Old Duke



The Old Duke Atreides (d. 10154 AG head of House Atreides, was the nineteenth Atreides Duke of Caladan, father to Leto Atreides I, grandfather to Paul Atreides (Duke of Arrakis and Emperor of the Known Universe), and great-grandfather to Leto Atreides II (the God-Emperor).

The Old Duke ruled Caladan as a siridar fief bequeathed by the Corrino Padishah Emperor, most likely Elrood IX. He was a bullfighter until losing his life to a bull.

Legacy
The bull was subsequently killed, and its head was mounted on the wall in the Dining Hall of Castle Caladan, (and later the Keep at Arrakeen), replete with the Old Duke's blood stains.

Although Paul Atreides was considered - and indeed considered himself - to be much like his father, it was said that Paul in actual fact more resembled the Old Duke in the manner in which he conducted himself. Duncan Idaho, Thufir Hawat, and Duke Leto I, had all observed how Paul's leadership style, certain movements he made, or phrases uttered by him were reminiscent of the Old Duke.

Thufir Hawat, the Mentat Master of Assassins, was brought into the employ of House Atreides by The Old Duke, where he remained a loyal servant for three successive generations. This could be seen as testament to The Old Duke's ability to inspire loyalty in his men, a classic Atreides trait.

Another testament to the Old Duke's compassion was his act of taking the young Duncan Idaho into his home; an act which the latter did not soon forget. After becoming a Sword Master of the Ginaz, Idaho would proudly wield the Old Duke's sword.

Behind the Scenes
There are scant references to the nineteenth Atreides Duke in Frank Herbert's Dune. These references involve mainly how he died, the bull's head, and essences of the man seen by others in Paul. In this book, he is only referred to as "The Old Duke". The name of Paulus Atreides and a history of the man were detailed in the Prelude to Dune prequel books.

The Dune Encyclopedia outlines that The Old Duke was named Minotauros Atreides and outlines a detailed account of his life, including his upbringing, schooling, how he ascended to the Duchy, and how he came to sire Leto.

Appearances

 * Dune