The following contains spoilers for Dune: Prophecy Season 1, Episode 3, “Sisterhood Above All,” which premiered Sunday, December 1 on HBO.

In a show like Dune: Prophecy, not everything is laid out exactly as it seems. Characters like Desmond Hart have shifty motivations, haunting dreams have multiple meanings and animals aren’t just a companion or food. Season 1, Episode 3, “Sisterhood Above All,” an animal associated with the Atreides clan pops up in a moment of stillness: the Salusan bull. But it’s not an Atreides that faces the bull, but rather a Harkonnen.

The Atreides-Harkonnen feud culminates in bloodshed once again in “Sisterhood Above All.” As a young Valya Harkonnen passionately reminds her family, their family was undeservedly banished to an icy planet because Vorian Atreides falsely accused their ancestor, Abulurd Harkonnen, of a war crime. As Harkonnens aren’t exactly reliable narrators, it’s hard to trust if Valya’s word is true. Nevertheless, the resurfaced feud led to the murder of Griffin Harkonnen, Valya and Tula’s brother, by Vorian’s hands. In Valya and Tula’s eyes, the only retribution is a massacre of the entire Atreides’ hunting party, including Tula’s “lover,” Orry Atreides. After Tula finishes the job, a Salusan bull faces her on the cliff until it moves on.

House Atreides Is Commonly Associated With Bull Imagery

Nothing is spoken about Tula’s encounter with the bull, leaving it a mystery as to why it approached her in the first place. The Atreides are known for their generations-long bull-hunting parties, which is exactly why Tula and the rest were in the woods. She speaks to a younger Atreides boy about how majestic and shy the Salusan bull is. The only way to catch it is to lure it out with a distinctive, putrid smell. For the bull to come to her without bait underscores the dark layers Tula had to grow for Valya to finally approve of her, allowing the signature Harkonnen darkness to encompass her.

The bull motif isn’t anything new to the Dune franchise. Bull symbolism is present in Denis Villeneuve’s first Dune film as a reminder of the Atreides family history. The Atreides home was filled with bull memorabilia on Caladan and Arrakis, the most important being the head of a matador bull that killed Leto Atreides’ father and Paul Atreides’ grandfather. Along with bull-hunting, the Atreides clan is known for bullfighting, which is exactly how Paul’s grandfather died. Bullfighting is dangerous and potentially fatal, but rewarding if a person succeeds.

Leto kept the bull’s head to remember how his father died, but he made the same mistake. Leto accepted control over Arrakis, knowing it was a trap, but knew that if he avoided the trap he’d gain more respect in the empire. Unfortunately, Arrakis and the Harkonnens were too big of bulls to conquer, and he died as a consequence. In his last moment, he looked up at the head of the bull that killed his father, knowing he had suffered a similar fate.

The Religious and Thematic Implications Behind the Bulls in Dune

The Atreides are initially interpreted as the “good guys” of the Dune franchise, although that shifts once Paul embraces a messianic role. The entire empire is out to get them, and all they can do is stand in the pit while the bull charges at them. But the Atreides’ tradition of hunting and fighting bulls gives reason to believe that even if they are good people, they also invite their own destruction. They tempt fate by accepting a challenge that could end in death, and refuse to break the cycle as a show of strength and pride. Every Atreides thinks they’ll learn the mistakes of their ancestors, only to follow in their footsteps.

“These bulls are rare, shy creatures. Without a scent to lure them, the hunters on horseback wouldn’t stand a chance.” — Tula Harkonnen

The bull is a religious figure of sacrifice, particularly as an atonement of sin. The Atreides don’t intentionally “sacrifice” bulls in hunts or fights to atone for their sins, but their violent acts against the bulls “cleanse” themselves in a way. The Atreides clan in Dune: Prophecy goes on a hunt after the death of Griffin Harkonnen. The show doesn’t indulge in too many details about the dual between Griffin and Vorian that ended the former’s life, but it’s explored in the books.

The two engaged in a fight on Arrakis, but ultimately decided not to kill one another after Vorian learned of Griffin’s deceased wife. However, two children of Agamemnon killed Griffin instead. Vorian survived, and sent his condolences to Valya, who she didn’t believe was honest. If the off-screen fight played out similarly in the show, then the bull hunt is metaphorically a sacrificial cleanse for the Atreides clan to earn back their honor.

Tula and the Bull Are the Consequences of the Atreides’ Actions

The imagery of the bull is more of a reflection of the next step in Tula’s journey on Dune: Prophecy. Tula and the bull are two sides of the same coin: they’re both shy, sweet creatures who are easily manipulated by something enticing. Tula was driven by the potential of receiving her sister’s love and admiration. The bull was lured by the disgusting smell, metaphorically representing Tula’s appalling act against the Atreides family. But both escaped the Atreides’ sadistic tradition of hunting down an innocent animal for the sake of familial pride. Tula avoided her brother’s fate by charging at the Atreides head on, instead of falling into their trap.

Orry Atreides is much like Leto Atreides in this instance: a foolish man who couldn’t be saved by great ambition and good intentions. Orry accepted Tula for who her family was and unwisely believed that their love was greater than any feud. There wasn’t really a chance of him surviving this massacre. Even if Tula did express regret over her actions and spared his life, he wouldn’t have accepted her back into his life. At that point, Tula would’ve had no choice but to kill him. She was always too tied to her sister, despite feeling invisible and unloved in her presence. If she wanted to stay in her sister’s good graces, Tula had to become the bull, rather than stay as the lamb. No matter what generation, the bull always defeats the Atreides, metaphorically or literally.

New episodes of Dune: Prophecy premiere every Sunday at 9 PM ET on HBO.