Harishka was the Mother Superior of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood for the entirety of the Turbulent Era - the last years of the reign of Emperor Elrood IX and the entire reigns of Emperors Shaddam IV and Paul Atreides. She was originally a close friend to the Kwisatz Mother Anirul Sadow-Tonkin Corrino, and watched closely the Kwisatz Haderach project in its last steps.
Biography[]
Early life[]
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Birth of Jessica[]
During the last years of the reign of Elrood IX, the Bene Gesserit sisters were preparing themselves for the last steps for the culmination of the Kwisatz Haderach project. For that reason, Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam was sent to Giedi Prime, in order to become pregnant from Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, a genetic pawn of the Breeding Program. After a giving birth to a crippled baby, whom Mohiam herself killed, she was ordered to return to Giedi Prime and become pregnant of the Baron once more. This time, Mohiam was raped by the cruel Harkonnen, and became pregnant with a baby that would later be the Lady Jessica, mother of Paul Atreides. Harishka was present at the birth of the healthy baby, and Mohiam chose the name with the permission of Anirul.
Anirul and Elrood[]
When Elrood IX died, Harishka sent an embassy to the Crown Prince Shaddam, headed by sister Margot Rashino-Zea, who offered the Corrino heir the support of the Bene Gesserit during all his reign if he would marry a sister, Reverend Mother Anirul Sadow-Tonkin. Shaddam accepted the proposal and he married Anirul after his coronation, where Harishka appeared with the delegation of the Bene Gesserit to kneel before the new Empress.
House Harkonnen[]
Later, when Baron Harkonnen discovered that the cause of his degenerative disease was caused by Mohiam, he traveled with his armada to the planet Wallach IX, home of the Bene Gesserit Mother School, in order to got his revenge against Mohiam and the Sisterhood. Harishka, with the help of her sisters, used the mental skills of a Bene Gesserit to confuse the Baron's mind, and he finally escaped from the planet, frightened because of such terrible talents. In retaliation, his stupid nephew Rabban sent the only existent no-ship to the Bene Gesserit homeworld, thinking that the sisters would feel frightened under such tremendous military power. However, the plans of Rabban failed and the no-ship was partially destroyed in the atmosphere of Wallach IX, where it was studied by the surprised sisters.
Mohiam and the Rabbans[]
Because Anirul considered that Glossu Rabban, nephew of the Baron, was a clumsy man with brutal behavior, she sent Reverend Mother Mohiam to Lankiveil, planet where the father of Rabban, Abulurd Harkonnen, lived together with his wife Emmi Rabban. Mohiam, disguised as a Budislamic monk, gave Emmi a sexual enhancer so that she and Abulurd could conceive another child despite their ages. This last child they conceived would become Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, Na-Baron of House Harkonnen.
Leto I[]
When the Bene Gesserit delegation presented the acolyte Jessica to Duke Leto Atreides, he refused to accept her, because he adored his concubine Kailea Vernius, with whom he had a son, Victor. In order to get the Duke's acceptance to receive Jessica in his household, the Sisterhood gave him information concerning the Harkonnen no-ship and the plots made by the Harkonnen against his family. After receiving that information, the Duke accepted Jessica in his household at Castle Caladan.
Great Spice War[]
Later, by the time of Emperor Shaddam IV's "Great Spice War", Harishka and her council had to deal with two important matters concerning House Atreides. First, Duke Leto's request to receive the no-ship in order to make easier his attack on Ix and the restoration of House Vernius' rule on the planet. The second matter was the pregnancy of Lady Jessica, who would give birth to the mother of the long time waited Kwisatz Haderach.
The Sisterhood had a special session in order to discuss the matter of the Atreides' request of the no-ship. Harishka and her council, the Reverend Mothers Lanali, Thora, Cienna, and the sister and commando Cristane, decided that the no-ship was to be destroyed, in order to avoid serious conflicts among the Landraad families, despite the sisters recognized the sense of honor and courage of the Atreides Duke. Concurrently, Lady Anirul, the Kwisatz Mother, decided that the young Atreides concubine would give birth in the Imperial Palace of Kaitain. The Sisterhood sent their answer to the Duke with Reverend Mother Mohiam, who also picked up Jessica and brought her to Kaitain, where Anirul awaited them.
Investigating House Richese[]
In order to know more about the no-ship's invention, the Sisterhood started investigating House Richese, whose representatives, Haloa Rund (an inventor, failed Mentat, and nephew of Count Ilban Richese), Talis Balt (a renowned Richesian inventor) and Flinto Kinnis (Director of the Richesian Department of Researches), went to Wallach IX in order to be questioned. Using techniques similar to that ones used against Baron Harkonnen, Harishka and her advisors received all the information required about the no-ship and its inventor, Tenu Chobyn, who was murdered by the Harkonnens after have worked for them in the creation of the invisible ship. Harishka and her sisters burned the damaged ship, and during the process she remembered in her Other Memory the experiences of a woman named Lata, who some time ago had seen men working in forges.
Project Amal[]
When Lady Anirul started having mental disorders, sister Aver Yohsa was sent to Kaitain to help Anirul to retake control of her Other Memory. It was then when the existence of Project Amal reached the ears of the Imperial Consort, and, through her, the Bene Gesserit. The Sisterhood had lost an agent on Ix, Miral Alchem, who had sent several reports concerning the disappearances of Ixian women in the planet, and behind such disappearances were the Tleilaxu masters. In order to discover the nature of the Amal Project, Harishka sent her most talented commando, sister Cristane, to investigate the situation on Ix. Disgracefully, Cristane was also captured after destroying Miral Alechem's tank, and she finally disappeared when Count Hasimir Fenring provoked a fire on the Tleilaxu Axlotl Tank section of the Ixian laboratories.
Birth of Paul[]
At the end of the novel Dune: House Corrino, Mohiam gave to Harishka, Lady Anirul's diary, in order to be examined. Harishka felt upset after realizing that Anirul's memories were lost, because Mohiam didn't reached in time the dying Kwisatz Mother, who had been mortally wounded while trying to stop Harkonnen Mentat Piter de Vries from kidnapping and taking away the baby Paul Atreides.
Assassination plots[]
Fifteen years later, by the time of the Ascension of Paul Atreides to the Golden Lion Throne, Harishka and her Bene Gesserit sisters (among them the influential and powerful Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam, truthsayer of the former Emperor Shaddam IV) realized that the Kwisatz Haderach had escaped from the controlling hands of the Sisterhood. Also, the Count Fenring and his Lady Margot had trained training their daughter Marie (in fact, Marie was daughter of Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen) outside the control of the Sisterhood, in Thalidei on Tleilax.
Finally, realizing that Muad'dib's Jihad had provoked many political changes and bloody conquests, Harishka and Mohiam tried to convince the Lady Jessica to assassinate her own son, and, as a reward, she would get the rank of Mother Superior of the Bene Gesserit. When Jessica refused to do so, Harishka and Mohiam tried to punish her using on Jessica the terrible powers of sister Stokia, the infamous Bene Gesserit Guilt-caster. However, Jessica had been warned of Stokia's powers by Tessia Vernius (a prior victim of Stokia's skills), and she was able to beat Stokia off, but realizing at the same time that her son had become the most brutal ruler in the history of mankind.
Appearances[]
- Dune: House Atreides
- Dune: House Harkonnen
- Dune: House Corrino
- Dune: The Lady of Caladan
- Paul of Dune
- The Winds of Dune
| Preceded by Unknown |
Mother Superior of the Bene Gesserit Before 10153 AG - after 10207 AG |
Succeeded by Unknown - eventually, Alma Mavis Taraza |