Talk:Spice Agony

I think myself fairly well verse in Dune lore, yet I cannot recall ever coming across the phrase "Spice Agony". Shouldn't it be "Spice Trance"? Is "Spice Agony" perhaps a translation from a non-English version of the book? Alcarillo

also, isn't the trance brought on by the bile of the drowned worm? or am i confusing the book with the movie?

I think you are right. In fact I think up to the events in 'Dune', the Bene Gesserit DID NOT use the water of Life at all to 'create' Reverend Mothers. The Terminology section in the Dune appendices states:

REVEREND MOTHER: originally, a proctor of the Bene Gesserit, one who has transformed an 'illuminating poison' within her body, raising herself to a higher state of awareness. Title adopted by Fremen for their own religious leaders who accomplished a similar 'illumination'.

and

WATER OF LIFE: an 'illuminating poison' (see Reverend Mother). Specifically, that liquid exhalation of a sandworm (see Shai-Hulud) produced at the moment of its death from drowning which is changed within the body of a Reverend Mother to become the narcotic used in the sietch tau orgy. An 'awareness spectrum' narcotic.

My understanding of this is that the Bene Gesserit used a different drug (possibly more than one) to create their RMs. Only *Fremen* RMs were created using the Water of Life, which I think was a Fremen 'secret'. It's the use of the term 'Reverend Mother' by both the BG and the Fremen which has led to this confusion. In later books, the Bene Gesserit may well have adopted the use of Water of Life, but until Jessica took it in Dune I don't think they used it or even knew of it. Philgp

That's right. The Bene Gesserit article seems to suffer from this confabulation as well, but the sandworm article has it right. Banazir 05:53, 10 February 2006 (UTC)

In fact, having now re-read this article with a more critical eye, I think it's complete nonsense ;-), especially the bit about 'the part that gives' and 'the part that takes'. Philgp

I've fixed this part now. Banazir 05:51, 10 February 2006 (UTC)

Alcarillo points out the problem - the original author of the page has confabulated "spice trance" (involving an overdose of the spice melange, not necessarily lethal, but having "awareness spectrum" effects) with "spice agony", which involves ingestion of the Water of Life. I have edited the first paragraph to clear this up, following the sandworm article and linking to the correct article on the Water of Life. Banazir 05:23, 10 February 2006 (UTC)