Melange
Melange is also a
Viennese specialty
coffee, similar to
Cappuccino.
For the geologic term see mélange.Melange is the name of the
fictional
spice-
drug central to the
Dune series of
science fiction novels by
Frank Herbert, and derivative works.
The flavor of
melange strongly resembles that of
cinnamon; however, each subsequent tasting reveals a different
flavor.
In
Modern French,
mélange is a
masculine noun referring to a mixture or blend—especially of
chemicals and such potables as
wine and
coffee;
melange is also a
loanword in
Modern English with the same meaning.
Mélange is the modern form of the
Old French noun
meslance, which comes from the
infinitive mêler, meaning "to mix".
In
Dune, there is only one source of natural melange, the planet
Arrakis (colloquially known as
Dune). Melange is a geriatric drug that gives the user a longer
lifespan, greater vitality, and heightened
awareness; it can also unlock
prescience in some subjects, depending upon the
dosage and the consumer's
physiology. It is also known in casual conversation as [
the]
spice.
Pre-spice mass is the
precursor of melange. The pre-spice mass is formed by the chemical alterations induced in
water collected underground by
sandtrout, the
larval forms of
sandworms. These chemical processes produce gasses, which build up until the mass explodes. This explosion kills most of the larvae and releases the valuable melange onto the surface of the desert, as well as
carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Collecting the melange is hazardous in the extreme, since rhythmic activity on the desert surface of
Arrakis attracts the worms, which are extremely large and dangerous. Thus, the mining operation essentially consists of vacuuming it off the surface with a
harvesting machine until a worm comes, at which time a carry-all aircraft lifts the
mining vehicle to safety. The
Fremen, who have learned to co-exist with the sandworms in the desert, harvest the spice manually for their own use and for
smuggling off-planet.
Spice is in general use all over the
universe, and is a sign of
wealth. To ingest it is the ultimate display of
conspicuous consumption. The planet Arrakis is central to the inhabited worlds of the
galaxy because it is the sole source of spice.
Later, an artificial method of producing the spice is discovered by the
Bene Tleilax, who develop in secret the technology to produce melange from
axolotl tanks later in the series. It was not fully successful in pushing natural melange out of the market place.
Although it is referred to as "spice" and can be mixed with food, melange is indeed a drug in the clinical sense, its use being physically addictive and having intense
psychotropic effects. A melange user, once accustomed to regular consumption of the substance, is thereafter compelled to continue using it for the rest of his or her life, as the sudden discontinuation of its use will induce excruciating withdrawal symptoms, typically followed by death. Taken daily, however, melange can extend its user's lifespan by hundreds of years. Due to its rarity and value, the group controlling spice production on Dune controls the fate of the Empire.
Extensive use of the drug tints the
sclera,
cornea and
iris of the user to a dark shade of blue, which is something of a source of pride amongst the Fremen and a symbol of their tribal bond.
Paul Atreides, the main character in the original
Dune novel, initially has green eyes, but after several years on Arrakis his eyes begin to take on the deep, uniform blue of the Fremen.
The steersmen of the
Spacing Guild depend upon melange for the heightened awareness and the prescient ability to see safe paths through space-time, allowing them to navigate the gigantic Guild
Heighliners between planets. They exist literally within a cloud of melange in a tank; this extended exposure warps their bodies into a grotesque parody of a human fish.
The
Bene Gesserit use "spice essence", the
toxic substance that can be converted to melange, for the ritual known as the
Spice Agony, an ordeal in which an
acolyte deliberately imbibes a massive
overdose and confronts her inner-self and the selves of all her female ancestors. If she masters the confrontation, she emerges as a
Reverend Mother, a Bene Gesserit of terrifying abilities, fully in command of her Other Memories, the collective
egos of her
female ancestors. The process is fatal to those not strong enough. It is said that no male has ever survived this process other than
Paul Atreides.
*Herbert, Frank.
Dune.
1965 (reprint). ISBN 0-441-17271-7
*Herbert, Frank.
Heretics of Dune.
1984 (reprint). ISBN 0-441-32800-8
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. Fourth Edition.
Houghton Mifflin,
2000. ISBN 0-618-08230-1
*
Dune glossary, by Frank Herbert
