Both Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two are heavily centered around the Lisan-al-Gaib prophecy, questioning whether Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) is indeed the prophesied messiah. Paul, however, spends most of the story saying the prophecy is a lie created by the Bene Gesserit to control the Fremen. But then, the ending of Dune: Part Two throws a curveball. Paul decides that he is the Lisan-al-Gaib after all and wages war on all the Great Houses.
So, was the prophecy real? Was Paul really the chosen one? And why did he suddenly change his mind after saying no for so long? Let’s find out.
The Whole Lisan-al-Gaib Prophecy Explained
The prophecy of the Lisan-al-Gaib (translated as “Voice from the Outer World” from the Fremen language) is deeply rooted in Fremen traditions. It foretells the coming of a messiah who will lead the Fremen to victory against their oppressors and bring water to the barren planet. They believe this messiah will be from another world, will have a Bene Gesserit for a mother, and will know of the Fremen ways as if born to them.
The Fremen have clung to this prophecy for generations, waiting for the Lisan-al-Gaib to save them. Then comes Paul Atreides, an outsider, and the son of a Bene Gesserit. As he displays an almost precognitive awareness of the desert’s dangers and a natural connection to the Fremen culture, whispers begin to spread. Seeing Paul tick all the boxes of the Lisan-al-Gaib prophecy, the Fremen start to believe they’ve found their long-awaited savior.
The Lisan-al-Gaib Is a Lie Manufactured by the Bene Gesserit
Yep, there was no prophecy. It was all meticulously shaped by the Bene Gesserit, the mysterious space witches pulling all the strings behind the scenes to maintain control and influence. But why create a fake prophecy? Well, it all boils down to their version of the chosen one: the Kwisatz Haderach. You might have thought the Lisan-al-Gaib and the Kwisatz Haderach were one and the same, but they’re not. The Kwisatz Haderach is the Bene Gesserit’s dream child, a being with access to the memories of both his male and female ancestors and the ability to see the future.
The thing is, the Bene Gesserit can only access memories on the female side. To unlock the male lineage, they’ve been orchestrating breeding programs for generations, meticulously planning bloodlines to eventually produce a male Bene Gesserit — the Kwisatz Haderach. This is where the Lisan-al-Gaib prophecy comes into the picture. A hundred years before the Kwisatz Haderach’s expected arrival, the Bene Gesserit planted this idea of a messiah amongst the Fremen. So, when the Kwisatz Haderach finally emerges, the Fremen will be primed to accept him as their leader. And this would give the Bene Gesserit instant control over the Fremen and, more importantly, control over Spice, the most valuable resource in the universe.
Plus, if a Bene Gesserit was ever stranded on Arrakis, the prophecy could serve as a golden ticket. By proving themselves as the harbingers of the Lisan-al-Gaib, they could potentially gain the trust and protection of the Fremen. And this was precisely what Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) did.
If the Prophecy is a Lie, Why Does Paul Perfectly Fit the Lisan-al-Gaib Description?
Even if the whole Lisan-al-Gaib prophecy is a lie, it’s hard to deny that it fits Paul to the Tee. This is because Jessica was supposed to give birth to a baby girl, who would eventually be paired with Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler). But Jessica disrupted the plan, choosing to give birth to Paul. And since Paul shares the Harkonnen and Atreides bloodlines and is born of a Bene Gesserit mother, he’s the Kwisatz Haderach, just a generation earlier than expected. This is why Paul has those vague visions of the future. He perfectly embodies the fake prophecy because he can see the future and deliberately do things to emulate it.
Plus, the signs in the prophecy are deliberately vague. Take, for example, when Paul intuitively knows how to wear his still-suit, the Fremen see a sign of the Lisan-al-Gaib. But the prophecy doesn’t say, “He’ll put on his still-suit boots slip-fashion without needing to be told because it seems the proper way.” It simply states, “He’ll know your ways as if born to them.” The Fremen leap at the first thing that sort of looks like the Lisan-al-Gaib, even though there are plenty of other ways that Paul doesn’t know the Fremen culture, like the fact that the duel with Jamis (Babs Olusanmokun) is to the death or how to spacewalk properly until Chani (Zendaya) teaches him.
Now, why does Paul suddenly embrace the Lisan-al-Gaib title in Dune: Part Two? Well, once he drinks the Water of Life, his Kwisatz Haderach abilities fully activate, and he can see the future clearly. It’s very much like the Titanic (yes, we’re going somewhere with this). If the ship had hit the iceberg straight on, it would have stayed afloat. But they tried to turn the ship and go around the iceberg, which caused it to sink. This is what Paul sees. Any attempt to avoid the jihad leads to a worse future. So, Paul becomes the Lisan-al-Gaib. He’s going to rule with an iron fist and little sympathy. He must, or an even worse future will come to pass. Also, don’t forget to check out why Austin Butler was cast in Dune 2.