Melange (Dune)
Melange is a drug that features in Dune.
Contents |
History
The Spice Melange was a narcotic that was produced by the Sandworms native to the desert world of Arrakis.
Its geriatric propeties were first noted Yanshuph Ashkoko who was the royal chemist in the reign of Shakkad the Wise.
At some point, the prescience enhancing properties of the Spice allowed for accurate and safe space travel by those that evolved into Navigators. This allowed for the creation of the Spacing Guild who developed a monopoly on space travel on-board their Spacing Guild Heighliners that transported occupants all across interstellar space of the Imperium.
As CHOAM controlled the spice usage it meant that any house controlling Arrakis had an avenue into the company. All the Houses depended on CHOAM profits where an enormous sum of it was dependent upon the spice. Thus, anything that reduced spice production had a tremendous impact on the galactic economy.
House Harkonnen had been on Arrakis for 80 years holding the planet in quasi-fief under a CHOAM Company contract to mine the geriatric spice melange.
The Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV came to pass control of Arrakis from House Harkonnen to House House Atreides. However, this was all part of a political ploy as the intention was for spice production to fail and the Duke Leto House Atreides to get the blame for it. Duke Leto was aware of this but had hoped to cultivate Arrakis's native Fremen into a corps that were as deadly as the Imperial Sardaukar and also develop his house's wealth through the planet's spice. Upon taking custody of Dune, Duke Lete Atreides looked to convince the trained spice hunters to remain on the planet rather than leave following the change in fiefdom. Despite his efforts, some of the spice hunters had opted to leave after the change in fief. In this time, House Atreides required a number of key personnel during their control of Arrakis among which included spice drivers, weather scanners and dune men including any with open sand experience. By this point, the Duke Leto came to learn that House Harkonnen had left much of the equipment in poor condition for their ancient enemies. Less than half the crawlers were operable with only a third having carryalls able to fly them to the spice fields.
Overview
In appearance, the Spice Melange was an orange substance that could be consumed to enhance a persons abilities. Due to its importance, it was also known as 'the secret coinage'. One account claimed that the spice tasted like cinnamon. However, another account claimed that the flavor of the melange was never twice the life. In fact, it was said to present a different taste each time it was taken. Some held that the spice produced a learned-flavor reaction with the body feeling the spice being good for it interpreted the flavor as a pleasurable slightly euphoric taste that could never be truly synthesized.
It was unique as it could not be manufactured but only mined on Arrakis making it extremely valuable. The Arrakeen melange was said to only be found in the deepest desert sands of Arrakis. It was said that the spice tasted like cinnamon but never twice the same. Each time, the melange tasted different with some holding that it produced a learned flavor reaction. Namely, that the body learning that spice was good for it interpreted the flavor as a pleasurable slightly euphoric experience.
It had true geriatric properties with small quantities of Spice was able to extend the life of a person by two centuries and large amounts could evolve a person by two thousand years. Usage bestowed on a person heightened vitality and awareness where in some cases it unlocked prescience in humans. The prescience-enhancing property allowed for safe and accurate interstellar travel. Extensive use of the drug tints the sclera, cornea, and iris of the user to a dark shade of blue, called "blue-in-blue" or "the Eyes of Ibad".
Melange was a drug that prolonged life and bestows heightened vitality and awareness, and in some humans unlocks prescience. This prescience-enhancing property makes safe and accurate interstellar travel possible, as it enabled Spacing Guild Navigators to see safe paths through space-time and navigate the gigantic Guild heighliners safely between planets. Those that overdosed on the Melange suffered from a 'spice trance'. Some intentionally entered such a state in the hope of gaining further use of the spice's prescient enhancing ability.
Collecting the melange is hazardous in the extreme, since rhythmic activity on the desert surface of Arrakis attracts the worms, which can be up to 400 meters (1,300 feet) in length and are capable of swallowing a mining crawler whole. Thus, the mining operation essentially consists of vacuuming it from the surface with a vehicle called a harvester until a worm comes, at which time an aircraft known as a carryall lifts the mining vehicle to safety. The Fremen, who have learned to co-exist with the sandworms in the desert, harvest the spice manually for their own use and for smuggling off-planet.
Spice was said to not be capable of truly being synthesized.
A key body within the Imperium was the CHOAM Company that managed the sale of spice. It was not the only product that it controlled but it was the one that generated enormous profit. In the event of spice production falls, it was said that all the Houses might start stockpiling melange.
At one point, spice brought six hundred and twenty thousand solaris the decagram on the open market. With such wealth, it was said that one could buy many things. A handful of spice was able to allow a person to buy a home on the sanctuary world of Tupile.
The loss of the melange would said to be devastating on the galactic scale. Without melange, the Spacing Guild's heighliners would not be able to move through space thus affecting interstellar travel. Furthermore, without melange and its amplification of the human immunogenic system then the human life expectancy for the very rich degenerated by a factor of at least four. Even the vast middle class of the Imperium ate diluted melange in small sprinklings with at least one meal a day.
Notes
- The Spice Melange was created by Frank Herbert where it featured in the setting of the Dune universe.
Users
- Piter De Vries : a Twisted Mentat of House Harkonnen who was said to consume too much spice as if it were like candy. The Baron Vladimir Harkonnen indulged Piter in his pleasures as he found his services to be useful.
In other media
Television
Films
- In Dune, the Spice appeared in the setting of the 1984 live-action film.
- In Dune, the Spice appeared in the setting of the 2021 live-action film remake.
Video games
- In Emperor: Battle for Dune, the Spice appeared in the setting of the video game where it was a mined resource for players and generated their economy allowing them to purchase units and build structures. Harvesters were built by the factions that went on to the sands to find Spice patches to harvest.
Appearances
- Dune: (1965)
External Links
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