Original artwork, not a still
Dune ‧ 1965
The Litany Against Fear, Dune (1965)
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Fear as a little death is one of science fiction's most borrowed ideas: it turns terror into something you can name and outlast. Fans recite it before exams, speeches and surgeries, and Herbert's wording has been echoed in music and other shows. Calm here is a discipline, not an absence of fear.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for DuneShow the scene
At Castle Caladan, in Book One, the Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam tests Paul Atreides with the gom jabbar, making him put his right hand into a box that causes terrible pain. To stay in control he recites the Litany Against Fear, a Bene Gesserit mantra written by Frank Herbert for the novel. This is the middle of the litany, after the opening claim that fear is the mind-killer. Paul's use of it in the pain test is how readers first meet the words.
Sources (2)
- Dune Wiki: Litany Against FearContent of the Litany; Examples of UsageReference checked
- Wikiquote: DuneBene Gesserit sectionReference checked
Context reviewed
