Arrakis.
Dune.
Beneath its endless rolling deserts there exists a creature both honored and feared,
vital, yet deadly.
To the Fremen they are known as the Shai-Hulud, to the rest of the galaxy they are simply “Sandworms”.
Resembling the annelids or lampreys of Old Terra, the Arrakis sandworms are cylindrical
worm-like creatures with great maws filled with crystalline teeth.
Sandworms grow to colossal size, commonly reaching lengths of several hundred meters
and a few specimens recorded at nearly four hundred and fifty.
As with all things on Arrakis, the Sandworms are surrounded in myth and mystery, and rumors
persist that far larger worms exist in the deepest deserts, away from the major spice
mining regions.
Sandworms are predominantly orange, presumably as a means of camouflaging themselves against
the surface of the desert, and covered in many thick scales.
Each is roughly a meter in size and these scales overlap and interlock, creating a nearly
impenetrable armor.
While they can be stunned and shattered by conventional explosives, only by using Atomics
can a worm be completely destroyed.
Water is poisonousness to sandworms but is in too short a supply on Arrakis to be of
any use against but the smallest of them.
Their immense size and resilience makes sandworms particularly dangerous.
While they normally live deep beneath the surface of Arrakis, they are extremely territorial
and will pursue the source of any rhythmic vibration, to which they are extremely sensitive.
Harvesters and other mechanical equipment working on the planet are especially at risk
and worms have been known to swallow entire mining operations whole.
Those travelling on foot must learn to walk without rhythm to avoid a sandworm’s notice.
Rhythmic devices designed specifically to attract the worms are known as Thumpers and
typically used to draw Sandworms away from spice harvesters or other operations.
Often the only warning of a worm’s approach is an intense, flinty smell reminiscent of
cinnamon or concentrated lightning created by the discharge of static electricity.
Were it not for the Spice Melange the Sandworms, and perhaps all Arrakis, might have been ignored
entirely by the rest of the galaxy.
A wild organic growth created from the excretions of young sandworms mixing with trace amounts
of water, this substance, when exposed to the surface of the planet becomes an incredibly
potent narcotic.
Its essential use in the technological development of the known universe and as the means of
interstellar navigation has made the spice, and therefore the sandworms, the most important
resource in the universe.
To the native Fremen of Arrakis however, the sandworms are something more.
Their scattered tribes revere the worms as the physical embodiments of the One God in
their religion and are regarded as the spiritual symbol of their faith.
Young sandworms are used by the Fremen during religious ceremonies and it is said that they
have secretly mastered the ability to ride these titanic creatures across the desert.
The Fremen have achieved a unique relationship with the sandworms, existing in a mysterious
sort of harmony with them and even fashioning tools and weapons out of their remains.
For anyone outside of the Fremen, witnessing a live sandworm is a rarity and surviving
the encounter scarcer still.
Therefore, a great deal of the Sandworm’s origins and life cycle remains unknown.
There is evidence however, that the larval form of sandworms feed on water, draining
a region until it is suitable for the next phase of their metamorphosis.
If this type of desertification is possible on a planetary scale then perhaps Arrakis
was once a world of great seas and oceans.
If these larval sandworms could be introduced to another planet, than perhaps any world
might become another Arrakis, another Dune.
In Bestiary, the Templin Institute investigates the creatures and monsters of alternate worlds.
Bestiary is the first of four new pilots we're introducing day by day this week.
To cast your vote on which show will be added to our regular schedule,
a pledge of $1/month to our Patreon
will get you access to the polls when they are opened this Friday (Feb 23, 2018).