What is the prophecy in Dune?

The prophecy in Dune: Prophecy primarily concerns the “Tiran-Arafel”. In the series’ debut episode, “The Hidden Hand”, the Sisterhood’s first Mother Superior, Raquella Berto-Anirul (Cathy Tyson) whispers an ominous warning on her deathbed: “Red dust. It’s coming… Tiran-Arafel.” Her words predict a catastrophic doom that awaits humankind in the future.

HBO’s Dune: Prophecy draws inspiration from Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson’s 2012 novel “Sisterhood of Dune”, the first installment of a prequel trilogy. Set 10,000 years before the events concerning Frank Herbert’s Dune, the series takes place well before the birth of Paul Atreides. It follows sisters Valya (Emily Watson) and Tula Harkonnen (Olivia Williams), as they steer through political and religious turmoil and lay the foundations of the Bene Gesserit order.

What is the prophecy in Dune?

“What holds more truth, history or prophecy?” Valya Harkonnen poses this question to challenge the history written by House Atreides. She claims that their history was “spun out of lies.” The series reveals that the Harkonnens were exiled to Lankiveil following Bashar Abulurd’s treachery in the Battle of Corrin. Valya harbours a deep-seated hatred against the Atreides and yearns for power within the Sisterhood.

Her ambition aligns with that of Mother Superior Raquella, leading to her succession. Rather than mere advisors, Valya envisions the Sisterhood and the Truthsayers forming a vast network of influence across the imperium, subtly governing in the future.

On her deathbed, the terrible prophecy of the “Tiran-Arafel” torments Raquella, it predicts a catastrophic destruction. The viewers witness haunting images: a massive sandstorm, a sandworm devouring entire buildings, charred flesh, blood dripping into water, a red cape, a red throne, and eyes of light blinking back from the cosmos. The vision is a warning, a hint at the Sisterhood’s role in the fate of the Imperium.

The nightmare prophecy

In the episode “Twice Born”, the acolytes of the Sisterhood experience the same haunting nightmare while thrashing in their beds, unable to escape. Sister Emeline (Aoife Hinds), caught in a trance, sleepwalks to the place where Sister Dorotea (Camilla Beeput) took her own life years ago. Clutching a knife in her hand, she stands at the water’s edge, her mind flooded with terrifying visions mirroring episode one, as well as Denis Villeneuve’s Dune cinematic universe.

She sees the vast desert of Arrakis, the spice fields with spice swirling in the air, the rhythmic beat of the “thumper” summoning the Sandworms, the massive mouth of the Sandworm, and the eyes of pure light staring back from the galaxy.

Tula seeks an explanation for the nightmares. She leads the acolytes into a chamber and hands them spice and charcoal, that would urge them to open their mind’s eye while being in control. They sketch the visions of endless dunes, the luminous eyes, the silhouette of a man, from their collective nightmares. A sister declares, “God is watching us. Judging us. The reckoning is here.” These visions repeatedly echo across the plot of Dune: Prophecy.

Who is the Tiran-Arafel?

The prophecy’s mention of a burning truth might point toward the character of Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel). The charred remains of his victims mirror those from the last vision of Mother Superior Raquella. Desmond is the son of Tula Harkonnen and Orry Atreides, an existence that is rooted in tragedy. Tula, on behest of her sister Valya, killed Orry on their wedding night - a decision that she later regrets, for it set into motion the terrible consequences in the future.

In the episode “Two Wolves”, Desmond confesses, “Shai-Hulud took my eye and granted me a gift. To see what even you cannot.” He makes his goals of eradicating the Sisterhood and serving the Imperium clear. Is Desmond then the fulfilment of Raquella’s prophecy? Was the prophecy foreseeing the downfall of humanity, or that of the Sisterhood?

10,000 years into the future, the Sisterhood transforms into the all-powerful Bene Gesserit. On the planet Arrakis, a different prophecy grips the Fremen. They wait for the arrival of their Messiah, the Lisan al-Gaib who would liberate them from their oppressors. It is Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) who later turns out to be this figure.

The term “Tiran-Arafel” literal meaning might be of significance. For the word “Tiran” can be traced to “Tyrant” or an absolute ruler. Whereas the word “Arafel”, also mentioned in Frank Herbert’s ‘God Emperor of Dune’ is described as “the cloud-darkness of holy judgement.” In the universe’s future, Paul and Chani’s son, Leto II, who rules the Imperium for 3,000 years while guiding humanity toward what he calls the “Golden Path”, is also referred to as “the Tyrant”.

Leto II’s final words before this death also mention the word “Arafel.” However, the “Tiran-Arafel” is likely to be more closely linked with the Butlerian Jihad and the Thinking Machines than a millennia into the future. Regardless, the prophecy remains ambiguous and shrouded in mystery by the end of the season.