Salusa Secundus was the third planet in the Gamma Waiping star system, and the designated homeworld of House Corrino, though it later became a prison planet after the migration of the Royal Corrino court to the planet Kaitain Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content.
- "My father has told me of Salusa Secundus. Do you know, Thufir, it sounds much like Arrakis...perhaps not quite as bad, but much like it."
- ―Paul Atreides, Dune, page 32.
Environment
Salusa Secundus was similar to old Earth in its size, relative position from its star, relative landmass, and atmosphere. It was once a largely temperate and beautiful green world, of temperate climate, home to hundreds of millions of free humans. Water flowed through open aqueducts. Around Zimia, hills were embroidered with vineyards and olive groves.
However, this beautiful planet had evolved into a harsh place, with many wild beasts, extreme temperatures, and difficult terrain. It was noted for being one of the only two planets in the Universe where shigawire was grown.
History & Purpose
Salusa Secundus was remembered in Fremen tradition as being a temporary home for the Wandering Zensunni; a planet on which nine generations of the Fremen ancestors lived as slaves. However, the veracity of such a belief remains debatable.
During the last years of the Old Empire, a man named Bovko Manresa settled on then isolated Salusa Secundus and his mansion had become a meeting hall for refugee humans. During the Time of Titans, the League of Nobles supposedly was formed out of these meetings. Salusa Secundus was thenceforth its capital, until and during the Butlerian Jihad.
The planet had successfully repelled two assaults of the Thinking Machines. One such assault occurs in the opening chapters of The Butlerian Jihad. Tercero Xavier Harkonnen assumed command of the defenses of the planet and it's capital. The attack was led by Agamemnon and other Titans. Their objective was the Scrambler web generator towers in the city. If the Titans could destroy the towers, it would allow the orbiting Thinking Machine fleet to attack the planet directly. Fortunately, Tercero Harkonnen anticipated the Cymek objective and thwarted the attack.
Salusa had become a central world for distributing refugees and repopulating planets and strengthening racial lines using seed stock gathered by the Sorceresses of Rossak years ago.
Devastation
It is thought that the devastation of the planet came about by an atomic attack by a rogue House against House Corrino.==References and notes==
Due to the harshness of Salusa Secundus, it became the Corrino prison planet. Those who were deemed criminals of the Corrino Empire were imprisoned on the planet. Many in the empire have suspected that the harshness of this world was responsible for breeding Sardaukar troops. This was the theory maintained by Atreides generals, namely that the harsh environment of the planet was responsible for the development of a fierce, hardened people.
This theory was further strengthened by the discovery by the Atreides of the resilience and fighting abilities of the Fremen on Arrakis. However, prior to the time of Muad'Dib, very little was truly known of Salusa's climate. The origins of the Sardaukar and the source of their numbers remained only in speculation.
Under Shaddam IV
In 10,193 A.G., Paul Atreides wrested the Imperial Throne from House Corrino. Before taking the throne, Paul promised Shaddam IV that he would keep a throne on Salusa Secundus, and that the planet would be transformed into a pleasant and beautiful world. This move was outwardly to show that he maintained respect for Shaddam, but in truth the move was to rob the deposed Emperor of the training grounds for his Sardaukar.
Shaddam IV then went into retirement, ruling over Salusa Secundus with the majority of his Household in accompaniment.
Origin's Analysis
Half the Zensunni of Poritrin were forced to migrate to Salusa Secundus in 4492 A.G. [DE, page 513] They were to be slaves on this planet for nine generations.
Salusa Secundus was a planet of such harshness that it was capable of producing the Sardaukar soldier-fanatics of the Corrino emperors and, indeed, the House Corrino itself. The Imperial Court had, of course, long been removed to Kaitain (1487 A.G. [ibid.]) and Salusa Secundus turned into a prison planet. As such, this hellish place contributed its share to the evolution of the Fremen of Dune and the Fedaykin of Muad'dib as well.
Salusa Secundus and Dune were in fact analogous: as Salusa Secundus was to the Saudaukar and House Corrino; so Dune, to the Fremen of the Jihad and House Atreides.
Knowing this, we understand more than most will grasp in the time of Shaddam IV. In fact, it will be a dangerous secret. Thufir Hawat asked the question, "Were there people on Salusa Secundus before the Emperor sent his first contingent of prisoners there? Even the Duke Leto, a cousin on the distaff side, never knew for sure." [DU, page 377] He was but trying to lead the Baron Harkonnen into drawing the proper conclusions about the role this planet had played in Galactic history and understanding how badly the baron had erred in his interview with Count Fenringtwo years before.
In 5295 A.G., the Zensunni were allowed to emigrate to Ishia. [DE, page 514]
Its planetary name clearly implies that, like Giedi Prime and Arrakis, Salusa Secundus was named after a star. Secundus (Latin for "second") is a term sometimes used with the lesser of the two components of a binary star. One would expect a "Salusa Prime" somewhere.
On the surface of it, salusa appears to be a Latin noun, such as nauta, which takes the masculine gender but is in a normally feminine declension. Thus it has an "-a" ending itself, while its adjective, secundus, has the normal masculine "-us" ending. There is a Latin noun salus, meaning "healthful"-nice irony, that! -but is a feminine noun of another declension. ...And Herbert knew his Latin.
It is true, however, that the constellation Aries was known among the Jews as Shalish (variant Shalisha), the name of some sort of musical instrument. [SN, page 82.] Herbert was aware of this, for the planet Chusuk (q.v.) is said to circle Theta Shalish.
Now Gamma Arietis is a well-known binary star and one of the earliest to be discovered (1664 C.E.). [CH, v. I, page 249.] Gamma Arietis is a star with a magnitude of 3.88 at about 204.4 ly. distance. If this can be taken to be (Gamma) Shalisha Secundus, then we possibly have our namesake for Salusa Secundus. There is other evidence that Herbert truncated names in this fashion, no doubt to the outrage of the Princess Wensicia.
Waiping (or Wae Ping, a "rolled screen") is a variant Chinese name for part of the constellation Pisces. [SN, page 343.] This indicates that Herbert not only used variant names for constellations, but also sometimes used names that applied to some asterism within the constellation to describe the whole-a form of synecdoche. The continued use of the Bayer designation-especially when, as in this case, a star with that Greek letter does not lie within the asterism itself-shows that the entire constellation is intended.
One may also note that Herbert makes reference to the "golden light" of Salusa Secundus. [CD, page 179] This is, at least, not in contradiction to the spectral type of Gamma Piscium.
Pisces, the Fish, is a zodiacal sign. The constellation is now where the Sun is found at the Vernal Equinox, the precession of the equinoxes having deprived Aries of that honor it held during ancient times.
Interestingly, the Greek myth about Pisces tells how Aphrodite and her son Eros escaped the giant Typhon by jumping into a stream, turning into fish, and swimming away. [NA, page 577] Now I once read a story about how a mother and son will someday flee from an evil baron by disappearing into the desert, becoming one with the natives, and make good their escape.
Some or all of this article was copied from the following external source:
[[The Stars and Planets of Frank Herbert's Dune: A Gazetteer
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