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The Dune Saga consists of six books written by Frank Herbert—Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune, and Chapterhouse: Dune—and several other books written by his son, Brian Herbert, and Kevin J. Anderson. The original series began in 1965, while Brian Herbert’s expansion continued into the 2020s.
In Dune, Paul Atreides and his family move to the planet of Arrakis, colloquially called Dune. The planet is known for the production of the Spice, a product of initially unknown origin that allows the Empire to run. When Paul’s father, Duke Leto, is attacked and murdered by House Harkonnen, Paul and his mother, Lady Jessica, flee into the desert, where they are rescued by Fremen, the people native to Arrakis. It’s with the Fremen that 15-year-old Paul becomes a leader, first by coming into the role as the Kwisatz Haderach, and later, by becoming Duke. It is also among this group of Fremen that Paul meets Chani Kynes.
Who is Chani Kynes?
Chani Kynes is a central character in the first two installments of the Dune Saga. She is the romantic companion of Paul Atreides and mother to his children, including Leto Atreides II, Paul’s heir and the eventual Emperor. While she and Paul are married only as Fremen and not formally within the society in which Paul serves as Emperor, their pure love is at the core of Paul’s evolution and Leto’s immortality.
Chani makes her entrance in Dune as Paul analyzes a dream in which she has appeared. She is a slim girl with dark hair and large, striking blue eyes—no white at all, a unique Fremen trait. Within the dream, she refers to him as “Usul,” the private name he’ll eventually take with the Fremen, and asks him about the waters of his homeland. Chani lives on the planet Arrakis, commonly known as Dune. Her people are the planet's native inhabitants, though it is believed by many that the Fremen no longer exist. But Paul’s father, Leto Atreides, introduces him to Dr. Liet-Kynes early in their time on Arrakis, and this man offers proof that the Fremen still live, far beyond the borders of the Atreides settlement in the city of Arrakeen.
It is only after Baron Harkonnen and his ally Emperor Shaddam IV have joined forces to attack House Atreides, murdering Leto and prompting Paul and his mother to flee into the desert, that we meet Chani outside of the dream realm. A warrior herself, Chani is well-skilled in the use of the Fremen crysknife. Paul is immediately attracted to her, in part due to his prior connection to her, and they quickly form a friendship when she is assigned to look after Paul and Lady Jessica. Eventually, Chani becomes Paul's lover and bears him a son, Leto II, who is murdered by enemies of House Atreides.
In Dune Messiah, set 12 years after the events of Dune, Chani dies giving birth to twins, Leto II and Ghanima, leading Paul to wander off into the desert in grief. Later, in Children of Dune and God Emperor of Dune, Leto and Ghanima are able to use the Bene Gesserit skill of calling upon their Other Memory to confer with Chani. Finally, in Brian Herbert’s sequels Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune, written with Kevin J. Anderson, Chani and Paul are reunited as awakened gholas—the Fremen version of a cross between a golem and a clone. They declare their everlasting love for each other and live happily ever after.
What happens to Chani in Dune?
While we know of Chani’s existence long before her first appearance, listeners don’t actually meet Chani until Part Two of the novel, titled “Muad’Dib.” This is the section where Paul comes into his own as Paul Muad’Dib, also known as Usul, and rises to the expectations of his Bene Gesserit mother, Lady Jessica. This is also where Chani and Paul develop a friendship that blooms into a romantic relationship. Chani teaches Paul many of the ways of the Fremen, including how to travel in the desert oasis where they live, Sietch Tab’r, and riding on sandworms. Even at her young age, she is skilled at hunting and cooking, and she takes care of her family as well as she can. A natural leader, she steps up and helps her Fremen brethren when the Sietch is attacked.
Chani and Paul endure horrible grief when their young son, the first Leto II, is murdered in an attack. In the climax of the novel, Chani provides Paul with emotional and analytical support but mostly keeps to the sidelines of the conflict between House Atreides and House Harkonnen. Her love, however, is ever present, and she expresses it to Paul in both words and silence. When Paul defeats the Emperor and Chani and Jessica help to negotiate the next steps, Chani asks not to be given a title, even as Paul must marry Princess Irulan as part of the deal. When she expresses some amount of worry in regards to her new rival for Paul’s love, both he and Jessica assure her that Irulan will be his wife in name only.
What happens to Chani in Dune Messiah?
Paul Muad’dib has grown in power not just as the Mentat Emperor, but also as a mystical being. While Princess Irulan is his public wife and holds a prominent position in the day-to-day running of the Empire and the city of Arrakeen, Chani is the woman Paul has a true connection to and continues to love, both emotionally and physically. A dozen years after the events of Dune, Chani becomes pregnant again. Irulan, jealous of Chani’s relationship with Paul, has been giving her foods that act as contraceptives, but when Chani changes her diet, her long-standing issues with conception disappear. The damage is done, however, and Chani’s most recent pregnancy will be affected by it. She will be able to give birth but with dangerous consequences. Chani’s warrior rage comes out when she discovers this in the sixth week of her pregnancy, and all she wants to do is kill Irulan for her ruthlessness. But Paul keeps her from killing his wife, believing that Irulan's devious actions had actually worked to keep Chani alive. Still, despite all of Paul’s attempts to save her, Chani dies after giving birth to their twins, Leto II, who already has an extensive psychic connection to Paul, and Ghanima.
What happens to Chani after Dune Messiah?
In Children of Dune and God Emperor of Dune, Chani appears as an Other Memory in the Bene Gesserit way. Leto II and Ghanima, having learned that they could tap into the memories of their mother and ancestors as children, sometimes would pretend to be Paul and Chani. Ghanima, however, doesn’t have her brother's level of skill and is almost possessed entirely by Chani. After Leto uses Paul’s Voice power to send her away, they do not play with their Memory parents again. In God Emperor of Dune, however, Leto II has learned to access his ancestors’ memory selves at a deeper level and often brings up those of Chani to help him to lead, whether by calling upon a memory or speaking through him.
In Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune, written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, based on Frank Herbert’s notes, to wrap up the series, Chani and Paul are brought back to life as gholas. In Hunters, they are called upon to help win a major battle. In Sandworms, after the events of the story lead to their minds and memories to be awakened, they help to restore Arrakis to its former self and return to the ways of the ancient Fremen. It’s here that the two are able to live as beloveds for the rest of their days, the Saga of Dune concluded.
Who are Chani’s allies and enemies?
Liet-Kynes is Chani’s father, an imperial paleontologist, and advisor to the Duke of Arrakis, Leto Atreides
Paul Atreides is Chani’s lover and husband, and the father of their children, Leto II and Ghanima.
Lady Jessica Atreides is Chani’s mother-in-law and advisor. She is Chani’s instructor in the Weirding Way and her spiritual guide.
Princess Irulan is the Imperial wife of Paul. To Chani, she is more than an acquaintance but not quite a friend. Later, Irulan turns antagonistic, feeding Chani contraceptives to keep her from providing an Imperial heir.
Leto Atreides II is Chani and Paul’s son. He is the evolution of the Kwisatz Haderach, capable of accessing the memories of all ancestors prior to his birth. Over time, he becomes immortal emperor with Chani and Paul as memory advisors.
Ghanima Atreides is the daughter of Chani and Paul, a twin to Leto II.
How is Chani portrayed on screen?
Chani has been portrayed by three different actresses: Sean Young in David Lynch’s 1984 film; Barbara Kodetová in the Syfy Channel’s two miniseries, Frank Herbert’s Dune and Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune; and Zendaya in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two. Each of these women embody Chani as a strong, independent woman, but Kodetová and Zendaya lean more into Chani’s role as a warrior. Chani’s role in the 1984 film is comparatively small, as more of the story is drilled down to fewer than three hours of screen time. Chani in the Syfy miniseries, on the other hand, is built out. This Chani is a fighting instructor and sparring partner as well as a lover. She is a traveling companion and political advisor. She doesn’t like Imperial clothing and will as soon slit the throat of someone threatening Paul as she would negotiate with them. The most recent portrayal of Chani was just as preview of what is to come, as Part One of Villeneuve’s Dune ends shortly after Paul and his mother Jessica first encounter Chani’s Fremen community. In Dune: Part Two, Chani will likely have a much larger role, and Zendaya’s portrayal is among the most anticipated features of the upcoming film.
Memorable Chani Kynes quotes
“Tell me about the waters of your homeworld, Usul.”
“Usul, my strength, do you give moisture to the dead?”
“She put a palm against his cheek. ‘I’m no longer afraid, Usul. Look at me. I see what you see when you hold me thus.’”
“I see us giving love to each other in a time of quiet between storms. It’s what we were meant to do.”
