Lisan al-Gaib (Dune Prophecy)

Editor's Note: This entry contains spoilers for Dune; read at your own caution.

About

Lisan al-Gaib (Arabic: لسان الغيب) is a prophecy within the Dune universe uttered by the Fremen tribe from the Arrakis planet for an off-world prophet or Messiah. Although the term has been said in the 2021 Dune Part One film, it exponentially grew as a popular subject of memes and jokes on the internet after the release of Dune Part Two in late February 2024, often using images and clips of main character Paul Atreides or Stilgar create memetic content about the prophecy.

Origin

According to the Dune novel Wiki Fandom^[1], "Lisan al-Gaib" is the Fremen term for an off-world prophet or Messiah, which is derivative from the Arabic, "لسان," (Lisan) meaning "Tongue," and potentially "الغيب" (al Gaib) meaning "The hidden", "The absent/missing", or "The unseen". The novel's main character, Paul Atreides, believes the term was planted by another religious and political group of the universe, the Bene Gesserit. His mother Jessica remarks that "they have been preparing the Fremen for the arrival of The One."

In the 2021 Dune Part One film, directed by Denis Villeneuve, the "Lisan al-Gaib" term is first mentioned when Paul arrives at Arrakis and is welcomed by a large crowd of Fremen, who loudly chant “Lisan al-Gaib”. The scene was uploaded on YouTube^[2] by user @khaled1240 on November 4th, 2021, which amassed over 128,000 views and 1,800 likes in three years.

Spread

The earliest memetic mention of "Lisan al-Gaib" was posted after the release of Dune Part One, in October 2021. For instance, on October 14th, 2021, X^[3] user @thegrlfromperth posted a picture of Paul Atreides (Thimothée Chalamet) paired with the caption "HE IS MUAD'DIB LISAN AL GAIB THE KWITSATZ HADERACH," which amassed roughly 42 likes and 8 retweets in three years. (shown below, left)

On November 22nd, 2021, Reddit^[4] channel r/dunememes posted a strip of Paul talking to Fremen that he is not their Messiah, to which they replied with "HE IS THE MESSIAH." The post (shown below, right) amassed more than 280 upvotes and 8 comments in three years.

Dune Part Two Lisan al-Gaib Memes

The release of Dune Part Two and its focus on religion and the realization of the "Lisan al-Gaib" in late February 2024 sparked more memes and jokes about the term on the internet. For example, on March 2nd, 2024, X^[5] user @vince_martella posted a "Stilgar Stare": meme as a reply to a tweet about actor Thimothée Chalamet, saying "that’s exactly how the Lisan Al Gaib would drink a beer." The post (shown below) amassed over 7 million views and 66,000 likes in two days.

TikTokers have also been using the "Lisan al-Gaib" term in memes. For instance, on March 3rd, 2024, user @sarahhdevito^[6] posted a video of a person who looks like actor Thimothée Chalamet doing a Vogue dance and the overlay text "Paul Atreides after learning to walk in the sand like a Fremen as not to alert the sand worm (he is Lisan al-Gaib)." The video (shown below, left) received over 1.9 million plays and 99,000 likes in a day.

On the same day, TIkTok^[7] user @moviesandstuff14 posted a video using the Who Is Duffy Grimes sound to create a POV meme of Stilgar talking about the Lisan al-Gaib. The video (shown below, right) amassed roughly 23,000 plays and 2,100 likes in a day.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References