problems. Such problems may never arrive. Instead, tend to the wolf within your fences. The packs ranging outside may not even exist.
— The Azhar Book; Shamra I:4
Prequels
The Azhar Book is also referenced in the prequelPrequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
trilogies
Trilogy
A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected, and that can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, or video games...
Legends of Dune
Legends of Dune
Legends of Dune is a prequel trilogy of novels written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, set in Frank Herbert's Dune universe.* Dune: The Butlerian Jihad * Dune: The Machine Crusade * Dune: The Battle of Corrin...
and Prelude to Dune
Prelude to Dune
Prelude to Dune is a prequel trilogy of novels written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, set in Frank Herbert's Dune universe....
by Brian Herbert
Brian Herbert
Brian Patrick Herbert is an American author who lives in Washington state. He is the elder son of science fiction author Frank Herbert....
and Kevin J. Anderson
Kevin J. Anderson
Kevin J. Anderson is an American science fiction author with over forty bestsellers. He has written spin-off novels for Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files, and with Brian Herbert is the co-author of the Dune prequels...
.
In Dune: The Butlerian Jihad
Dune: The Butlerian Jihad
Dune: The Butlerian Jihad is a 2002 science fiction novel by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, set in the fictional Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. It is the first book in the Legends of Dune prequel trilogy, which takes place over 10,000 years before the events of Frank Herbert's...
, Norma Cenva
Norma Cenva
Norma Cenva is a fictional character from the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. Mentioned briefly in Herbert's God Emperor of Dune , she plays a large role in the Legends of Dune prequel trilogy written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson...
notes the following regarding the Sorceresses of Rossak, the Butlerian Jihad-era predecessors of the Bene Gesserit:
Her gaze settled on a fibersheet notebook resting on a worktable. The thick book had a maroon cover with indecipherable lettering as arcane as the mathematical notations Norma had developed. Once, eavesdropping on the Sorceresses and their intricate plans, Norma heard them refer to their private language as "Azhar."
Margot Fenring
Margot Fenring
Lady Margot Fenring is a fictional character from the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. She is featured in Herbert's Dune , and is a major character in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy by Brian Herbert and Kevin J...
also reads the title page of a Fremkit manual in Dune: House Harkonnen
Dune: House Harkonnen
Dune: House Harkonnen is a 2000 science fiction novel by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, set in the fictional Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. It is the second book in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy, which takes place before the events of Frank Herbert's celebrated 1965 novel Dune...
:
"This is like the Azhar Book," Margot exclaimed, surprised to see an edition adapted to Fremen ways. "Our Book of Great Secrets."
In Dune: House Corrino
Dune: House Corrino
Dune: House Corrino is a 2001 science fiction novel by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, set in the fictional Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. It is the third book in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy, which takes place before the events of Frank Herbert's celebrated 1965 novel Dune...
, to keep her writings secret from her husband, Padishah Emperor
Padishah Emperor
Padishah Emperor is the title given to the hereditary rulers of the Old Empire in the science fiction Dune universe created by Frank Herbert.-Original series:...
Shaddam Corrino IV
Shaddam Corrino IV
Shaddam Corrino IV is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. He is Padishah Emperor of the known universe in Herbert's 1965 novel Dune. Shaddam's accession to the throne is chronicled in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.Born...
, the Bene Gesserit Lady Anirul keeps a journal "in the impenetrable code language of the Bene Gesserit, the long-forgotten tongue used in the ancient Azhar Book." Later it is noted that "a copy of the Azhar Book, the Bene Gesserit volume of secrets written in a long-forgotten language" is on display in the Ishaq Hall of Magnificent Documents on Kaitain
Kaitain (Dune)
Kaitain is a fictional planet in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert.In Herbert's 1965 novel Dune, it is mentioned briefly as the seat of power of Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV, the Royal Court being previously located on the planet Salusa Secundus.The Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy ...
.
Epigraphs
The Azhar Book is also quoted in epigraphs in the Prelude to Dune series. Though the authors have stated that Frank Herbert left behind unused epigraphs which they later used in their prequels and sequelSequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
s , it is unknown which of these (if any) are from those notes.
- The basic rule is this: Never support weakness; always support strength. — The Bene Gesserit Azhar Book, Compilation of Great Secrets (Dune: House AtreidesDune: House AtreidesDune: House Atreides is a 1999 science fiction novel by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, set in the fictional Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. It is the first book in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy, which takes place before the events of Frank Herbert's celebrated 1965 novel Dune...
) - Before us, all methods of learning were tainted by instinct. Before us, instinct-ridden researchers possessed a limited attention span — often no longer than a single lifetime. Projects stretching across fifty or more generations never occurred to them. The concept of total muscle/nerve training had not entered their awareness. We learned how to learn. — Bene Gesserit Azhar Book (Dune: House Harkonnen)
- How to define the Kwisatz HaderachKwisatz HaderachIn Frank Herbert's fictional Dune universe, Kwisatz Haderach is a term which refers to a prophesied messiah and superbeing. In the series, the Bene Gesserit, a matriarchal secret society, hope to create a male who can survive the deadly ritual spice agony that changes a capable female acolyte into...
? The male who is everywhere simultaneously, the only man who can truly become the greatest human of all of us, mingling masculine and feminine ancestry with inseparable power. — Bene Gesserit Azhar Book (Dune: House Harkonnen) - The less we know, the longer the explanation. — Bene Gesserit Azhar Book (renegade copy) (Dune: House Corrino)
- One cannot hide from history... or from human nature. — Bene Gesserit Azhar Book (Dune: House Corrino)
- There are no facts — only observational postulates in an endlessly regenerative hodgepodge of predictions. Consensus realityConsensus realityConsensus reality is an approach to answering the philosophical question "What is real?" It gives a practical answer: reality is either what exists, or what we can agree seems to exist....
requires a fixed frame of reference. In a multilevel, infinite universe, there can be no fixity; thus, no absolute consensus reality. In a relativistic universe, it appears impossible to test the reliability of any expert by requiring him to agree with another expert. Both can be correct, each in his own inertial system. — Bene Gesserit Azhar Book (Dune: House Corrino) - Many creatures bear the outward form of a man, but do not be fooled by appearances. Not all such life-forms can be considered human. — Bene Gesserit Azhar Book (Dune: House Corrino)
- The search for an ultimate, unifying explanation for all things is a fruitless endeavor, a step in the wrong direction. This is why, in a universe of chaos, we must constantly adapt. — Bene Gesserit Azhar Book (Dune: House Corrino)
- All proofs inevitably lead to propositions that have no proof. All things are known because we want to believe in them. — Bene Gesserit Azhar Book (Dune: House Corrino)