Last modified: 2006-10-07 by marc pasquin
Keywords: book | novel | dune | atreides | corrino | harkonnen | muad'ib | sardaukar |
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For those who never read the book, it's a space opera where a feudal
"house", the House of Atreides, is exiled to a dry, sandy planet called
"Arrakis", or "Dune", formerly a (very profitable due to a certain "spice")
fief of a rival "house", the House of Harkonnen.
Jorge Candeias, 29 july 2002
On p.275 of the Dune Encyclopedia, in the article "great houses, arms, pennants, and insignia", is mentioned the following:
"The pennant served chiefly as a battle flag; flown on a long staff, it marked a rallying point for troops in combat. for easy recognition, it usually bore only the principal color or colors of the arms. [...] Houses did not hesitate to adopt special battle flags for situations in which ambiguity might threaten command control."
The CHOAM company banner is «yellow with a black and red circle in the
center». This flag is hoisted from the imperial cruiser in Arrakis,
showing the Emperor's stand in the dispute. This may be on the more
significative SF events envolving flags.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 28 april 2004
![[Atreides's banner]](../images/f/fic-atb.gif)
by Jorge Candeias
The "Prelude" serie (prequels written by Frank Herbert's
son) describe the Atreides banner (if memory serves me right)
as Green and black with a red hawk.
Marc Pasquin, 16 january 2002
The book doesn't say the House's symbol is on their banner. In a way it says the opposite: Paul envisions armies with the Atreides banner, where those who served house Atreides on Caladan are recognisable by the red hawk on their uniform. I'd say that would hardly be a feature to recognize them by if that same symbol was on every banner of the army.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 26 august 2002
Whenever I see someone talking about a "green and black banner", I cant
help but to think this banner is a simple bicolour. And, since Herbert was
american, the natural thing for him was undoubtedly making it horizontal.
Jorge Candeias, 29 july 2002
In Dune, the Banner is described only as «black and green»,
when refered to throughout the book. It is used on location in the planets
Arrakis and Caladan (current and previous fiefs of the House), and
appears also in Paul's recurrent visions of a potential future
arrakeen jihad made in his name.
A second Atreides symbol is also mentioned, apparently unrelated to
the flag: the «Hawk crest of the House Atraides», used extensively as
an ornamental identification in building, vehicle and space ship
liveries.
In the second volume of the series, Dune Messiah, after Paul
Atraides is made Emperor, the banner is now described as green and
white, perhaps the is the flag shown in the movie is this one?).
I could not found this reference on a second read. Any ideas?
This putative reference must be somewhere in the first 8 chapters.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 28 april 2004
On p.275 of the Dune Encyclopedia, in the article "great houses, arms, pennants, and insignia", is mentioned the following:
" The House Atreide pennant [...] was black and red;"
I've just read a recent edition of the 2nd volume of this saga, Dune Messiah
After Paul becomes emperor and head of a multi-stellar empire-wide
jihad made by fremen fanatics, House Atreides doesn't lose any
nominal importance, accompagning Paul's new role, and with it its
banner.
Black seems to be subsidiary, green being *the* Atreides color:
Mentioned (vol.2 ch.XI §25) in Paul’s sister Alia’s body guard detail of
"four guard amazons in green watchrobes"and (vol.2 ch.XVI §40) in her own ceremonial robes:
"a yellow robe trimmed in Atreides green — yellow for sunlight, green for the death which produced life.". This last sentence gives an possible "meaning", weird it may be, for the main color of the House Atreides banner.
From Children of Dune (chap.VI, §16 / p.31):
"The green flag of the Atreides flew openly there."The refered location is a partially open qanat near Sietch Tabr, during the early phases of eco-transformation in Arrakis. Isolated, "green" and "flag" might be taken as purely metaphoric (chap.VI, §18 / p.31):
"The new symbols of Arrakis: water and green."but the context of other flag mentions shows this sentence literaly instead: flags are in actual use.
"A darkness where a green flag waved. It was the green banner of the Atreides with its day and night symbols, its Dune staff which concealed a water tube."Inconclusive as it is, this is probably the best flag description of the whole _Dune series.
"Remember when your Duke planted the Hawk flag on Arrakis, remember what he said: "Here I am; here I remain."This refers also the the origin of the Atreides motto, and illustrates well the recurrent (and hardly imaginative) synedoque that equates a liege and its fiefdom with its banner.
On p.394 of God Emperor of Dune, (55th chapter, 11th paragraph):
Tattered green banner fluttered from a metal pole atop the largest stucture.This refer to the village of Tuono, inhabited by "Museum Fremen". It could be an Atreides' flag
As of 88 B.G., Vorian Atreides had changed his ways as a warrior:
(The Battle of Corrin II.109§8 p.611) :
[...] having used to rely on tricks and deception [...] [now his] tactic is full-fledged millitary strike [...] Impatient and vengeful [...] [he] called himself a hawk.
(The Battle of Corrin II.95§14-15 p.567) :
Yes, I have become a hawk.[...]From now on the hawk will be my symbol. It will always remind me of my duty.
(The Battle of Corrin II.110§1 p.614) :
I am a hawk. That is my symbolThis accounts for the origin of the symbol; it remains unclear how usual was for Jihad or Army of Humanity high ranking officers to have self-apointed personal symbols, even those which would remind them of their duty.
Two new symbols (unknown in vol.1) are mentioned in "Dune Messiah", these named not Imperial or Atreides, but Muad’dib’s (this being Paul’s Fremen war(?) name): Moon-symbol of Muad’dib (vol.2 ch.XI §25):
"Alia’s temple dominated the foreground; green and black hangings along its two-thousand-meter sides displayed the moon symbol of Muad’dib"Fist-symbol of Muad’dib (vol.2 ch.XXI §2):
"A heliograph of ’thopter wings flashed in the bright afternoon sun above the temple, part of the Royal Guard with Muad’dib’s fist-symbol on its fuselage."
On p.275 of the Dune Encyclopedia, in the article "great houses, arms, pennants, and insignia", is mentioned the following:
"House Corrino's was white with a gold stripe, but as the pennant of the House (rather than the throne) was never used as a battle flag."
On p.275 of the Dune Encyclopedia, in the article "great houses, arms, pennants, and insignia", is mentioned the following:
"The Imperial Battle Flag was that of the Sardaukar, plain black."
The Banner of House Harkonnen is orange according to p.233 of Dune Messiah;
an "H" monogram is used to emblazon furniture (at least).
António Martins-Tuválkin, 28 april 2004
As of 108 B.G.. A Martyrist banner can be seen hanging on the wall of a cliff side suspensor restaurant on Caladan, with (The Battle of Corrin I.2§7 p.11):
pictures of the Three Martyrs: Serena Butler, her innocent child Manion, and Grand Patriarch GinjoIn Niubbe Hospital, Vorian Atreides is attacked by a sick Martyrist (The Battle of Corrin I.25§38 p.102):
The wretch clutched a scrap of a banner that depicted Sarena's baby Manion and he howled prayers, begging the Three Martyrs to save him, to save them allOn recaptured Honru, as of 108 B.G. could be seen (The Battle of Corrin I.32§6 p.119):
long banners depicting Serena, Manion the Innocent, and Grand Patriarch Iblis Ginjo unfurled from tall buildingsAs of 88 B.G., twenty years after the Cult started in Niubbe, cultists demonstrated in Zimia (The Battle of Corrin II.36§5 p.390):
lifting banners and pennants that were embroidered or stained with images of Serena Butler and Manion the Innocent.A simplified design is suggested later on: When addressing the Hall of Parliament in Zimia, in 88 B.G., Rayna Butler (The Battle of Corrin II.96§36 p.572):
wore a new green- and-white robe emblazoned with a bloodred profile of Serena.Finally, at the departure of the Army of Humanity fleet before the Battle of Corrin, as of 88 B.G. (The Battle of Corrin II.99§5 p.580):
sincere well- wisher and wide-eyed fanatics [carried] white banners emblazoned with the bloodred silhouette of Serena Butler
Sources Used