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Melange

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{{wiktionary}} :'''''Melange''' is also a Vienna Viennese specialty coffee, similar to Cappuccino.'' '''Melange''' is the name of the fictional spice-psychoactive drug drug central to the ''Dune (novel) Dune'' series of science fiction novels by Frank Herbert, and derivative works. The flavor of '''melange''' strongly resembles that of cinnamon; however, each subsequent tasting reveals a different flavor.

Etymology
In Modern French, ''mélange'' is a Grammatical gender masculine noun referring to a mixture or blend—especially of chemicals and such potables as wine and coffee; ''melange'' is also a loanword in Modern English with the same meaning. ''Mélange'' is the modern form of the Old French noun ''meslance'', which comes from the infinitive ''mêler'', meaning "to mix".

Origin
{{spoiler}} In Dune (novel) Dune, there is only one source of natural melange, the planet Arrakis (colloquially known as '''Dune'''). Melange is a geriatric drug that gives the user a longer lifespan, greater vitality, and heightened awareness; it can also unlock prescience in some subjects, depending upon the dosage and the consumer's physiology. It is also known as ['''the'''] '''spice'''. '''Pre-spice mass''' is the precursor of melange. The pre-spice mass is formed by the chemical alterations induced in water collected underground by the larva larval forms of sandworm (dune) sandworms. These chemical processes produce gasses, which build up until the mass explodes. This explosion kills most of the larvae and releases the valuable melange onto the surface of the desert, as well as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Collecting the melange is hazardous in the extreme, since any activity on the desert surface of Arrakis attracts the worms, which are extremely large and dangerous. Thus, the mining operation essentially consists of vacuuming it off the surface with a harvesting machine until a worm comes, at which time a carry-all aircraft lifts the mining vehicle to safety. The Fremen, who have learned to co-exist with the sandworms in the desert, harvest the spice manually for their own use and for smuggling off-planet. Spice is in general use all over the universe, and is a sign of wealth. To ingest it is the ultimate display of conspicuous consumption. The planet Arrakis is central to the inhabited worlds of the galaxy because it is the sole source of spice. Later, an artificial method of producing the spice is discovered by the Bene Tleilax, who develop in secret the technology to produce melange from Bene_Tleilax axlotl tanks later in the series. It was not fully successful in pushing natural melange out of the market place. Although it is called "spice" and can be mixed with food, melange is truly a drug: it is physically addictive, it has psychotropic effects, and stopping its consumption causes death after a painful period of withdrawal (although taking spice daily extends one's life by hundreds of years). Due to its rarity and value, the group controlling spice production on Dune controls the fate of the Empire. Extensive use of the drug tints the cornea and Iris (anatomy) iris of the user to a dark shade of blue, which is something of a source of pride amongst the Fremen and a symbol of their tribal bond. Paul Atreides, the main character in the original Dune novel, initially has green eyes, but after several years on Arrakis his eyes begin to take on the deep, uniform blue of the Fremen.

Use
The steersmen of the Spacing Guild depend upon melange for the heightened awareness and the prescient ability to see safe paths through space-time, allowing them to navigate the gigantic Guild Heighliners between planets. They exist literally within a cloud of melange in a tank; this extended exposure to it warps their bodies into a grotesque parody of a human fish. The Bene Gesserit use "spice essence", the Toxin toxic substance that can be converted to melange, for the ritual known as the Spice Agony, an ordeal in which an acolyte takes a massive overdose and confronts her inner-self and the selves of all her female ancestors. If she masters the confrontation, she emerges as a Reverend Mother (Dune) Reverend Mother, a Bene Gesserit of terrifying abilities, fully in command of her Other Memories, the collective egos of her female ancestors. The process is fatal to those not strong enough.

Sources
*Herbert, Frank. ''Dune (novel) Dune''. 1965 (reprint). ISBN 0-441-17271-7 *Herbert, Frank. ''Heretics of Dune''. 1984 (reprint). ISBN 0-441-32800-8 *''The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language''. Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin, 2000. ISBN 0-618-08230-1

External links

- ''Dune'' glossary, by Frank Herbert Category:Fictional drugs Category:Dune es:Melange fr:Épice gériatrique it:Melange

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