‘Dune: The Prophecy’: What does Tiran-Arafel mean?

Dune: Prophecy includes many new features A mound Our story, from the Butlerian Jihad fought against the thinking machines to the beginning of the Sisterhood that will one day become the Bene Gesserit.

However, one of the big new names we learn in the first episode is “Tiran-Arafel,” the name spoken by Big Mom Raquella Berto-Anirul (Cathy Tyson) on her deathbed. The warning is accompanied by the idea of ​​the destruction of the Sisterhood, suggesting that whatever Tiran-Arafel is, it is nothing.

Dune: Prophecy confirms this in the next scene, when young Sister Valya Harkonnen (Jessica Barden) tells her fellow sisters about Raquella’s words. Her compatriot, Sister Kasha (Yerin Ha) gives a specific explanation. He says: “The number. “Holy judgment brought by a tyrant.”

However, the concept of Tiran-Arafel, or rather, just arafel, is not unique Dune: Prophecy. Instead, arafel – which is Hebrew for “mist” – appears at the end of the God Ruler of the Dunethe fourth novel in the Frank Herbert series.

As (spoiler) Paul Atreides’ son Leto II (also a sandworm-human hybrid) dies, his last words are, “Don’t be afraid of the Ixians. They can make machines, but they can’t make an arafel anymore. I know. I’ve been there .”

There’s a ton to unpack there, from the Ixian civilization that built the machine to Leto’s ideas. (Like father, like son.) But the big takeaway God Ruler of the Dune because of Dune: Prophecy that arafel is later described as “the darkness of the cloud of holy judgment.” Basically, it’s a human apocalypse.

Dune: Prophecy modifies that definition slightly, with the addition of “tyrant” emphasizing that the judgment of the Sisterhood will be delivered directly by the tyrant. But who could that be?

So far, all signs point to soldier Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel), who appears to be with the Sisterhood. After all, his mysterious ability to burn people without touching them seems to be exactly the same as the power of a dictator.

New episodes of Dune: Prophecy premieres Sundays at 9 pm ET on HBO and Max.