--- title: Understanding the Atreides-Harkonnen Feud in Dune: Prophecy description: The Atreides-Harkonnen feud is a key plot point in the Dune universe. Dune: Prophecy attempts to explain why the two families are at war. canonical: https://time.com/7174130/dune-prophecy-atreides-harkonnen-feud/ author: Eliana Dockterman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-11-18T03:06:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-01-19T15:24:56.000Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: The Origin of the Atreides-Harkonnen Feud at the Heart of 'Dune: Prophecy' og:description: The fact that it has persisted for 10,000 years highlights its fundamental importance to Frank Herbert's universe. og:url: https://time.com/7174130/dune-prophecy-atreides-harkonnen-feud/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6cf2fc4f14f1a1cd/698a9c2909208f606b4244d5/emily-watson-dune-prophecy.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: emily-watson-dune-prophecy og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Origin of the Atreides-Harkonnen Feud at the Heart of 'Dune: Prophecy' twitter:description: The fact that it has persisted for 10,000 years highlights its fundamental importance to Frank Herbert's universe. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6cf2fc4f14f1a1cd/698a9c2909208f606b4244d5/emily-watson-dune-prophecy.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Origin of the Atreides-Harkonnen Feud at the Heart of _Dune: Prophecy_ > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account.  by [Eliana Dockterman](https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Correspondent Updated: Jan 19, 2026 3:24 PM UTCPublished: Nov 18, 2024 3:06 AM UTC  Emily Watson in Dune: Prophecy Emily Watson in Dune: ProphecyAttila Szvacsek—HBO  by [Eliana Dockterman](https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Correspondent Updated: Jan 19, 2026 3:24 PM UTCPublished: Nov 18, 2024 3:06 AM UTC **_Warning: This post contains spoilers for the first episode of_** **Dune: Prophecy.** The HBO series _Dune: Prophecy_ is set about 10,000 years before the birth of Paul Atreides, the protagonist of the original _Dune_ books_._ Sadly, that means [Timothée Chalamet](https://time.com/6103203/timothee-chalamet-profile/)—who plays Paul in [Denis Villeneuve's ongoing adaptation](https://time.com/6589871/denis-villeneuve-dune-part-two-interview/) of [Frank Herbert's _Dune_ novels](https://time.com/6108404/dune-adaptations/)—won't be making any cameos as a hot prophet in the six-episode season. But the good news is his ancestors play a big role in the show, as do the ancestors of Paul's rival, Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (played by an eyebrow-less [Austin Butler](https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2023/6268725/austin-butler/) in _Dune: Part 2_) and those of his betrothed, Princess Irulan ([Florence Pugh](https://time.com/collection/next-generation-leaders/6278537/florence-pugh-leaders/), who looked regal for the 7 minutes and 47 seconds she was onscreen in the _Dune_ sequel). _Dune: Prophecy_ is loosely based on the novel _Sisterhood of Dune_, co-written by Frank Herbert's son, Brian Herbert, and Kevin J. Anderson. The show centers on Valya Harkonnen (Jessica Barden and later Emily Watson), who joins a cult of witches and eventually earns the title Mother Superior of the Sisterhood. The Sisterhood will eventually become the Bene Gesserit, the mystical clan to which Paul's mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) belongs. **Read More:** [_Breaking Down the Complex Family Tree in the_ Dune _Universe_](https://time.com/7176304/dune-prophecy-family-tree/) Valya is not a good person. We see early in the show that she uses the Voice—a deep, foreboding register that she can summon in order to force people to do her bidding—to make a fellow Sister slit her own throat. But what did you expect? Her descendants are creepy, hairless dudes who torture people for fun. Still, _Dune: Prophecy_ does try to conjure up some sympathy for the Harkonnens, who, according to their own [family mythology](https://time.com/6836788/dune-family-tree/), were unjustly condemned by an Atreides and then banished to a barren ice world. They're doomed to sell smelly whale meat for a living. If the Atreides-Harkonnen feud sounds familiar, that's because it's a key plot point in the two _Dune_ movies. Giant slug-man Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (an unrecognizable Stellan Skarsgård) tortured the noble Duke Leto Atreides ([Oscar Isaac](https://time.com/collection-post/4301247/oscar-isaac-2016-time-100/), naked for some reason) in [_Dune: Part 1_](https://time.com/6095301/dune-movie-review/). And Paul Atreides and Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen engage in a _West Side Story_\-esque rumble in _Dune: Part 2_.  (L-R)" Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides and Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen in Dune: Part Two Niko Tavernise—Warner Bros. Pictures Now, you may be wondering, how is it that this family feud has persisted across 10 millennia?Apparently little has changed in the Imperium between the events of _Dune: Prophecy_ and _Dune_. Mark Strong plays Emperor Javicco Corrino in _Dune: Prophecy_, and it's his line that will eventually produce Christopher Walken's Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV and Pugh's Princess Irulan Corrino. Arrakis remains a terrifying yet coveted planet because it is home to the precious resource of Spice. Even the shield technology that soldiers deploy when fighting is identical. Sure, the characters in _Dune_ are scared of "thinking machines" or A.I. But, for perspective, the fall of Rome was just 1,548 years ago. And 10,000 years ago was the end of the Ice Age. (For technology, the ruling family, or even the outfits to have not changed in 10 millennia in the _Dune_ universe is a bit mind-boggling. But I digress!) **Read More:** [_A_ _Dune_ _Family Tree to Help Explain That_ Part Two _Surprise Reveal_](https://time.com/6836788/dune-family-tree/) The fact that the Atreides-Harkonnen feud has persisted from the time of _Dune: Prophecy_ to _Dune_ suggests that the rivalry is essential to Herbert's universe. Yet the origins of the rift go largely unexplained in Herbert's original series. Characters reference that it began during a great war but don't dive into the details. Here's the background of the Harkonnen-Atreides rivalry. ## The original _Dune_ book offers only hints about the origin of the feud  Rebecca Ferguson as Jessica in Dune: Part Two Warner Bros. Pictures Lady Jessica briefly alludes to the origins of this blood feud in the pages of Frank Herbert's _Dune_ upon which Villeneuve's movies are based. As a political power struggle builds between the Atreides and the Harkonnen families, Jessica observes, "The Harkonnens won’t rest until they’re dead or my Duke destroyed... The poison in \[Baron Harkonnen\], deep in his mind, is the knowledge that an Atreides had a Harkonnen banished for cowardice after, the Battle of Corrin.” That's pretty much all that Frank Herbert says on the matter. We never find out the details of the cowardly act. Frank Herbert's son, Brian Herbert, carried on his legacy and wrote books set in the _Dune_ universe, including one titled _The Battle of Corrin_. Many _Dune_ fans do not consider Brian Herbert's books canon. But some of his stories are the loose basis for _Dune: Prophecy_, so they're probably worth summing up here, whatever their literary merit. ## What went down at the Battle of Corrin  Lon Tweeten and Eliana Dockterman for TIME; Warner Bros. (20) According to Brian Herbert, many millennia before the events of _Dune_, humans were enslaved by A.I. (Think: _Terminator_ or _The Matrix_ or _Battlestar Gallactica_...or really any sci-fi property written in the last century.) A group of human rebels rose up against what are called the "thinking machines." A guy named Vorian Atreides lead humanity's army in the last battle on the planet of Corrin. There, the machines held two million humans captives in cargo containers that were rigged to explode as soon as the human military advanced. **Read More:** [_How the Ending of_ Dune: Part Two _Sets Up a Third Movie_](https://time.com/6836017/what-comes-after-dune-part-two/) Hundreds of billions (yes, I said billions) of humans had already died in the war. Vorian argued they ought to sacrifice the two million hostages to end the conflict. But Bashar Abulurd Harkonnen, who served under Vorian, disagreed. The two argued and Vorian dismissed Abulurd. Abulurd, in an attempt to save the captives, disarmed the weapons of the entire human fleet, crippling them in their fight against he machines. Abulurd's betrayal resulted in an extremely bloody battle. At the end of the war, Vorian branded Abulurd a coward, and the Imperium banished him to a desolate planet where his family could eke out a living selling whale meat. Which, again, is a bit grim. ## Where the Harkonnens and Atreides stand at the time of _Dune: Prophecy_  Chris Mason and Sarah Sofie Boussnina in Dune: Prophecy Attila Szvacsek—HBO Many _Dune_ fans consider the above explanation for the feud non-canonical, but it does seem to be the basis for Valya's grudge in _Dune: Prophecy_. Valya speaks about her family legacy with a disturbing intensity through the first episode of the series. She also cites restoring her family's honor as the reason she murdered another woman in the Sisterhood. **Read More:**[_Why Filmmakers From David Lynch to Denis Villeneuve Have Struggled to Adapt Dune_](https://time.com/6108404/dune-adaptations/) In a vacuum, Valya's actions seem, frankly, unhinged. But she believes Abulurd acted as a hero, not a coward and resents his fall. Though the shaming of her great-grandfather doesn't excuse her willingness to lie and murder her way to becoming Mother Superior of the Sisterhood, it does add context for why she is so ruthless in her goal to restore the family's honor. Valya's seething hatred for the Atreides clan does not bode well for Keiran Atreides (Chris Mason), the swordmaster to the Emperor, and the only Atreides audiences have met so far on the show. Valya is almost certainly aware of his presence in the Emperor's court and perhaps even aware that he has been flirting with Princess Ynez Corrino (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina). Keiran, for his part, seems more interested in seducing the princess than he does in engaging with Valya's vendetta—at least for now. ## **Valya Harkonnen's grudge**  Attila Szvacsek—HBO You've seen _Romeo and Juliet_. You know how blood feuds tend to go. They're, well, bloody. As we see in Episode 3 of _Dune: Prophecy_, Valya spurs her brother Griffin to go on some sort of mission to convince Vorian Atreides that the Harkonnens deserve to be elevated back to their previous high status. The next time we see Griffin, he's in a coffin. Valya blames Vorian, but we don’t know exactly how Griffin died. Valya then convinces her sister Tula (Emma Canning and then Olivia Williams) to seduce an Atreides man named Orry. Tula hides her last name and succeeds in ensnaring Orry before killing almost the entire Atreides family during a hunting trip. She does however let one young boy go. The Atreides-Harkonnen feud will likely continue to dominate this show. There are many mysteries left unsolved, and if we learned anything from _Game of Thrones_, it's to question details that are conspicuously left out. How, exactly, did Griffin die? The lack of explanation (or body) seems to suggest that either the Atreides were not responsible or some strange magic may have been involved. The camera also really lingered on that sex scene between Tula and Orry, and I don't think it was just for prurient reasons. Did Tula become pregnant with an Atreides child? And then who, exactly, was the Atreides boy who Tula let live? Is he the father of the Atreides sword master who currently serves the Emperor? ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7174130/dune-prophecy-atreides-harkonnen-feud/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7174130/dune-prophecy-atreides-harkonnen-feud/"},"headline":"The Origin of the Atreides-Harkonnen Feud at the Heart of Dune: Prophecy","datePublished":"2024-11-18T03:06:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-01-19T15:24:56.000Z","description":"The fact that it has persisted for 10,000 years highlights its fundamental importance to Frank Herbert's universe.","url":"https://time.com/7174130/dune-prophecy-atreides-harkonnen-feud/","keywords":["Television"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6cf2fc4f14f1a1cd/698a9c2909208f606b4244d5/emily-watson-dune-prophecy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliana Dockterman","jobTitle":"Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6cf2fc4f14f1a1cd/698a9c2909208f606b4244d5/emily-watson-dune-prophecy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"emily-watson-dune-prophecy","caption":"Emily Watson as Valya Harkonnen in Dune: Prophecy","creditText":"Attila Szvacsek—HBO","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/television/","name":"Television"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7174130/dune-prophecy-atreides-harkonnen-feud/","name":"The Origin of the Atreides-Harkonnen Feud at the Heart of Dune: Prophecy"}}]}] ```