Old Earth
the cradle of humankind
Old Earth, also called Terra, was the planet of the al-Lat system on which the human species first arose. After the Butlerian Jihad it dwindled to a memory, preserved in ancestral recollection and in the scattered Terran flora and fauna seeded across the worlds of the Imperium.
Earth, also called Old Earth, Terra, or Old Terra, was a planet of the al-Lat star system, and it was there that the human species first originated. By the era of the Imperium it had passed largely into memory, its old times only dimly known, for the Butlerian Jihad had left behind little more than a pittance of data.
The origin of humankind#
It was on Old Earth that humanity arose. After the Butlerian Jihad, the great revolt against the thinking machines, it was upon a neutral island of Old Earth that the Commission of Ecumenical Translators gathered to assemble the Orange Catholic Bible. Yet little was truly known of the old times, for the Butlerians had left behind only a pittance of data, and the deeper history of the homeworld faded from sure knowledge.
Memory and inheritance#
Fragments of Terra survived in ancestral memory. Paul Atreides asked that Stilgar look into historical Terran references of the Golden Age, including Genghis Khan and Adolf Hitler, for comparison to himself. The Tleilaxu Face Dancer Scytale likewise knew of Earth and remembered the Golden Age and the camels of the planet. The God Emperor Leto II, in whose time Earth no longer truly existed, recalled many things of Terran history through his ancestral memory, among them the Songs of the Long Trek that had not been preserved in the Oral History, the Romans and Greeks, the conquests of Assur-Nasir-Apli, and figures such as Mozart, Bach, and Napoleon.
Terran life across the stars#
Much of Earth's living legacy survived as adapted creatures and plants scattered through the Imperium. The Laza tigers were genetically manipulated Terran tigers, and the kulons were adapted Terran asses. Sage, a common Terran plant valued for its aroma and flavour, was carried to other worlds, and conch shells had once been found in the seas of Earth. The Bene Gesserit evoked elements of Old Earth on many planets, sometimes only as a faint sketch and sometimes with greater success, as on Chapterhouse, where Mother Superior Darwi Odrade recalled the Master Masons of Old Terra.
Frequently asked questions
- What is Old Earth in Dune?
- Old Earth, also called Terra or Old Terra, was a planet of the al-Lat star system and the place where the human species first originated. By the era of the Imperium it had passed largely into memory, with little reliable history surviving.
- Why was so little known about Old Earth?
- The Butlerian Jihad, the great revolt against the thinking machines, left behind only a pittance of data. As a result the deeper history of the homeworld faded from sure knowledge.
- What was assembled on Old Earth after the Butlerian Jihad?
- On a neutral island of Old Earth, the Commission of Ecumenical Translators gathered to assemble the Orange Catholic Bible.
- What Terran life survived across the Imperium?
- Much of Earth's living legacy survived as adapted creatures and plants. The Laza tigers were genetically manipulated Terran tigers and the kulons were adapted Terran asses, while the plant sage was carried to other worlds for its aroma and flavour.
- How did Old Earth survive in memory?
- Fragments of Terra survived through ancestral memory. Paul Atreides asked Stilgar to look into Terran references such as Genghis Khan and Adolf Hitler, and the God Emperor Leto II, in whose time Earth no longer truly existed, recalled Terran history including the Romans, Greeks, and figures such as Mozart, Bach, and Napoleon.
Sources
- WikiEarth — Dune Wiki entry
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