Paul Atreides’ rise to Godhood via political power (Part 2)
In the last part, I covered the basis of power in the Dune universe, Force and Legitimacy. And I will delve into Legitimacy specifically and how Paul Atreides uses different types of it to support himself on his path of vengeance and eventual rise to Emperorhood.
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This first type of Legitimacy I will go through is Traditional Legitimacy, the idea that order is right and just simply because it has been there for a long period of time. This is something that both House Atreides and Harkonnen had through rites of passage and prestigious ceremonies. One problem, this means jackshit to the Fremen. Althought unlike the brutish Harkonnens, Leto recognises this and tries to bargain and appeal with the Fremen. This doesn’t lead to much in the end as House Atreides is invaded and liquidated by the Harkonnens with the support of the current Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV. This leads to only Paul and his mother Jessica surviving, and they are driven into the desert, into Fremen territory, what little Traditional Legitimacy they had will not help them anymore. Legitimacy among the Fremen is not similar at all and the first type of it that Paul and his mother run into is Martial Legitimacy. This is the idea that power belongs to the strongest fighter, pretty simple right? It gets way more complicated from here. Paul successfully proves his strength and is accepted by the Fremen, where he soon comes to learn about one of the most important types of Legitimacy that will support Paul on his journey, that being Religious Legitimacy. Examples of this can be traced back to the beginning of Dune Part 1. Upon their arrival, there is a certain group of Fremen among the masses who bow and worship him, calling him the Lisan Al-Gaib — Voice From the Outer World. A seed planted long ago by the religious order his mother Jessica is apart of, the Bene Gesserit. This is type of Legitimacy is incredibly powerful and Paul pounces on it to aid him on his journey to avenge his father. Jessica also becomes the Reverend Mother — a prominent religious figure, she uses this to increase Paul’s support among the Fremen and solidifies Paul’s religious power as a weapon to be used on his conquest, but this is not enough, and Paul needs other forms of Legitimacy to reach his goal.
