Chani

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Chani, portrayed by Barbora Kodetová, confronts Irulan in the Children of Dune miniseries

Chani (short for Chanisihayah) is a fictional character featured in Frank Herbert's science fiction Dune universe. Chani was a key character in the novels Dune and Dune Messiah. She is the daughter of Liet-Kynes and his wife Faroula. She is known mainly as the Fremen wife and legal concubine of Paul Atreides (Muad'Dib). She is the mother of the twins Ghanima and Leto Atreides II.

Chani is also a short version of the Hebrew name Hannah.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

In Dune, Paul had visions of Chani when he was still living in his ancestral home on Caladan. She was described as nimble with nymph-like features. After Paul came to Dune and was forced to flee from the Harkonnens, Chani was put in charge of Paul when he and his mother Jessica Atreides first came to live with the Fremen. Paul and Chani quickly became lovers. Their first child, Leto II (not to be confused with their later son, Leto Atreides II), was killed as an infant in a Corrino raid on their home in the deep desert]].

Chani was already a talented warrior before meeting Paul, but after training in the Weirding Way by Paul and Jessica, she become truly deadly. As Paul rose as a religious leader among the Fremen, she often killed in single combat unworthy Fremen who sought to challenge her lover.

Chani saved Paul when he fell into a trance after using spice essence to enhance his powers. She realized what he had done and was able to bring him out of the trance.

When Paul Atreides took Irulan Corrino as his wife to cement his control of the Empire after deposing Shaddam Corrino IV, Chani was not put aside as many imperial commentators expected. Indeed Paul remained completely loyal to Chani, declaring she would be the only one to bear an heir, and his marriage-of-formality to Irulan would never approach consummation. The Bene Gesserit were opposed to Paul's relationship with Chani, because she represented a wild card in their breeding programme. Chani's Fremen ancestry was a mystery to the breeding sisters, though Pardot Kynes may or may not have been an unknown. Their principal objective was to ensure that Paul had children with someone more suitable, like Irulan Corrino, whom they also could control.

Irulan, a member of the Bene Gesserit, fed Chani contraceptives in order to prevent her conceiving an imperial heir. However, Chani eventually changed to an ancient Fremen diet to enhance pregnancy, which Irulan was not able to contaminate and she soon fell pregnant. Tragically, Chani died while giving birth to the twins Ghanima and Leto. The Tleilaxu agent Scytale offered to resurrect her as a ghola in return for control over the empire, but Paul Atreides declined the offer violently. According to Paul, who had the gift of prescience, Chani's death during childbirth was far less painful and cruel compared to her possible future fates had she survived.

Chani on her deathbed

The Bene Gesserit concerns about Chani's ancestry proved unfounded. Her son Leto II proves to have prescient ability superior to that of his father.

Despite her death, Chani lives on as part of the Other Memory of her pre-born children, Ghanima and Leto II. In Children of Dune, this ancestral self is summoned by Ghanima for her guidance, but she nearly transforms her into an abomination by possessing her. She releases her hold on her daughter after being threatened by Paul, who was summoned into the body of Leto. At the end of the novel, Chani's memory-self becomes a guardian against Ghanima's other ancestral memories who may try to possess her, allowing her daughter's personality to continue and grow in safety.

According to God Emperor of Dune, a version of Chani's memory-self also exists in Leto II. By the time of the novel, Leto is able to allow his ancestral memories to speak through his mouth without threat of abomination. At one point, he allows Chani to speak through him. It has been indicated that a ghola of Chani will play a major role in the new novel Hunters of Dune, alongside a ghola of Paul.