Unnamed Atreides Gladiator: the slave who defied Feyd-Rautha
An unnamed Atreides fighting man taken captive on Arrakis was forced to face Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen as a slave-gladiator in the arena at Harko. Sworn to avenge his fallen House, he died only because Feyd cheated with a poisoned blade and a paralyzing code word.
The unnamed Atreides gladiator was a soldier of House Atreides taken captive on Arrakis by House Harkonnen and forced to face Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen as a slave-gladiator in the arena at Harko on Giedi Prime. A fanatic who had sworn to avenge the death of his House, he came nearer to killing the na-Baron than any sanctioned opponent was meant to, and Feyd escaped only by cheating.
The duel at Harko#
The captured Atreides soldier was brought into the arena at Harko as a slave-gladiator for Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen to kill on display. He was a fanatic who had sworn to avenge the destruction of his House, and he had carved the Atreides hawk into his own flesh as a token of that vow. He appeared to have been left undrugged, seemingly the work of Thufir Hawat as part of one of the Mentat's schemes against his new Harkonnen masters, so that the man fought with the full strength and clear will of a trained soldier rather than the dulled compliance expected of a drugged slave.
Feyd-Rautha was nearly killed in the contest, and survived only by cheating against the rules of his own arena. He used a secret code word to paralyze the man and carried poison on his black blade rather than the white one the spectacle called for. By these means the na-Baron put down an opponent he could not honestly beat.
Appearance#
The gladiator was tall and muscular, with a shaved head and sunken eyes. His skin showed the carrot-orange color of a man under the elacca drug, but the color was only paint, for he had not in fact been drugged. He wore a green leotard, and into his left forearm was etched the hawk of House Atreides.
Frequently asked questions
- Who was the unnamed Atreides gladiator?
- He was an Atreides soldier captured on Arrakis by House Harkonnen and forced to fight Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen as a slave-gladiator in the arena at Harko on Giedi Prime. He had sworn to avenge the destruction of his House and had carved the Atreides hawk into his own flesh.
- How did Feyd-Rautha beat the Atreides gladiator?
- The gladiator had been left undrugged, apparently the work of Thufir Hawat scheming against the Harkonnens, and so fought with full strength and will. Feyd survived only by cheating: he used a secret code word to paralyze the man and carried poison on his black blade rather than the white one expected by the rules of the arena.
Sources
- WikiUnnamed Atreides Gladiator — Dune Wiki entry
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Related entries
Thufir Hawat
Thufir Hawat was the Mentat and Master of Assassins of House Atreides for three generations and one of Paul's teachers. After the fall of the House he was forced into Harkonnen service, where he schemed against his captors before giving his life rather than harm the son of his Duke.
Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen
Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen was the na-Baron and heir of Vladimir Harkonnen. Charismatic, cunning, and vicious, he was groomed to inherit House Harkonnen and to win the Imperial throne, but was killed in a duel with Paul Atreides shortly after the Battle of Arrakeen.
House Atreides
House Atreides was a respected House Major of the Galactic Padishah Empire, ruled by a Duke and seated for twenty generations on the ocean world of Caladan. Through Paul Muad'Dib and his son Leto II, the Atreides line rose to rule the Known Universe before passing into a bloodline scattered across the millennia.
Arrakis
Arrakis, known as Dune and later as Rakis, was a harsh desert world in the Canopus system and the only natural source of the spice melange. Home to the Fremen and the sandworms, it became the seat of the Atreides empire and the center of the known universe.
Giedi Prime
Giedi Prime, later renamed Gammu, was the industrial homeworld of House Harkonnen, orbiting the star Ophiuchi B. A planet of factories, arenas, and an oppressed populace, it later passed to Atreides administration and eventually became a Bene Gesserit base.
House Harkonnen
House Harkonnen was a Great House of the Landsraad seated on the industrial world of Giedi Prime and the historical enemy of House Atreides. Ruled by a Siridar-Baron, it built its power on the brutal exploitation of Arrakis before being shattered as a political force at the Battle of Arrakeen.
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