The Bene Gesserit fabricated the Lisan al Gaib Prophecy, which foretold the arrival of Paul Atreides. However, how was these prophecy created?

Dune: Part II dives even deeper into the prophecy of Lisan al Gaib as Paul Atreides struggles to assume the role and responsibility of being crowned as the Chosen One. However, Lisan al Gaib is merely a story created by the Bene Gesserit, a mysteriously powerful shadow organization that engineers religions and manipulates bloodlines for political reasons.

The Emperor and the Bene Gesserit are two sides of the same coin. While the former sits on the throne, the latter is the one who pulls the strings in the dark. Spread by the famous witch group, the Lisan al Gaib prophecy on the planet of Arrakis tells the tale of a great leader from the outside world coming to lead the Fremen to paradise. The prophecy might be fabricated, but Timothee Chalamet’s Paul Atreides later did become Maud’Dib, so how did a fake prophecy come true? The answer to the question comes down to how the Bene Gesserit created the Lisan al Gaib prophecy.

What Is the Lisan al Gaib Prophecy In Dune?

The Lisan al Gaib prophecy is a Southern Fremen belief. Similar to Christianity and all other religious beliefs in the world, it refers to the arrival or comeback of a savior who will rescue the Fremen from misery and lead them to a better future. Lisan al Gaib also has more than one name in Dune, such as “The Voice from the Outside World,” “Giver of Water,” Maud’Dib and “The One Who Will Lead Us To Paradise.”

Arrakis was the only planet where spice, the most valuable commodity in the Dune universe, can be harvested, and the Fremen, the natives of Dune, was the only group who had adapted to the ways of the desert. The Bene Gesserit had great reasons to assume control of Arrakis by spreading this particular religious belief. Instead of enlightenment, they planted a prophecy as a way to control the Fremen, who were said to be impossible to control by an outsider.

How Did the Bene Gesserit Create Prophecies?

The Bene Gesserit didn’t create the prophecy. Lisan al Gaib is essentially the Bene Gesserit’s own Kwisatz Haderach prophecy translated into the Fremen language with a few added alternations. They simply spread their own belief and coordinated signs to something they could control—they ensured that the signs of Lisan al Gaib’s arrival would match up with the quality of one of their own. In the prophecy, Lisan al Gaib is an outsider who possesses the Bene Gesserit’s power and traits. Paul Atreides fit the description, and therefore, he is being regarded as the Chosen One in the prophecy.

Lady Jessica played the prophecy to her advantage by utilizing her Bene Gesserit training upon House Atreides’ arrival on Arrakis to ensure protection and support from the Fremen. Knowing fully what the Fremen believed, she had given Paul the Bene Gesserit lessons and taught him the way of the desert to coincide with signs from the prophecy. Knowing this, Paul advised caution to the Fremen when they pledged their loyalty and faith in him. However, his action played right into the prophecy’s guidebook, which covered a broad range of actions. In the face of despair, the Bene Gesserit knew that people would twist their own perceptions in search of signs of the Chosen One.

“The Madhi is too humble to say he is the Madhi. Even more reason to know he is!”

– Stilgar (Javier Bardem)

In Dune: Part II, Lady Jessica took the Water of Life and became the new Reverend Mother. The Fremen from the south again took it as a sign because, in their eyes, she had achieved the impossible by drinking poison and coming back to life. However, as Paul explained, it was merely her Bene Gesserit training, which had been preparing her for this very moment from the beginning.

The Fremen had been living in the desert all their lives. They couldn’t have known more about the higher level power play and the Bene Gesserit training. The faithful followers only saw signs and followed them. They easily interpreted Paul and Jessica’s special abilities as signs of Lisan al Gaib and became convinced that Paul Atreides was Maud’Dib, and therefore, provided them with safe passage and help.

Can Bene Gesserit Foresee the Future?

Spice activated Bene Gesserit’s power and allowed them to foresee events of the near future. However, they couldn’t foresee far into the future, which was why the Bene Gesserit has been alternating bloodlines, trying to create Kwisatz Haderach genetically, who was said to be able to look into the far future and be many places at once. As seen in Dune: Part II, there was more than one candidate who had the potential to be the Chosen One. The Bene Gesserit didn’t hope for prophecies to come true. They plan to make it happen.

“It is said a man will come one day and find in the gift of the drug his inward eye. He will look where we cannot–into both feminine and masculine pasts.”

– Frank Herbert’s Dune

It’s clear that even Reverend Mother couldn’t determine if Paul Atreides was the Kwisatz Haderach. She only sensed that Paul had the potential of a candidate, but she didn’t believe that Paul would be the one. In Dune: Part II, Bene Gesserit supported another candidate (Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen) and pitted him against Paul. In the fight between Paul and Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, Lady Jessica, despite being a Reverend Mother, was genuinely scared for Paul. It seemed that she had no idea if Paul would survive the fight. From the mother’s perspective, it’s understandable to be nervous, but if she truly and firmly knew that Paul was the one in the prophecy, she wouldn’t have been so on edge.

The Bene Gesserit witches do possess short-term prophetic ability. They are able to take glimpses of events in the near future, but they can’t control the visions or have the ability to alter the future. Jessica receives visions, and so does Paul. The first film established Paul’s ability to tap into the future by showing his vision of meeting Chani coming true. However, things seem to take on an unpredictable turn in the second installment.

Dune: Part II seems to encourage viewers to think critically about prophecies and visions. Due to the high concentration of spice exposure, Paul began to have vivid dreams, and the line between fear and prophecy became blurry. Paul saw he would lead the Fremen to the south, where many would starve to death and Chani would perish. The film showed a scene almost identical to the one in Paul’s dream, but in reality, Chani didn’t die. Fans who have read the book know that Chani would eventually die in childbirth. Since the film has made some changes to Chani’s fate, there’s no way of telling what will happen to her in Dune: Part III, leaving the veracity of Paul’s dreams vague.

Is Paul Atreides the Lisan al Gaib? How could one be Lisan al Gaib when the entire prophecy was fabricated? Paul was a perfect candidate, but he also knew that he wasn’t the Chosen One. After drinking the Water of Life, he chose to step into the role of Lisan al Gaib, following his mother’s footsteps to utilize Fremen’s faith to his own advantage. Toward the end of the film, Paul put the Duke’s ring back on his finger, assuming his responsibility as the new Duke of House Atreides, and hence, starting the Holy War.

There’s no doubt that Paul Atreides is the most significant figure in the Dune universe. He led the Fremen into the Holy War and rearranged the power distribution between planets, but is Paul the Kwisatz Haderach? Dune II evokes doubts about Paul’s terrible purpose. On the one hand, he was the only male Bene Gesserit who survived from the Water of Life, but on the other, was he the intended Kwisatz Haderach? While Paul possessed the abilities of Kwisatz Haderach according to legend, many would argue that he was a Kwisatz Haderach instead of being the only one. Other theories also indicate Paul Atreides’ sister and son being the Chosen One.