Sandtrout
the larval form of the sandworm
Sandtrout were the docile larval form of the sandworms of Arrakis, grey leathery creatures that locked together beneath the sand to trap the planet's water underground. Not native to Arrakis, they were the agents of its desertification, and one colony fused with Leto Atreides II to begin the Golden Path.
Sandtrout were the docile larval form of the sandworms of the desert planet Arrakis. They were leathery creatures with cilia they used to link to one another, small enough that one could wrap itself around a hand like a glove. Their colonies trapped the water of Arrakis deep underground, and one such colony bonded with Leto Atreides II to set him on the Golden Path. (Dune; Children of Dune)
Nature and relationship with sandworms#
Sandtrout existed in vast colonies beneath the sands of Arrakis, locked body to body with coarse interlacings of extruded cilia until the whole became one massive placental organism capable of trapping entire bodies of water deep underground. Their excretions build up into the pre-spice mass that erupts in a spice blow, and survivors of that cycle go on to become worms. Dune's glossary calls this stage the little maker, the half-plant, half-animal deep-sand vector of the sandworm. Water, which the trout wall away so thoroughly, is poison to the adult worm; the Fremen drown small makers to make the Water of Life. (Dune; Children of Dune)
Sandtrout were harmless to people, and children in the Fremen sietches played with them, wrapping them round their hands like gloves and squeezing out a few drops of sweet syrup. (Children of Dune)
Origin on Arrakis#
Through his Other Memory, Leto Atreides II probed the many lives of his ancestors and came to realize that sandtrout were not native to Arrakis. Eons earlier the planet had been lush and wet, before the organisms arrived, proliferated, and encysted all its water, trapping it deep underground where they could eventually coalesce into full sandworms before migrating to drier layers of sand. This was consistent with physical evidence on Arrakis, such as the salt pans that had once been open water. (Dune; God Emperor of Dune)
The bond with Leto Atreides II#
As part of his Golden Path to ensure humanity's future, Leto allowed a small colony of sandtrout to attach themselves to his body, intending to extend his lifespan and eventually to release this symbiotic mass back into his terraformed planet to restore its desert state and its worm population. The first sandtrout formed a glove over his right hand, and the next ones linked their cilia until most of his body was covered. (Children of Dune)
Leto's spice-saturated body let him survive the joining, and the membrane became a second skin that gave him enormous speed and strength. He could run across the sand faster than any human and leap great distances. (Children of Dune) Over the next thirty-five centuries Leto's body gradually changed and enlarged, growing a powerful tail and losing the use of its legs until he was more worm than man, his metabolism a perfect hybrid of the two. In turn he modified his sandtrout, even imparting his own genetic memories, making them tougher and more adaptable so they could one day be settled on other worlds and thereby ensure the survival of his species and of the spice itself. (God Emperor of Dune)
Frequently asked questions
- What is a sandtrout in Dune?
- Sandtrout are the small larval stage of the sandworms of Arrakis, leathery creatures with cilia that link together underground. Their colonies wall off water deep beneath the sand, and in Children of Dune they become the living skin of Leto II.
- How do sandtrout keep Arrakis a desert?
- Sandtrout lived in vast colonies beneath the sands, locked body to body with interlacings of extruded cilia until they became one massive placental organism. This allowed them to trap entire bodies of water deep underground, which kept the planet a desert.
- How do sandtrout turn into sandworms?
- Dune's glossary calls the little maker the half-plant, half-animal deep-sand vector of the sandworm, whose excretions form the pre-spice mass. After the spice blow, the survivors go on to become worms. Water, which the trout wall away, is poison to the adult worm.
- Are sandtrout native to Arrakis?
- Through his Other Memory, Leto Atreides II realized that sandtrout were not native to Arrakis. Eons earlier the planet had been lush and wet before the organisms arrived, proliferated, and encysted all its water, a conclusion consistent with salt beds that had apparently once been ocean floors.
- How did sandtrout bond with Leto Atreides II?
- As part of his Golden Path, Leto allowed a small colony of sandtrout to attach to his body, beginning with a glove over his right hand until most of his body was covered. Over the next thirty-five centuries his body gradually changed and enlarged, growing a tail and losing the use of its legs until he was more worm than man.
Gallery
Images via Dune Wiki
Sources
- BookDune, Frank Herbert, 1965
- BookChildren of Dune, Frank Herbert, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1976
- BookGod Emperor of Dune, Frank Herbert, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1981
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
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