House Harkonnen

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See Dune: House Harkonnen for the 2000 novel, and The House Harkonnen for the band

House Harkonnen is a powerful noble family in Frank Herbert's fictional Dune universe. The Harkonnens are featured prominently in the original novel Dune, and are also a major presence in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. The Harkonnen bloodline itself extends throughout all of the Dune novels.

Härkönen is a Finnish family name: härkä means bull and rauta means iron. Intentional or unintentional relations of these observations to the names Harkonnen and Feyd-Rautha are unknown.

Contents 1 History 1.1 The original series 1.2 The prequels 2 Harkonnen family tree 3 Harkonnen in the Dune games 4 References and notes

[edit] History

[edit] The original series

As the novel Dune begins, House Harkonnen is headed by the cruel yet cunning Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. The Harkonnen homeworld Giedi Prime is an industrial wasteland with a low photosynthetic potential, its once-rich natural resources exhausted and the land, water, and air have fouled with industrial pollution.

A longstanding feud exists between the decadent Harkonnens and the honorable House Atreides of Caladan. The Baron's intent to exterminate the Atreides line seems close to fruition as Duke Leto Atreides is lured to the desert planet Arrakis on the pretense of taking over the valuable melange operation there. The Baron has an agent in the Atreides household and the secret assistance of the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV. The Baron manages to kill Leto, and the Duke's concubine Lady Jessica and son Paul are missing and presumed dead. But the Harkonnen actions initiate Paul's rise to power among Arrakis' native Fremen. The Baron is later killed by Paul's sister Alia, and Harkonnen's heir Feyd-Rautha is killed shortly thereafter by Paul himself. In control of Arrakis, the source of the all-important spice melange, Paul unseats the Emperor.

House Harkonnen is effectively crippled; during the 3,500-year reign of Paul's son, the God Emperor, House Harkonnen dwindles and eventually dies after a disastrous venture in which the family sinks their remaining fortune into the construction of a no-globe. ^[1]

In Heretics of Dune Miles Teg notes that the Harkonnen bloodline possesses "genetic lines tracing far away into the dawn times of Greek and Pathan and Mameluke."

[edit] The prequels

“	You failed me at the moment I needed you most. Never again will I look upon your face. This I swear: From this day forth, let all who bear the name Atreides spit on the name of Harkonnen!	”
—Vorian Atreides, Dune: The Battle of Corrin

The Legends of Dune prequel trilogy by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson explores the origin of the Harkonnen-Atreides feud at the Battle of Corrin, the battle that ended the Butlerian Jihad and founded the Imperium. The first Abulurd Harkonnen had refused an order from his superior Vorian Atreides to kill a multitude of humans enslaved by the thinking machines.

Though he had only wanted to save innocent people, Abulurd was demonized by Vorian and labeled a coward and a traitor. Abulurd's own brother Faykan Corrino exiled him from the League Worlds to the frosty planet of Lankiveil. House Harkonnen ultimately worked its way back into the graces of the Imperium, manipulating the price of whale fur to purchase its way into the nobility.

The Prelude to Dune series, also by Brian Herbert and Anderson, explores the decades immediately prior to the events in Dune. This series establishes Vladimir's father Dmitri Harkonnen as a more benevolent man who leaves House Atreides in peace.

[edit] Harkonnen family tree

As established by the Brian Herbert/Kevin J. Anderson prequels:

Ulf Harkonnen d. 217 B.G.

Katarina Harkonnen d. 217 B.G.

Manion Butler 250 - 166 B.G.

Livia Butler 247 - 166 B.G.

Piers Harkonnen b. 236 B.G.

Xavier Harkonnen 223 - 164 B.G.

Octa Butler b. 219 B.G.

Serena Butler 221 - 164 B.G.

Roella Harkonnen b. 201 B.G.

Omilia Harkonnen b. 199 B.G.

Wandra Harkonnen (Butler) 174 - 87 B.G.

Quentin Vigar (Butler) d. 88 B.G.

Faykan Butler (Corrino) b. 145 B.G.

Rikov Butler 138 - 108 B.G.

Kohe Tantor d. 108 B.G.

Abulurd Butler (Harkonnen) b. 126 B.G.

House Corrino

Rayna Butler b. 119 B.G.

Victoria Harkonnen

Dmitri Harkonnen

Daphne Harkonnen

House Atreides

Tanidia Nerus

Vladimir Harkonnen

Emmi Rabban

Abulurd Harkonnen II

Marotin Harkonnen

Leto Atreides I

Lady Jessica

Glossu Rabban

Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen

Paul Atreides

Alia Atreides

[edit] Harkonnen in the Dune games

House Harkonnen features prominently in the Dune computer games.

“	House Harkonnen, from the volcanic wastelands of Giedi Prime. The Harkonnen know only malevolence, hatred and brutality. Their leader is the corrupt and vile Baron Rakan. Rakan's power-hungry sons — Gunseng and Copec — eagerly await the Baron's death. Each plots to take his place. But while he lives, they feed upon him like parasites.	”
—Lady Elara giving a brief description of the House, Emperor: Battle for Dune

[edit] References and notes

v • d • e Dune universe Great Houses House Atreides  •  House Corrino  •  House Harkonnen  •  House Ordos (non-canon)  •  House Richese  •  House Vernius People Bene Gesserit  •  Bene Tleilax  •  Face Dancers  •  Fish Speakers  •  Fremen  •  Honored Matres  •  Landsraad  •  Mentats  •  Padishah Emperors  •  Sardaukar  •  Spacing Guild  •  Suk School  •  Sword Masters of Ginaz  •  Thinking machines  •  Titans Key planets Arrakis  •  Caladan  •  Giedi Prime  •  Ix  •  Kaitain  •  Salusa Secundus  •  Wallach IX Elements/Concepts Abomination  •  Butlerian Jihad  •  CHOAM  •  Golden Path  •  Kwisatz Haderach  •  Languages  •  Melange  •  Old Empire  •  Reverend Mothers  •  Sandworms  •  Spice agony  •  War of Assassins  •  Water of Life  •  Dune in popular culture Technology Atomics  •  Axlotl tank  •  Crysknife  •  Ghola  •  Gom jabbar  •  Heighliner  •  Holtzman effect  •  No-ship  •  Stillsuit