Alma Mavis Taraza
the Mother Superior of the worm crisis
Alma Mavis Taraza was the Bene Gesserit Mother Superior who confronted the threat of the Honored Matres and the discovery that the girl Sheeana could command the sandworms. She drove the Duncan Idaho ghola project and the Tleilaxu alliance, and died on Rakis, her memories preserved in her successor Darwi Odrade.
Alma Mavis Taraza was the Bene Gesserit Mother Superior who led the Sisterhood roughly fifteen hundred years after the death of Leto Atreides II. She was in control of the order when the Rakian Priesthood discovered that a village girl named Sheeana could command the sandworms, and she set in motion the plans that drive Heretics of Dune. (Heretics of Dune)
Friendship and rise in the Sisterhood#
Taraza was a close friend of Darwi Odrade at the Bene Gesserit School, where the two girls developed a strong bond and used the nicknames Dar and Tar. When she became a Reverend Mother and a Bene Gesserit breeding mistress, she was chosen for her beauty to be paired with the most difficult lovers, whose genetic material the Sisterhood coveted. She later rose to the rank of Mother Superior. (Heretics of Dune)
The Honored Matres and the ghola project#
As Mother Superior, Taraza recognized the menace of the Lost Ones returning from the Scattering, especially the brutal and warlike Honored Matres, whom she analyzed with Odrade's help. She purchased twelve gholas of Duncan Idaho from the Bene Tleilax, most of whom were killed before recovering their memories. To protect the twelfth ghola she traveled to Lernaeus and asked the help of the aged Supreme Bashar Miles Teg, whose near-identical resemblance to Duke Leto Atreides made him important to restoring the ghola's memories quickly. She entrusted the Imprinter Lucilla with gaining the young Duncan's loyalty. (Heretics of Dune)
Many sisters, led by Reverend Mother Schwangyu, openly opposed the ghola project. Schwangyu, commander of the Sisterhood's Keep at Gammu, tried to win Lucilla to her side, but Lucilla, already warned by Taraza about Schwangyu's policy, refused. (Heretics of Dune)
Capture, alliance, and death on Rakis#
Taraza sent Reverend Mother Darwi Odrade, who was Teg's natural daughter, to Rakis to train Sheeana. Taraza then met the Tleilaxu Master Tylwyth Waff and, with Odrade's help, made an alliance with the Bene Tleilax against the Honored Matres threat. (Heretics of Dune)
When the Honored Matres landed on Rakis and began attacking both the Bene Gesserit sisters and the guardians of the Rakian Priesthood, Taraza was injured by lasgun shots. Realizing her end was near, she was reached by Odrade, who shared minds with her so that Taraza's memories were preserved in Odrade's other memory. Taraza died on Rakis, and afterward the Honored Matres used their weapon to destroy the Desert Planet, killing Miles Teg and his veterans and disintegrating Taraza's body. (Heretics of Dune; Chapterhouse: Dune)
Frequently asked questions
- Who was Alma Mavis Taraza?
- Alma Mavis Taraza was the Bene Gesserit Mother Superior who led the Sisterhood roughly fifteen hundred years after the death of Leto Atreides II. She was in control of the order when the Rakian Priesthood discovered that a village girl named Sheeana could command the sandworms.
- What was the Duncan Idaho ghola project?
- Taraza purchased twelve gholas of Duncan Idaho from the Bene Tleilax, most of whom were killed before recovering their memories. To protect the twelfth ghola she asked the aged Supreme Bashar Miles Teg for help and entrusted the Imprinter Lucilla with gaining the young Duncan's loyalty.
- Who did Taraza ally with against the Honored Matres?
- With Darwi Odrade's help, Taraza dealt with the Tleilaxu Master Tylwyth Waff and brought the Bene Tleilax into an alliance with the Sisterhood against the Honored Matres threat.
- How did Alma Mavis Taraza die?
- When the Honored Matres landed on Rakis and attacked both the Bene Gesserit sisters and the guardians of the Rakian Priesthood, Taraza was injured by lasgun shots. Darwi Odrade reached her and shared minds so that Taraza's memories were preserved in Odrade's other memory, and Taraza died on Rakis.
- What was Taraza's relationship with Darwi Odrade?
- Taraza was a close friend of Darwi Odrade at the Bene Gesserit School, where the two girls developed a strong bond and used the nicknames Dar and Tar. As Mother Superior, Taraza worked with Odrade to analyze the Honored Matres and forge an alliance with the Bene Tleilax.
Gallery
Images via Dune Wiki
Sources
- BookHeretics of Dune, Frank Herbert, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1984
- BookChapterhouse: Dune, Frank Herbert, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1985
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
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