“‘How could you win the loyalty of such men?’
‘There are proven ways: play on the certain knowledge of their superiority, the mystique
of secret covenant, the esprit of shared suffering.
It can be done.
It has been done on many worlds in many times.’”
~Frank Herbert Dune
Widely recognized as an elite military force, the Imperial Sardaukar of House Corrino are
one of the primary factors which ensure the Emperor’s dominion.
A fearsome reputation preceded them throughout the known Universe due in no small part to
their superior fighting skills, ferocity and ruthlessness all driven by a fanatic religious
zeal.
In this video, I’d like to talk about the religion of the Sardaukar and how their beliefs
shaped them into the mighty soldier-fanatics who secured House Corrino’s hegemony for
some 10,000 years.
As with many of the religious elements in Frank Herbert’s series, the heaviest influences
on the religion of the Sardaukar can be traced back to Earth with roots in Islam and Judaism.
While admittedly very little was generally known about their religious beliefs, it was
understood that these ruthless fighters followed a way of warrior mysticism.
While the Great Houses of the Landsraad are made to believe that the Emperor’s forces
were made up of young and superbly trained levies, with an occasional rumor regarding
Imperial schools and training cadres.
The truth of the matter is that the Sardaukar are secretly trained on the Imperial Prison
Planet and former homeworld of House Corrino, Salusa Secundus.
The harsh conditions of this devastated hell world mean that only the strongest survive.
A factor which ensures that each resident of the planet is raised with a higher baseline
toughness, strength and ferocity.
As is brought out in the appendices of Dune, on Salusa Secundus, members of the Sardaukar
are typically trained from a young age with the inhospitable environment being responsible
for taking the lives of nearly half of all persons before reaching 11 years of age.
The ones who survive past that point had generally learned to rely on cruelty and terror as weapons.
Beyond this, they were militarily trained with an emphasis on ruthlessness and a near-suicidal
disregard for personal safety.
In order to win the devotion of these heartless men, House Corrino relied in part on the powers
of religion.
As Duke Leto pointed out to his son Paul, the loyalty of the Sarudaukar could be gained
through a play on the certain knowledge of superiority, the mystique of secret covenant
and the esprit of shared suffering.
Like many others, the religion of the Sardaukar draws on the innately human desire to find
greater meaning, a sense of purpose and to serve something greater than one’s self.
However, given the beliefs of these merciless killers, it’s apparent they also maintained
a supremely venerated view of the warrior.
It’s safe to assume that the Sardaukar’s faith had some significant zensunni influences
as Salusa Secundus was one of many stops on the pilgrimage of the Wandering Zensunni who
would eventually find their permanent home on the desert planet Arrakis.
Because of this it can be said that the religion of the Sardaukar has somewhat of a shared
history with that of the Fremen.
It was also noted that elements of the Tawrah collegiate and the Talmudic Zabur survived
on Salusa Secundus indicating the possibility of significant influence from Judaism as well
as from various Islamic movements.
Though the religions found in the Dune saga are often subject to change over time, because
of their shared history with the Wandering Zensunni, the theologies of the Sardaukar
and Fremen also hold many similarities.
The Zensunni religion itself sprang from the Sunni branch of Islam while also carrying
many Zen-Buddhist influences.
Upon a closer examination of Zen Buddhism, one will typically find that it requires a
supreme level of self-discipline involving difficult and intimate training.
This mindset is particularly prevalent among the warriors of Salusa Secundus as well as
the Fremen of Arrakis.
It’s also apparent that both the Sardaukar and the Fremen had long since abandoned the
pacifist teachings inherent in their faith.
Given their religious motivations, both of these warrior-races believed themselves to
be a people chosen by God.
They both maintained a strong belief in the hierarchy of strength, the honor in self-sacrifice,
and the elimination of the weak in order to ensure the power of the masses.
Those who are strong enough to survive a childhood of hardship on Salusa Secundus are quickly
molded into soldiers loyal to House Corrino through the reinforcement of the belief that
they themselves were elite and superior beings.
In many ways, the beliefs of the Sardaukar mirror those of the Spartans of ancient earth.
It is generally believed that in Spartan culture, if a child was unable to prove their strength
and fitness, they would be abandoned and in many cases left to die.
On Salusa Secundus, the environment itself is what would perform this kind of sorting,
ensuring that only the most capable tenacious and hardy children would reach adulthood.
If a youth was able to satisfactorily pass the trial of environmental culling, they would
carry on with an intense training regimen overseen by the Imperial House and at the
same time would gain access to many Imperial accommodations, feeding and fostering a sense
of loyalty to the Emperor.
The opulent lifestyle served to satisfy their desires and at the same time encouraged devotion
to House Corrino when called upon to serve.
It seems though that this approach turned out to be a double edged sword as the strength
of the Sardaukar was greatly diminished during the reign of House Corrino’s last emperor
Shaddam IV.
While the mystique of their warrior religion was highly effective for the many thousands
of years prior to the events of Dune, during Shaddam’s time on the throne, their religious
fervor had been sapped by a widespread and growing cynicism.
This cynicism was made manifest from several factors.
In the first years of Shaddam’s reign the number of Imperial commanders with the rank
of Burseg had nearly doubled.
With the Sardaukar’s focus on their own power structure, this in itself would have
provided cause for much resentment.
Shaddam also proved himself to be quite insecure, relying too heavily on pomp of office and
consistently meddling in affairs which were outside of his authority.
This trait of weakness would certainly prove to be a challenge for his military forces
as they struggled to maintain their devotion to the throne.
Finally, in the 30 years before the Arrakis revolt, appropriations for Sardaukar training
drastically declined, resulting in a softening of their inherent military discipline and
might.
That being the case, by the time of the events of Dune, they were still viewed as the most
formidable force in the known universe.
And their blindness to how soft they had gotten only contributed to their arrogance and overconfidence.
Overall, the mythology of the Sardaukar and the fear inspired by their unswerving and
merciless religious zeal added greatly to their notoriety.
This was what enabled the Corrinos to remain in power for many thousands of years.
That being said, their reputation was also largely built on a foundation of tremendous
skill, discipline and training.
However, it turns out that by the time the Atreides had taken over stewardship of Arrakis,
the perception of the might of the Sardaukar had become greatly exaggerated.
These factors contributed to many significant defeats at the hands of the desert hardened
Fremen, who themselves were only just starting to reach their most powerful potential, unlocked
and motivated by their own heightened sense of religious fervor and zeal.
While the Sardaukar were not completely eliminated by the Fremen, they never saw a return to
universal dominance.
However, the threads of their religious pride and strong feelings in the belief of their
individual superiority remained in the members that lived on into the events of Frank Herbert’s
later books.
But I’m curious to know what you think of the religion of the Sardaukar?
Are there any similarities you see to the religious motivations held by other historical
militaries?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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Thank you all so much for your support and as always, have a very nerdy day.