Oral History

The Oral History, together with the Official History, provided the totality of information about the reigns of House Atreides before the discovery of the Dar-es-Balat. The term was used to designate a variety of materials, namely songs, stories, fairytales, and legends.

Its value was measured by the fact that it provided not only an independent source of historical information, but also revealed the mind of the people, sharing with its audience their understanding of their culture, and displaying their hopes and fears. These last insights were exemplified in "How Muad'Dib Got His Name", a Fremen folktale that weaved together wholly imaginary incidents from the wool of fact: Paul Atreides' adaptation to the desert and Fremen ways.