Jᴀᴄᴜʀᴜᴛᴜ - Tʜᴇ Cᴀsᴛ Oᴜᴛ

Memory has a curious meaning to me, a meaning I have hoped others might share.
It continually astonished me how people hide from their ancestral memories,
shielding themselves behind a thick barrier of mythos. Ohhh, I do not expect
them to seek the terrible immediacy of every living moment which I must
experience. I can understand that they might not want to be submerged in a mush
of petty ancestral details. You have reason to fear that your living moments
might be taken over by others. Yet, the meaning is there within those memories.
We carry all of our ancestry forward like a living wave, all of the hopes and
joys and griefs, the agonies and the exultations of our past. Nothing within
those memories remains completely without meaning or influence, not as long as
there is a humankind somewhere. We have that bright Infinity all around us, that
Golden Path of forever to which we can continually pledge our puny but inspired
allegiance.
-The Stolen Journals

Leto summons Moneo to the crypt to discuss replacing the Duncan, but a replacement won't be ready for two years. Leto's guards have told him that Duncan has been questioning the Fish Speakers about their origins, over and over again, upsetting them. Leto tells Moneo that is is part of his early Atreides training, to judge how they govern by the quality of the lives of the people. All the Atreides within him say he cannot do wrong in the name of right. Moneo insists that Leto has done no wrong but Leto tells him he has created a vehicle of injustice. Monoe fears the Worm is near and fears for his life, the crypt is worse than the aerie. Leto orders Moneo to tell him what religions perpetuate. Moneo cannot think of an answer, he bows his head, trembling and awaits death. But Leto tells him, religions perpetuate a master-slave relationship. They create an arena which attracts prideful human power-seekers with all of their nearsighted prejudices. The Duncan knows that Leto has gone against Muhammed and Moses and says in an ancient voice, "You are servants unto God, not servants unto servants!" Moneo insists that he serves Leto but Leto tells him a million wrongs can't make one right. The right is known because it endures.

Leto tells Moneo he intended him to mate with Hwi and the change of subject confuses him for moment. Leto says Moneo too will pass away and wonders if any of his works will be remembered. Without warning, as he spoke, Leto convulsed, throwing himself across the room, barely missing Moneo who screams and runs away. Leto calls after him and tells him he will test Siona tomorrow.

I found this passage in this chapter particularly intriguing:

Moneo had studied holos of Dune's ancient sandworms, the gigantic mouths full of crysknife teeth around consuming fire. He noted the tumescence of the latent rings on Leto's tubular surface. Were they more prominent? Would a new mouth open below that cowled face?

It makes me wonder where FH visualizes the mouth of a sandworm. I've always pictured it at the end (either an open maw, or some three-lipped mouth like in the lynch film. But this passage makes it sound like the mouth is some distance down the length of the worm's body.

Either that, or the front end of the sandworm body is "below" Leto's face (i.e. his chin points toward the near end of the worm).

HBJ

Hunchback Jack wrote:I found this passage in this chapter particularly intriguing:

Moneo had studied holos of Dune's ancient sandworms, the gigantic mouths full of crysknife teeth around consuming fire. He noted the tumescence of the latent rings on Leto's tubular surface. Were they more prominent? Would a new mouth open below that cowled face?

It makes me wonder where FH visualizes the mouth of a sandworm. I've always pictured it at the end (either an open maw, or some three-lipped mouth like in the lynch film. But this passage makes it sound like the mouth is some distance down the length of the worm's body.

Either that, or the front end of the sandworm body is "below" Leto's face (i.e. his chin points toward the near end of the worm).

HBJ

That is odd... I'm sure he visualized it on the end, but you're right that the other interpretation seems odd as well...

But where else could it form on Leto, it would have to be beneath his head as that was the terminator of the Worm/sandtrout body. I don't believe that Herbert was making a direct parallel between the development of Leto and Shai-Hulud.

And bear in mind that Moneo is asking a question in the passage not making a statement.

Revised.