The Sardaukar warriors of Frank Herbert’s Dune are renowned throughout the Imperium as the
most fierce and deadly fighting force in the known universe. Because the author doesn’t dive as deep
into the inner workings of their society as he does with others, much is left to the imagination
regarding the manner and methods with which they carry out their ways of warrior mysticism.
In Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Dune we get a brief glimpse of the Sardaukar on their
homeworld including a few shots of striking imagery depicting a blood ritual ceremony.
In this video I’d like to talk about this particular aspect of Villeneuve’s adaptation
of the Sardaukar, how these blood rituals fit within Frank Herbert’s established lore
and how they emphasize some important characteristics of these soldier fanatics.
Spoiler warning if you are unfamiliar with the Dune series.
Although the events of Dune are set roughly 20,000 years into mankind’s future,
the series often references back to and takes inspiration from earth’s ancient history.
As a result, many of the bizarre elements found in the Dune saga
can be linked to historical religious, social and cultural practices often evoking
a particularly strange yet familiar feeling in this fictional universe.
In a previous lore video where I explored the religion of the Sardaukar,
it was noted that their faith could be traced back to Earth as it has roots in Islam and Judaism with
Salusa Secundus also having been a notable stop on the interstellar journey of the Wandering Zensunni
who would eventually find their way to Arrakis. Needless to say, the planet upon which the mighty
Sardaukar are forged has a long history steeped in religious tradition. Therefore, to many it makes
perfect sense that the emperor would continue to rely upon the fervor and zeal that the religious
history of Salusa Secundus could incite in order to maintain the ferocity of his fighting force.
Fittingly in Villeneuve’s Dune, a religious ceremony is depicted
in which many thousands of Sardaukar are assembled and what appear to be priests or priestesses
are shown walking among these warriors, marking their foreheads with blood. This blood is revealed
to have been collected from a number of upside down crucified bodies. All throughout this scene,
a throat singer can be heard, no doubt serving as a significant part of this religious ceremony.
When examining the use of blood in this ceremony in particular,
a few details can be speculated regarding their correlation to the use or view of blood in the
practice of ancient earth-based religions. A common thread running through many ancient
religions on earth is a venerated view of blood as something sacred or holy.
This is certainly how blood is viewed in Judaism and Islam. Both of which are said to have strongly
influenced the religion of the Sardaukar. Interestingly both of these ancient earth
religions forbid the consumption of blood and so it seems entirely appropriate that in the film,
the ceremonial blood appears to be used strictly for marking purposes.
As mentioned previously, due to the fact that Salusa Secundus was one of the planets that had
been inhabited by the Zensunni Wanderers, it would make sense to see similarities between the rituals
performed for the Sardaukar on Salusa Secundus and those carried out by other Zensunni descendants,
namely, the mighty desert warrior fremen of Arrakis. After the events of Dune and the
unleashing of the fremen’s bloody jihad across the Imperium, it is mentioned by
Chani that Fremen tribes had revived old rites and blood sacrifices. No doubt, to many, this
small detail serves as an interesting link to what was depicted in Dune part one on Salusa Secundus,
supporting the idea that these two groups have some form of a shared religious ancestry.
Regarding the bodies depicted in the ceremony, viewers have speculated that these may be
prisoners of war who were sacrificed as a part of this ritual intended to prepare
the troops for their next battle. However, in considering the lore of the Sardaukar and what
has been established about Salusa Secundus, I find that it’s far more likely for these
bodies to have belonged to failed trainees or fallen members from within their own ranks.
Along these lines, the appendices of Dune bring out that members of the Sardaukar
are typically trained from a young age with the inhospitable environment on Salusa Secundus
being responsible for nearly half of the deaths of all persons before reaching 11 years of age.
Similar to the training of the Spartans of old, only the strong survive, a mentality which no
doubt fostered and fed each soldier’s view of themselves as elite and superior beings.
Because the Sardaukar hold this ideology, it fits within the lore of Dune that this ceremony
would be intended to reinforce the veneration of the warrior. That the members who are present have
been blessed with strength and that the weak must continue to be sacrificed for the good
of the whole. As a result it would appear that this ceremony serves to anoint the strong who
have survived with the blood of their brethren who proved themselves too weak. This mentality
further connects the Sardaukar to the Fremen as they both share a determination to maintain
a hierarchy of strength through the survival of the fittest and the elimination of dead weight.
In developing the fighting style for the Sardaukar, the production team is said to
have taken inspiration from Viking berserkers who themselves are known to have a long history
involving various blood rituals. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, stunt coordinator Tom
Struthers points out the intentional similarities to the Vikings in Villeneuve’s adaptation as the
Sardaukar’s fighting style is said to be immediate and head-on. And that their whole approach is like
berserkers, where they want to mow down the enemy, without any regard for their own lives.
This portrayal is one that many feel fits within their description as warrior fanatics. Therefore,
it stands to reason that considering the influence Vikings had on how the
Sardaukar were depicted in Dune part one, it's apparent that this also
heavily influenced the look and feel of their blood ritual ceremony on Salusa Secundus.
This short but significant scene helps the viewer to more fully understand the cult-like devotion of
the Sardaukar. And the blood ritual itself stands to reinforce the brutality of these terror troops,
to highlight the depth of their religious fanaticism and to make their relentless assault
and victory over the Atreides on Arrakis all the more believable.
The imagery presented on screen is certainly intended to make the audience feel uncomfortable,
with its ties to real world religious elements in such a bizarre and barbaric setting.
And considering that much of Frank Herbert’s Dune series has to do with the power of religion and
religious engineering, it’s my opinion that the creative license taken by Villeneuve
to demonstrate this aspect of their society and to give us a glance at the basis for
their fearsome zeal fits well within the spirit of the author’s iconic work.
But I’m curious to know what you think of the Sardaukar’s blood ritual. Are there any
similarities between what you saw depicted on screen and those of ancient earth cultures or
religions? Are there any notable aspects of this ceremony that stand out the most to you?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. I hope you enjoyed this video,
leave a like if you did and be sure to subscribe for more Dune and other sci-fi and fantasy
news and lore. Thank you all so much for your support and as always, have a very nerdy day.