Gaius Helen Mohiam

Gaius Helen Mohiam
Dune character
Siân Phillips as Gaius Helen Mohiam in Dune (1984)
First appearanceDune (1963–65)
Last appearanceDune: Part Two (2024)
Created byFrank Herbert
Portrayed by
In-universe information
Alias
  • Prequels:
  • Tanidia Nerus[1]
TitleReverend Mother
AffiliationBene Gesserit
Children

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 1963–65 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.

Gaius Helen Mohiam is portrayed by Siân Phillips in David Lynch's 1984 film Dune, by Zuzana Geislerová in the 2000 miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune and its 2003 sequel Frank Herbert's Children of Dune, and by Charlotte Rampling in the 2021 Denis Villeneuve film Dune and its 2024 sequel.

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Prelude was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Herbert, Frank (1965). Dune. Penguin. ISBN 0-441-17271-7. Mohiam to Jessica: 'You're as dear to me as any of my own daughters, but I cannot let that interfere with duty.'