Paul Atreides

The protagonist of Dune Messiah, Paul Atreides has reigned twelve years as Emperor. Resembling his murdered father in temper and hawk nose, but his mother, the Lady Jessica, in overall physical structure, Paul is frequently referred to by the honorific "Muad'dib," often in the compound form "Paul-Muad'dib" (a muad'dib being a small desert mouse renowned for its caution and survival abilities). Paul is also referred to as the "Mahdi," the Fremen term for messiah; "kwisatz haderach," a specially bred male Bene Gesserit messiah, capable of being many places at once; and a "mentat," a human computer. Paul's tribal name, Usul, meaning "base of the pillar," is used only by his Fremen companions from the earliest days of his flight into the desert.

Since childhood on the water-rich planet of Caladan, Paul has received physical and mental training from his mother, strictly against the rules of her Sisterhood...