What Is a Reverend Mother in ‘Dune’? Hint: It’s Not Just a Job Title

Dune: Part Two is almost here, and the reviews are stellar. One group will likely play a pivotal role in the film: the Reverend Mothers of the Bene Gesserit. But who are they? Here’s what you need to know.

The Bene Gesserit’s Reverend Mothers in Dune: Part One and Frank Herbert’s novel

In Dune: Part One, a mysterious woman comes to visit Paul (Timothée Chalamet). Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) tells him to do whatever the woman says—even when she puts a poisoned needle to his neck.

This woman is Gaius Helen Mohiam, one of the Reverend Mothers of the Bene Gesserit. A Reverend Mother is a leader in the religious order that spans the galaxy, and as a Reverend Mother, Gaius is tasked with testing Paul to see if he’s truly, in the Bene Gesserit’s terms, human.

But a Reverend Mother isn’t just a job title. To become a Reverend Mother, a member of the Bene Gesserit must undergo a potentially deadly ceremony to receive the collected ancestral memories of the Reverend Mothers who came before her. During this ceremony, her body undergoes profound changes.

Note that the Bene Gesserit can only carry female ancestral memories. That’s why they’re so keen on the idea that Paul might be what they call the Kwisatz Haderach: a powerful being who can carry the ancestral memories of both male and female lines.

In Dune: Part One, we see a brief glimpse of Jessica wearing a veil, with tattoos covering her face. What does this vision mean for her and the Bene Gesserit? The answer lies in Frank Herbert’s original novel.

The Reverend Mothers in Dune: Part Two

So what role will the Reverend Mothers play in Dune: Part Two?

In the novel, Jessica becomes a Reverend Mother by drinking a substance called the Water of Life. However, because she’s pregnant during the ceremony, her unborn daughter Alia also receives the genetic memories of the Bene Gesserit, giving her powerful psychic abilities and the intelligence of an adult. Thus, in a way, Alia becomes a Reverend Mother, too.

Will Dune: Part Two follow the same trajectory? It remains to be seen.

(featured image: Warner Bros.)