Pop Culture References of Wizard101: Mirage – Reverend Mother Meowhaim

Reverend Mother Meowhaim – Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam
https://wiki.wizard101central.com/wiki/NPC:Reverend_Mother_Meowhaim
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_(franchise)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaius_Helen_Mohiam
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bene_Gesserit

Reverend Mother Meowhaim

Reverend Mother Meowhaim is head of the Binny Jezzerit. Her order has overseen the lineage of House Tabbi for centuries. She has been watching Pol Atraydies since he was a Qhitten.

She will not approve Count Crowl’s claim of lordship over Tabbi Manor.

Dune, also known as the Dune Chronicles, is an American science fiction media franchise that originated with the 1965 novel Dune by Frank Herbert and has continued to add new publications. Dune is frequently described as the best-selling science fiction novel in history. It won the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel and the Hugo Award in 1966, and was later adapted into a 1984 film, a 2000 television miniseries, and a 2021 film. Herbert wrote five sequels, the first two of which were concomitantly adapted as a 2003 miniseries. Dune has also inspired tabletop games and a series of video games.

Some of the many books in the Dune series

The Dune saga is set thousands of years in humanity’s future. Faster-than-light travel has been developed, and humans have colonized a vast number of worlds. However, a great reaction against computers has resulted in a ban on any kind of “thinking machine”, with the creation or possession of such punishable by immediate death. Despite this prohibition, humanity continues to develop and advance other branches of technology, including ESP and instruments of war. At the time of the first book’s setting, humanity has formed a feudal interstellar empire known as the Imperium, run by several Great Houses that oversee various planets. Of key interest is the planet Arrakis, known as “Dune”. A desert planet with nearly no precipitation, it is the only planet where a special life-extending drug, melange or “the spice”, can be found. In addition to life extension, melange enhances the mental capacity of humans: it allows for the mutated Spacing Guild pilots to navigate folded space and travel the distances between planets; and triggers some of the powers of the Bene Gesserit, a religious group that secretly seeks to control the direction humanity takes. Melange is difficult to acquire, not only due to the harsh environment of Arrakis, but also the presence of giant sandworms that are drawn towards any rhythmic sounds on the sands of the desert. Control of Arrakis, its spice production, and the impact on humanity’s development become the centerpoints of a millennia-long conflict that develops through the series.

Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam (Siân Phillips) with Paul Atreides (Kyle MacLachlan) from Dune (1984)

Gaius Helen Mohiam is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. She is a Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother, and initially appears in the 1965 novel Dune and its 1969 sequel, Dune Messiah. Mohiam also has a major role in the Prelude to Dune prequel trilogy (1999–2001) and the Caladan Trilogy (2020–2022) by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.

In Dune, Gaius Helen Mohiam is the Imperial Truthsayer, and the mentor of Lady Jessica, the Bene Gesserit concubine of Duke Leto Atreides. Mohiam is interested in Jessica’s young son Paul Atreides, who is a key figure in the Bene Gesserit breeding program but has also displayed unusual potential. She ultimately loses any influence she may have had over Jessica or Paul, who ally themselves with the native Fremen of Arrakis and depose Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV. In Dune Messiah, Mohiam joins a conspiracy to remove Paul from power, which fails.

The Bene Gesserit are a key social, religious, and political force in Frank Herbert’s fictional Dune universe. The group is described as an exclusive sisterhood whose members train their bodies and minds through years of physical and mental conditioning to obtain superhuman powers and abilities that seem magical to outsiders. Members who have acquired the breadth of Bene Gesserit abilities are called Reverend Mothers.

The Bene Gesserit are focused on acquiring more power and influence to direct humanity on an enlightened path. Sometimes called “witches” due to their secretive nature and misunderstood powers, the Bene Gesserit are loyal only to themselves and their collective goals. However, to attain their goals and avoid outside interference, they often screen themselves with the illusion of being loyal to other groups or individuals. Their every move is calculated toward a result. As the skills of a Bene Gesserit are as desirable as an alliance with the Sisterhood itself, they are able to charge a fee to school the women from Great Houses, and install some of their initiates as wives and concubines to their advantage.

Reverend Mother Mohiam is portrayed by Siân Phillips in David Lynch’s 1984 film adaptation, by Zuzana Geislerová in the 2000 Dune miniseries and its 2003 sequel, and by Charlotte Rampling in the 2021 Denis Villeneuve film Dune and its upcoming 2024 sequel

The current list of all the (known) Mirage references can be found here.

Although I am well versed in Pop Culture references but I do not claim to have caught them all. Let me know your favorites in the comments and if I’ve missed one you caught, let me know so I can add it to the list.

Text for this article is excerpted from the linked wiki pages

Reverend Mother Meowhaim image is from Wizard101, and is copyright of KingsIsle Entertainment

Covers of the various Dune novels are copyright Chilton Publishing

Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam with Paul Atreides image is copyright Universal Pictures

Image usage qualifies as fair use under US copyright law.

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