Heretics of Dune

Frank Herbert

65 pages 2-hour read

Frank Herbert

Heretics of Dune

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1984

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Character List

Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.

Major Characters

Darwi Odrade is the Senior Security Mother for the Bene Gesserit and a descendant of the Atreides bloodline. Having been raised by foster parents whom she secretly still loves, she struggles to reconcile her innate capacity for affection with the Sisterhood's demands for strict emotional detachment. She possesses a keen prescient instinct and serves as a vital agent in analyzing the shifting political motives of rival factions.

Key Relationships

Daughter of Miles Teg

Subordinate and Friend of Alma Mavis Taraza

Mentor and Protector of Sheeana Brugh

Negotiating Partner of Tylwyth Waff

Diplomatic Contact of Hedley Tuek

Genetic Parallel to Lucilla

Miles Teg is the 296-year-old former Supreme Bashar of the Bene Gesserit military forces. A Mentat and direct descendant of the Atreides line, he physically resembles his ancestor Duke Leto I and grounds his tactical brilliance in a firm sense of fairness and loyalty. He is called out of a peaceful farming retirement to oversee the defense and training of the Gammu Keep.

Key Relationships

Father of Darwi Odrade

Son of Janet Roxbrough-Teg

Son of Loschy Teg

Guardian and Trainer of The Ghola Duncan Idaho

Subordinate and Trusted Ally of Alma Mavis Taraza

Commanding Officer and Close Friend of Patrin

Ally and Protector of Lucilla

Predecessor and Former Mentor of Burzmali

Rival of Schwangyu

Alma Mavis Taraza serves as the Reverend Mother Superior, wielding ultimate authority over the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood. She maintains a highly disciplined, impenetrable exterior to mask the heavy emotional toll and loneliness of leadership. She orchestrates complex schemes, including the new ghola project, to secure the Sisterhood's survival against rising external threats from the Scattering.

Key Relationships

Superior and Former Mentor of Darwi Odrade

Superior and Commander of Miles Teg

Diplomatic Adversary of Tylwyth Waff

Superior of Burzmali

The Ghola Duncan Idaho is a young artificially created replicant, grown by the Tleilaxu from the cells of the legendary Atreides swordmaster. Raised under strict Bene Gesserit supervision on Gammu, he represents the Sisterhood's twelfth attempt at an obscure, multi-generational design. He deeply resents his imprisonment and yearns to uncover his true identity by accessing his dormant original memories.

Key Relationships

Student and Ward of Miles Teg

Target of Imprinting by Lucilla

Intended Match for Sheeana Brugh

Prisoner of Schwangyu

Target of Seduction by Murbella

Subordinate of Alma Mavis Taraza

Sheeana Brugh is a fourteen-year-old native of the desert planet Rakis who miraculously survives a devastating sandworm attack that destroyed her entire village. She possesses an unprecedented ability to communicate with and command the giant worms without traditional tools. Her unique talents draw the intense scrutiny of the local priesthood and the Bene Gesserit, who view her as a crucial element in their long-term designs.

Key Relationships

Student and Ward of Darwi Odrade

Religious Figurehead to Hedley Tuek

Intended Match for The Ghola Duncan Idaho

Target of Suspicion by Stiros

Tylwyth Waff acts as the Master of Masters, leading the secretive Bene Tleilax council. While he projects an outward appearance of subservience and inferiority, he carefully directs the production of gholas and shape-shifting Face Dancers to weaken his rivals. He secretly harbors profound Zensunni religious beliefs that guide his political maneuvers.

Key Relationships

Reluctant Ally of Alma Mavis Taraza

Diplomatic Counterpart to Darwi Odrade

Supporting Characters

Lucilla is a young Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother assigned to the Gammu Keep. Bred specifically for her motherly disposition and genetic resemblance to Darwi Odrade, she is tasked with sexually imprinting the young ghola to secure his permanent loyalty to the Sisterhood. Over time, she experiences a growing internal conflict regarding the Sisterhood's emotional repression and her role as an expendable operative.

Key Relationships

Imprinter and Protector of The Ghola Duncan Idaho

Ally and Traveling Companion of Miles Teg

Genetic Parallel to Darwi Odrade

Ally of Burzmali

Opponent of Murbella

Patrin is a native of Gammu and serves as Miles Teg's fiercely devoted aide. Despite possessing the military skills for a much higher rank, he prefers to remain close to the common people and his trusted commander. He utilizes his intimate knowledge of Gammu's wilderness and history to assist in Teg's security operations.

Key Relationships

Aide and Close Friend of Miles Teg

Schwangyu is the cold and impersonal Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother commanding the Gammu Keep. She harbors deep suspicions about the ghola project, fearing that the Tleilaxu have sabotaged the boy or that the Sisterhood risks creating another uncontrollable tyrant. She treats her charges with harsh discipline.

Key Relationships

Rival and Nominal Superior of Miles Teg

Burzmali is the current Supreme Bashar of the Bene Gesserit military, having assumed the highest rank after Miles Teg's retirement. He is a highly capable tactician entrusted with executing Taraza's military strategies and locating missing personnel during periods of intense crisis.

Key Relationships

Successor and Former Student of Miles Teg

Subordinate of Alma Mavis Taraza

Ally and Protector of Lucilla

Hedley Tuek serves as the High Priest of the Church of the Divided God on Rakis. He capitalizes on Sheeana's miraculous survival, framing her as a divine messenger to solidify his own political and religious authority over the local population and rival priests.

Key Relationships

Religious Guardian of Sheeana Brugh

Diplomatic Contact of Darwi Odrade

Rival of Stiros

Stiros is an older, ambitious priest within the Rakian religious hierarchy. Skeptical of Sheeana's alleged divinity, he bitterly resents High Priest Tuek's authority and quietly plots to elevate his own family members to positions of supreme power.

Key Relationships

Subordinate and Rival to Hedley Tuek

Skeptic of Sheeana Brugh

Murbella is an Honored Matre, a member of the dangerous and vengeful female faction returning from the Scattering. She relies on immense physical prowess and specialized sexual techniques to subjugate men, viewing the inhabitants of the Old Imperium with predatory disdain.

Key Relationships

Seducer and Captor of The Ghola Duncan Idaho

Opponent of Lucilla

Janet Roxbrough-Teg is a Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother descended from the Fish Speakers and the mother of Miles Teg. Though deceased, her unconventional, mildly heretical teachings continue to shape her son's profound Mentat abilities and moral compass.

Key Relationships

Mother of Miles Teg

Wife of Loschy Teg

Loschy Teg is a minor official in the CHOAM trade conglomerate and the father of Miles Teg. His union with Janet Roxbrough formed the foundation of one of the Bene Gesserit's greatest military minds.

Key Relationships

Father of Miles Teg

Husband of Janet Roxbrough-Teg