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This article refers to elements from Expanded Dune Pages for this subject as it appears in other canons: |
Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (/ˈhɑːrkənən/) (born Feyd-Rautha Rabban; October 10174 AG - December 10193 AG) was the last Baron of House Harkonnen, although he held the title only briefly towards the end of the Desert War after the death of his uncle, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen of House Harkonnen, in whose plans to gain power Feyd had figured heavily, before being killed in a duel by Paul Atreides shortly after the Battle of Arrakeen. While still alive, the Baron favored the intelligent and charismatic Feyd-Rautha over Feyd's older and brutish brother Glossu "Beast" Rabban, Count of Lankiveil, and so chose him as his heir.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Born on Lankiveil, as the son of Abulurd Rabban and his wife Emmi Rabban through fertility drugs, Feyd was his father's hope for a son who would not have to inherit the dishonour of the Harkonnen name, unlike his older, more brutal son, Glossu Rabban. Feyd was named in honor after his maternal grandfather, Onir Rautha-Rabban, who had been killed by Glossu.
When the Baron heard of this, he decided to take Feyd from his father, to raise him on Giedi Prime as a possible heir of his own, with him officially adopting Feyd as his legal ward with permission from the Landsraad. Soon afterwards, Abulurd was killed by Glossu as payback for selling the Baron's illegal Spice stores to the people of Lankiveil, an act that earned Glossu the nickname "Beast". Due to Glossu's penchant for violence, the Baron came to favor Feyd over his elder brother.
Role in the Breeding Program[]
Feyd, like Paul Atreides, was also the product of a centuries-long breeding program organized by the Bene Gesserit; who planned their own marital alliance, joining a Harkonnen son to an Atreides daughter, uniting the powerful houses, ending their feud, and assuring their offspring would have a high probability of becoming the Kwisatz Haderach. For this reason, Jessica Atreides' decision to defy the sisterhood and to produce an Atreides son, Paul, established an irreconcilable tension between Feyd and Paul as the scions of their bitterly opposed noble houses. The risk of one or both of these young men being killed, destroying thousands of years of genetic engineering, was so great that the Bene Gesserit sent an envoy, Margot Fenring to seduce Feyd and conceive a child, salvaging his genetic material. During the seduction, she used a form of hypnotic suggestion (Voice) to make Feyd vulnerable to a command which, upon a specific word (most commonly 'Uroshnor') would cause complete muscle paralysis, a technique sometimes used on individuals who were considered highly dangerous.
Role in House Harkonnen[]
The Baron planned a strategic marital alliance, hoping to marry Feyd to Princess Irulan Corrino, the eldest daughter of the Emperor Shaddam IV, and giving the Harkonnens influence or control over the throne. To promote Feyd's power, he was to be installed as ruler of Arrakis after a period of tyrannical misrule by Rabban, making Feyd appear to be the savior of the people.
Feyd's ambition and impatience to inherit the Baron's title and power allowed him to be manipulated by Thufir Hawat, a counselor to the Atreides, who was captured by the Baron. Both the Baron and Feyd were nearly assassinated as a result of Hawat's machinations.
Death[]
Feyd was famed for his prowess in single combat, and his willingness to break the formal rules of kanly that governed this type of challenge, by using a hidden poison spur in his fighting outfit. He nearly succeeded in killing Paul in ritualized single combat, while Paul was deciding whether to try the paralysis command and owe the Bene Gesserit his victory, or whether to risk his life against Feyd in a "fair" fight. Paul killed Feyd, ending his life in 10,193 AG.
Marie Fenring[]
In 10192 AG, Margot secretly gave birth to her and Feyd's daughter, named Marie, who she raised along with her husband, Count Hasimir Fenring. Marie had many of the aspects of the Kwisatz, and was also raised to be an assassin. When she was six years of age, she tried to kill Emperor Paul Atreides on Arrakis, but instead was killed by Alia Atreides before the attempt could succeed.
Behind the scenes[]
- Feyd was played by Sting in the 1984 film and Matt Keeslar in the Dune 2000 miniseries. Feyd did not appear in the 2021 film, but does appear in Dune Part II, portrayed by Austin Butler.
- In The Dune Encyclopedia, Feyd-Rautha and Glossu's mother is named Thora Rabban instead. It is also implied that his unnamed daughter with Margot Fenring survived. Two of his female descendants were perhaps Demos Obric Harkonnen and Amertine Moritani-Harkonnen.
Appearances[]
- Dune: House Atreides (mentioned only)
- Dune: House Harkonnen
- Dune: House Corrino
- Paul of Dune
- Dune: The Duke of Caladan
- Dune: The Lady of Caladan
- Dune
| Preceded by Shaddam Corrino IV |
Owner of the Emperor's Blade 10193 AG |
Succeeded by Shaddam Corrino IV |
House Harkonnen
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Barons |
Dirdos Harkonnen • Weller Harkonnen • Danvis Harkonnen • Gerhard Harkonnen • Dmitri Harkonnen • Vladimir Harkonnen • Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen | ||
| Family |
Ulf Harkonnen • Katarina Harkonnen • Piers Harkonnen • Xavier Harkonnen • Roella Harkonnen • Omilia Harkonnen • Wandra Harkonnen • Abulurd Harkonnen • Vergyl Harkonnen • Sonya Harkonnen • Valya Harkonnen • Griffin Harkonnen • Tula Harkonnen • Daphne Harkonnen • Victoria Harkonnen • Marotin Harkonnen •Abulurd Rabban • Emmi Rabban • Glossu Rabban | ||
| Retainers |
Piter de Vries • Rautha Rabban • Janess Milam • Kryubi • Chiara Rash-Olin • Kalo Whylls • Rubien Scheck • Umman Kudu • Iakin Nefud • Thufir Hawat • Czigo • Kinet • Pardee • "Soo-Soo" | ||
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