Shield Wall

This article or section refers to elements from Original Dune There are separate pages for this subject as it appears in the other canons, the reasons for this are explained here Shield Wall in Expanded Dune Shield Wall in the Dune Encyclopedia

The Shield Wall as depicted in the Dune CCG

The Shield Wall was a mountainous, rocky geographic feature in the northern reaches of Arrakis. It protected a small area from the full force of the planet's coriolis storms. Its height was said to be great, reaching up to 4500 meters in certain places.

Although the Shield Wall was not man-made, it kept out the force of coriolis storms and kept the sandworms away from human settlements.

When Paul Atreides stopped all spice production on Arrakis, Emperor Shaddam IV traveled to Arrakis to restore spice production and stop Paul. He arrived in a Starship Lighter with a Hutment full of Sardaukar and landed within the Shield Wall.

When Paul's Fremen forces attacked the Sardaukar, Paul used the Family Atomics to blow an opening in the Shield Wall, breaching it. Through the breach, Fremen wormriders poured in to the theatre, attacking and defeating the Sardaukar on the Plains of Arrakeen.

In the thousands of years that passed after the Battle of Arrakeen, the Shield Wall slowly crumbled. With the massive terraforming that took place on Arrakis during that time, the Shield Wall eventually was reduced to little more than a small plateau. It was within this plateau that the Reverend Mother Darwi Odrade discovered Leto II's spice hoard.

Locations

The Shield Wall protected many important locations for the Fremen and graben peoples of Arrakis. They included:

• Arrakeen: The capital city of Arrakis under House Atreides. It remained the capital when House Harkonnen recaptured Arrakis, and was well as when Paul Atreides wrested the planet back into Atreides hands, became Emperor and moved the royal seat from Kaitain to Arrakis.
• Carthag: The capital city of Arrakis when the House Harkonnen maintained the fief, a period of approximately 80 years, until 10,191AG.
• Skull Tomb: The crypt where the remains of Leto the Just were laid to rest by Paul Atreides, his son.
• Plains of Arrakeen: The battlefield where Muad'Dib's armies defeated Shaddam Corrino IV's Sardaukar.

Other Locations

• Cave of Birds
• Mount Idaho
• Imperial Basin
• The Minor Erg
• Tsimpo

Images of the Shield Wall

Dawn at the Palace of Arrakeen painting by John Schoenherr (The Illustrated Dune, 1978)

The Flight Through the Shield Wall, ornithopter illustration by John Schoenherr (The Illustrated Dune)

The Emperor's Hutment seen from Shield Wall (art by John Schoenherr, The Illustrated Dune)

The Shield Wall in adaptations

Dune (1984) concept art of Arrakeen and the Shield Wall

Dune (1984) concept art of the breaching of the Shield Wall at the start of the Battle of Arrakeen

Guild transport ships approaching Arrakeen, with Shield Wall in the background (Dune, 1984)

The city of Arrakeen and the Shield Wall surrounding it (Frank Herbert's Dune miniseries, 2000)

Plains of Arrakeen and the Shield Wall (concept art by Mark Simpson a.k.a. Jock, cancelled Paramount film, early 2010s)

Arrakeen area bird's eye view - the Shield Wall surrounding the city, its industrial facilities and the nearby spaceport (Dune, 2021, art by Deak Ferrand)

Atreides ornithopters flying over the Shield Wall (Dune, 2021)

Arrakeen exterior view - outer walls and Shield Wall mountains panorama (Dune, 2021, art by Deak Ferrand)

Close-up of Arrakeen and Shield Wall mountains panorama (Dune, 2021, art by Deak Ferrand)

Dr. Kynes watching Harkonnen invasion fleet above Shield Wall and Arrakeen, after their attack (Dune, 2021, art by Deak Ferrand)

The Hutment seen during Paul's forces blowing up a section of the Shield Wall near Arrakeen (Dune: Part Two, 2024)