Worm-style chauvinism

[Egeides]

The worms are central in Frank's universe, some kind of ideal organism, with a mix of fixed natural place + survival of the fittest + trout collectivism. It looks like some form of "idealized chauvinism", and It seems to fit Dune's feodal setting (tough environment, fixed social place, people sticking to the organism...).

Although cornerstone to this, I do not remember how the worms were sucessfully adapted to any desert environment except Arrakis proper, or how the trout-worm cycle adapted. In Frank's "Road to Dune", an alternative version, there is a network of caves below the desert where mushrooms produce the drug bringing trouts and worms. (I don't remember any of this being in/excluded in Dune)

Some guess of mine would be that "one organism does not adapt elsewhere separated from the whole of which it is part", with the trout-worm cycle concerned and drugs (Spice) as central to this "whole's" origin and formation. woooo... Alice in Wonderland anyone? ;)

What did Frank idealize exactly by the worms? Comments?

[MrFlibble]

I think that worms are part of the Arrakeen environmental setting - a lethally dangerous yet important force that humans may be able to harness. It had always astounded me how the Imperial people just dug for spice almost without even trying to understand it for about a century (or maybe even more - I'm not sure if I remember correctly), while the Fremen have studied the lifecycle of the worms in all its intricacy. No wonder they deified Shai-Hulud - their very lives ultimately depended on the Spice and its Maker.

The worm-transformation of Leto II remains a mystery to me. That is probably how Frank Herbert hinted us humans should interact with their environment - by finding a natural way to merge, organically fit into the natural surroundings, as opposed to destructively tearing what we find necessary out of the "alien" environment that is self-sufficient without us. That's my interpretation however, it may be very well afar from Frank's original intent.

[SpiceGuid]

What did Frank idealize exactly by the worms?

Considering how conscious Dune novels are, i am suggesting the worm is the simplest, mindless life-form.

Basically a worm is a straight line from the mouth to the anus.

From a Bene Gesserit point of view, an "animal" is just a counter-productive wild being. On the contrary a "human" is a much-awaited being (especially by her mother).

From a Space Guild point of view, the line from the mouth to the anus is oriented. Moreover a worm moves by folding the space between its rings. Thus the worm could be an allegory for the "voyage".

Last but not least Fremen are free men, that is free from civilisation, they live in the wild. There are the exact opposite of the Bene Gesserit, they idealize nature as god rather than human as god.

Finally Paul is both Bene Gesserit (by his mother) and Fremen (by his wife), the Kwisatz Haderach is both super-human and super-natural.