After the sisterhood got formed, they tried to gain a hidden stronghold over primitive cultures that could become a future key point of interest; this led to the creation of the Missionaria Protectiva.
Missionaria Protectiva – Definition
Missionaria Protectiva is an arm of the government responsible for sowing the seeds of superstition into primitive cultures for the benefit of the Bene Gesserit. After the formation of the Bene Gesserit, there was a need for an order that would propel the order’s goals through spreading information; this led to the formation of Missionaria Protectiva.
Relevance of the Missionaria Protectiva in the Dune Universe
The Missionaria Protectiva is one of the most crucial arms of the Bene Gesserit in the Dune Universe. After the discovery of Melange, the Bene Gesserit sent the Missionaria sisters to Arrakis. On Arrakis, the sisters input the message of a messiah who will be born of a Bene Gesserit sister. The early message implanted by the Bene Gesserit into the Fremen soon became a part of their religious beliefs.
After the Atreides arrive on the Arrakis, the Fremen become increasingly excited that Paul was the one of legend; this made him get accepted into the Sietch Tabr. After getting into the Fremen tribe, Paul capitalizes on the legend of the Mahdi to become a political and religious leader. After becoming a leader, Paul and his mother teach the Fremen the Weirding way of fighting, and soon, he becomes a messiah figure among them. With his religious hold over the Fremen, Paul leads a war against the Harkonnen and Sardaukar. Defeating both troops, he becomes the emperor of the known universe.
As the emperor, Paul unleashes a jihad with his name as the central figure of the Jihad. The Jihad started by Paul caused the death of more than 60 billion people across the universe. The Jihad ensures that Paul becomes the sole controller of Melange distribution, making him the most powerful emperor to have ever lived. However, things went downhill for Paul as a group of people came together to plot his downfall. Paul ends up becoming blind and losing his prescience; this makes him walk into the desert in line with the Fremen tradition.
In-depth Analysis of the Missionaria Protective
Missionaria Protectiva used religious engineering to embed the goals of the Bene Gesserit. After inputting the Bene Gesserit’s myths into the religious belief of the primitive culture of interest, the Bene Gesserit put themselves in a position to serve as guardians of the prophecy. Using the Panoplia Propheticus, the Bene Gesserit sowed their seeds deep into each culture they wanted.
Panoplia Propheticus is the collective term the Bene Gesserit’s Missionaria Protectiva uses to describe superstitions and prophecies of interest. Inputting Panoplia Propheticus involved many steps laid down by the Bene Gesserit. The first step involved grading the level of the primitiveness of a culture. The next step then uses elements of religion from that culture to input prophecies and myths designed by the Missionaria Protectiva. The third step involves ensuring there is room for the Bene Gesserit in the legend or myth imbibed into the culture’s religion.
A downside to Missionaria Protectiva was that it only functioned in cultures that were primitive and had no idea of development; this ensured total control should the Bene Gesserit need the people of the culture.
Glossary Terms Associated with Missionaria Protectiva
Here is a list of words associated with Missionaria Protectiva:
- Mahdi: this is the name the Fremen used to describe their savior according to the messianic legend formulated by the Bene Gesserit.
- Muad’Dib: Muad’Dib is the Fremen name for the desert mouse found on Arrakis; this name got given to Paul after joining the Fremen.
FAQs
What is the Missionaria Protectiva in Dune?
The Missionaria Protectiva is a part of the Bene Gesserit responsible for inputting seeds of superstition in primitive cultures for future control. Realizing they would need the support of many cultures, the Bene Gesserit created the Missionaria Protectiva to help steer cultures in favor of the matriarchal order. The Missionaries Protectiva used a simple method of going to a primitive planet and using the people’s religion to sow myths in a great future. The Bene Gesserit used the Missionaria Protectiva to sow the seeds of a messiah into the Fremen culture.
What is the Bene Gesserit’s prophecy?
The Bene Gesserit sowed prophecies of a savior that would come and lead the Fremen into a great future where Arrakis would get turned into a lush green planet. The Bene Gesserit’s prophecy boosted Paul’s popularity among the Fremen when he became part of the Sietch Tabr. Because the Bene Gesserit said that the savior would be born of a Bene Gesserit sister, the Fremen believed in Paul as a messiah when they discovered his mother was a Bene Gesserit sister.
What are the witches called in Dune?
The witches in ‘Dune’ were the Bene Gesserit sisters. Because of their secrecy and special abilities, the Bene Gesserit got referred to as witches. The Bene Gesserit also had ties to the Rossak witches of the old empire.
Who is the most powerful Bene Gesserit?
The Kwisatz Haderach is the most powerful Bene Gesserit to have ever lived. Because of their superpowers, the Kwisatz Haderach can unlock his maternal and paternal genetic memory; this gave the Kwisatz Haderach clairvoyance across space and time.
