After becoming the emperor, Paul used the Fremen to launch a Jihad throughout the empire. The Jihad saw the death of over 60 billion people. At the forefront of the Jihad was the Fedaykin, death commandos trained to protect and serve the Muad’Dib. The Fedaykin served as the leaders of battalions and commanders.
The Fedaykin of Dune Definition
The Fedaykin were death commandos that served as Paul’s personal guards after he ascended the golden lion throne to become the emperor of the universe.
Originally, the term Fedaykin got used to describe guerilla Fremen fighters but after Paul became the Muad’Dib, it got used to describe the commandos that served him. The Fedaykin got trained by Paul himself and were fiercely loyal to him. During the Fremen Jihad, the Fedaykin served as commanders and priests for the Muad’Dib’s religion.
The Fedaykin’s Relevance in Dune
After the battle of Arrakeen, Paul successfully defeated the Sardaukar and Harkonnen troops. Using the military might of the Fremen, Paul ascended the throne as the emperor. For twelve years after he became the emperor, Paul led a Jihad on the entire universe; this saw the death of 61 billion people. The Fedaykin were the military commanders whose guidance steered the outcome of the Jihad. After Paul successfully gains dominance over Melange’s production, the Bene Gesserit, Spacing Guild, and Tleilaxu unite to plot against Paul.
With the conspirators’ goal to force Paul into doubting himself, Scytale, a Tleilaxu face dancer, starts scheming other ways to kill Paul. After handing Hayt to Paul, some Fremen become embittered because the Fremen saw Gholas as unclean. Plotting to kill Paul, Scytale begins helping out Paul’s enemies. Otheym, one of the first Fedaykin, warns Paul of the plot against him, and after Paul visits him, a stone burner gets detonated. Though Paul escapes death, he gets blinded by the J-rays from the stone burner.
Even with his sight gone, Paul uses his prescience to see. Scytale kills Lincna, Otheym’s daughter, and gains access to Paul’s infant children after their mother, Chani, dies. Using the children as bait, Scytale tries to force Paul into accepting that Chani should become a Ghola. With sight from his infant son, Paul kills Scytale. Finally realizing he had lost his prescience, Paul walks into the desert, leaving his children in the hands of his sister, Alia. Alia disbands the Fedaykin, reverting them to their original guerilla fighter status.
Training of the Fedaykin
The Fedaykin got personally trained by Paul Atreides; this made them fiercely loyal to him. Swearing their lives to Paul, the Fedaykin did what was asked of them by him. The first Fedaykins got handpicked by Stilgar of Sietch Tabr; this ensured that only those he trusted could become a Fedaykinl A Fedaykin got distinguished from an ordinary Fremen soldier by the red paint on their Stillsuit. Though the training did not get detailed in any of the Dune books, it got believed that Paul trained the Fedaykin the same way he was by his mother and masters, the weirding way. The Fedaykin got taught further by Paul physically and mentally; this is why they were fiercely loyal to him.
Strength of the Fedaykin
As of the time Paul arose to the emperor’s position, the Fremen had become the most advanced military force the universe had ever seen. Because of their adaptive feature to harsh environmental conditions, the Fremen soldiers were much stronger than the Sardaukar. The Fedaykin, however, were much stronger than the average Fremen soldier; this made them one of the strongest soldiers to feature in ‘Dune.’
Glossary Terms Associated with the Fedaykin
Here is a list of words associated with the Fedaykin:
- Weirding way: The weirding way is a type of body movement created from the Prana-Bindu training of the Bene Gesserit. The technique enabled its user to strike their opponent at high speeds.
- Stillsuit: A Stillsuit is a full-body suit worn by the Fremen on Arrakis.
FAQs
Who are the Fedaykin in Dune?
The Fedaykin were the guerilla fighters of the Fremen. The Fedaykin later became death commandos, who served as the personal bodyguards of Paul Atreides. After he became the Kwisatz Haderach, Paul led the Fremen to battle against the Sardaukar and Harkonnen. The Fedaykin served as the commanders of the Fremen army. After Paul defeated the Sardaukar, he became the emperor and launched a Jihad in his name. With the Fedaykin serving as priests and commanders for the Jihad, the Fremen were able to spread the religion of the Muad’Dib.
Who is Korba in Dune?
Korba was one of Paul’s Fedaykin death commandos. After Paul launched the Jihad on the universe, his Fedaykin served as commanders of the Fremen troops, and some became priests for the Muad’Dib religion. Among those who became priests for the Muad’Dib was Korba. After becoming a priest, Korba became a fanatical zealot. Korba’s zealousness led him to join forces against Paul, and he helped smuggle the stone burner that rendered Paul and his other Fedaykin blind. On orders from Alia, Stilgar killed Korba.
What are some quotes related to the Fedaykin?
“Stilgar drew himself up, shocked. One changed, of course. But dramatically? This was a particular view of himself that he’d never encountered. Drama was a questionable thing. Imported entertainers of dubious loyalty and more dubious virtue were dramatic. Enemies of the Empire employed drama in their attempts to sway the fickle populace. Korba had slipped away from Fremen virtues to employ drama for the Qizarate. And he’d die for that.”
“They [the Naibs] knew Korba. He was one of them. To become a Naib, he’d proved his Fremen courage and caution. Not brilliant, Korba, but reliable. Not one to lead a Jihad, perhaps, but a good choice as supply officer. Not a crusader, but one who cherished the old Fremen virtues: ‘The Tribe is paramount.'”
What happened to the Fedaykin after Paul Atreides?
After Paul became blind and walked into the desert, the role of the Fedaykin began to wane. At the time of Leto II, the Fedaykin had faded off with the term gaining its original meaning.