Wensicia Corrino
schemer of the exiled House
Wensicia Corrino was the third daughter of Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV and the mother of Farad'n Corrino. From exile on Salusa Secundus she plotted to restore her family to the throne, culminating in a failed attempt on the lives of the Atreides twins.
Wensicia Corrino was the third daughter of Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV and the Lady Anirul, and a member of House Corrino. She married Dalak Fenring and bore a son, Farad'n Corrino, in whom she invested her ambition for the family's restoration. After Shaddam's defeat by Paul Atreides and the Fremen, she followed her House into exile on Salusa Secundus, where she schemed to return the Corrinos to the imperial throne.
Exile and ambition#
Wensicia was the third of Shaddam's daughters by the Lady Anirul. When her father was deposed following the rise of Paul Atreides, she accompanied the remnant of House Corrino into exile on Salusa Secundus. There she fixed her hopes on her son Farad'n, determined to prepare him to reclaim the imperial throne.
To that end she appointed the Sardaukar bashar Tyekanik as Farad'n's principal instructor. She went so far as to order her son to take up the religion of Muad'Dib, calculating that he would come to see the advantage of controlling the new Imperium by manipulating religious belief rather than confronting it directly.
The plot against the Atreides twins#
By 10219 AG, Wensicia had placed a spy, Javid, in the household of Alia Atreides as her lover. Soon afterward she attempted to assassinate Leto Atreides II and Ghanima Atreides. The plot turned on a royal gift of fine cloaks presented to the twins. A pair of servo-controlled laza tigers had been conditioned to recognize those garments as the markers of prey, the animals trained on Salusa Secundus using human twins dressed in similar cloaks.
The attempt ultimately failed. When word spread that Leto Atreides II had apparently been killed by the tigers and Ghanima seriously injured, the Bene Gesserit lodged a formal protest against House Corrino through Sabit Rekush of the Landsraad Internal Security Commission.
Estrangement and banishment#
Wensicia revealed the plot to Farad'n only after the fact. He was angered and disgusted by it, particularly by the use of human children to condition the tigers. The episode confirmed a growing judgement in him that his mother's schemes were ham-fisted, clumsy, short-sighted, and distasteful.
That judgement sharpened once the Lady Jessica became his Bene Gesserit trainer on Salusa Secundus. Her mode of teaching let Farad'n draw a contrast with his mother, whom he increasingly saw as a hindrance to his ascent to statesmanship rather than an asset. Possessing none of Wensicia's ambition, vindictiveness, or appetite for vengeance, he refused to cooperate with her plans and finally had her banished to an isolated area of the planet.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Wensicia Corrino?
- Wensicia Corrino was the third daughter of Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV and the Lady Anirul, and a member of House Corrino. She married Dalak Fenring and bore a son, Farad'n Corrino, in whom she invested her ambition to restore the family to the imperial throne.
- What did Wensicia Corrino do in exile on Salusa Secundus?
- After Shaddam's defeat by Paul Atreides and the Fremen, Wensicia followed House Corrino into exile on Salusa Secundus and fixed her hopes on her son Farad'n. She appointed the Sardaukar bashar Tyekanik as his instructor and ordered him to take up the religion of Muad'Dib so he could control the new Imperium by manipulating religious belief.
- How did Wensicia Corrino try to assassinate the Atreides twins?
- By 10219 AG, Wensicia attempted to assassinate Leto Atreides II and Ghanima Atreides using a royal gift of fine cloaks. A pair of servo-controlled laza tigers had been conditioned to recognize the garments as markers of prey, trained on Salusa Secundus using human twins dressed in similar cloaks.
- Did Wensicia Corrino's plot against the twins succeed?
- The attempt failed. After word spread that Leto Atreides II had apparently been killed and Ghanima seriously injured, the Bene Gesserit lodged a formal protest against House Corrino through Sabit Rekush of the Landsraad Internal Security Commission.
- What happened to Wensicia Corrino?
- Farad'n was angered and disgusted when he learned of the plot, especially the use of human children to condition the tigers, and came to see his mother's schemes as clumsy and distasteful. Possessing none of her ambition or appetite for vengeance, he refused to cooperate with her plans and finally had her banished to an isolated area of the planet.
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Sources
- WikiWensicia Corrino — Dune Wiki entry
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