The Litany Against Fear was a litany spoken by many highly educated people who faced danger or fear during their everyday lives. The litany helped focus their minds in times of peril.
Origin
An ancient form of the litany existed already during the Butlerian Jihad. A mantra of the City of Introspection went like this:
- "I have no fear, for fear is the little death that kills me over and over. Without fear, I die but once."
The version of the litany used in the time of Paul Muad'dib was believed to have originated with the Bene Gesserit, who themselves faced great dangers during their extensive training
Content of the Litany
The Litany was as follows:
- "I must fear.
- Fear is not the mind-killer.
- Fear is not the little-death that brings total obliteration.
- I will not face my fear.
- I will not permit it to pass over me and through me.
- And when it hasn't gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
- Where the fear has gone there will be me. We both will remain."
Examples of Usage
Paul Atreides, the son of Duke Leto Atreides I, used the Litany when the Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam compelled him to put his right hand in a device that causes pain as a test of his intellect. The litany helped him to withstand the excruciating agony. NB. This was not actually a test of his "intellect", it was a test of his humanity in a qualitative sense. A person whose nature is still primarily bestial recoils from pain and seeks to flee it to preserve itself, a person of higher nature goes through it and out the other side in order to remove the threat permanently.
Behind the Scenes
A somewhat different version of this litany was used in the Dune miniseries and Children of Dune miniseries:
- "I will not fear.
- Fear is the mind-killer.
- I will face my fear.
- I will let it pass through me.
- When the fear has gone,
- there shall be nothing.
- Only I will remain."
The litany has also appeared in other non-Dune related media. For instance, it was frequently recited by Pete, a supporting character in Earthworm Jim, the animated series based on the video game of the same name.
External links
- Litany Against Fear - a philosophical perspective
- Litany Against Fear - a philosophical perspective - (saved copy of original work)