Dune: Was An Atreides Ever A Bene Gesserit (Before Lady Jessica)?

Lady Jessica ties the Bene Gesserit to the Atreides family in Dune, but was an Atreides ever a member of the Bene Gesserit before Duke Leto’s concubine? HBO’s new Dune TV series, Dune: Prophecy, has expanded the franchise’s lore in a few key ways. Set 10,000 years before the events of Denis Villenueve’s Dune movies (it doesn’t get more prequel than that), the series explores the origins of the Bene Gesserit. It introduced the Landsraad High Council, and the roots of the conflict between the Atreides and Harkonnen families.

When Jessica gave birth to Paul, Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam was furious with her, because she was supposed to only bear daughters. But Mohiam changed her tune when she saw the potential in Paul. The Atreides bloodline ended up getting intrinsically linked to the Bene Gesserit when Paul was cast in the messianic role as Lisan al’Gaib. But is Jessica the first Atreides to be a member of the Bene Gesserit or was there an Atreides in their ranks before?

Reverend Mother Raquella Berto-Anirul Was Vorian Atreides' Illegitimate Granddaughter

Raquella Was The Founder Of The Bene Gesserit Order

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There was, indeed, an Atreides within the Bene Gesserit long before Lady Jessica came along. In fact, the originating member of the Bene Gesserit, Raquella Berto-Anirul, was an Atreides. She was the founder and first Mother Superior of the Bene Gesserit Order under its original name, the Sisterhood of Rossak. The identity of Raquella’s father is unknown, but she’s an Atreides on her mother’s side. Her mother, Helmina Berto-Anirul, was the illegitimate daughter of Karida Julan and Vorian Atreides; Vorian was the founder of House Atreides.

HBO has renewed Dune: Prophecy for a second season.

Raquella appears in a guest role in Dune: Prophecy, played by Cathy Tyson. She dies early on in the first episode, after having a vision of a deadly reckoning, Tiran-Arafel, but her great-great-granddaughter Lila tries to contact her from beyond the grave. Raquella briefly reappears in the fifth episode, “In Blood, Truth,” when she possesses Lila to praise Valya. She’s not a huge character in the show — just in the prologue of the pilot episode — but she’s clearly a huge figure in Bene Gesserit history.

Raquella Berto-Anirul Was Dune's First Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother

Raquella Left Behind A World-Changing Legacy

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Raquella was the first ever Reverend Mother of the Bene Gesserit Order. She led a long and impactful life and left a world-changing legacy behind her. After her husband was killed at war, Raquella became a doctor and dedicated her life to saving people who had been injured in warzones. She created the antidote that ended the Rossak Epidemic. She worked at the Hospital for Incurable Diseases during the Omnius Scourge. Raquella is one of the Dune saga’s most benevolent characters.