Alia Atreides / St. Alia-of-the-Knife Character Analysis in Dune

A young woman of extraordinary cognitive powers, Alia is born after her father, Duke Leto, is killed and when her mother, Lady Jessica, and brother, Paul, have taken refuge with Stilgar’s sietch in the desert. Alia’s powers arise from the awakening she experienced in the womb when Jessica underwent the Fremen Water of Life test.

Alia Atreides / St. Alia-of-the-Knife Quotes in Dune

The Dune quotes below are all either spoken by Alia Atreides / St. Alia-of-the-Knife or refer to Alia Atreides / St. Alia-of-the-Knife. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

“I’m sorry, Grandfather,” Alia said. You’ve met the Atreides gom jabbar.”

Related Characters: Alia Atreides / St. Alia-of-the-Knife (speaker), Baron Vladimir Harkonnen

Related Symbols: Gom Jabbar

Page Number and Citation: 753

Explanation and Analysis:

Alia Atreides / St. Alia-of-the-Knife Character Timeline in Dune

The timeline below shows where the character Alia Atreides / St. Alia-of-the-Knife appears in Dune. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

The epigraph from Princess Irulan’s text “Muad’Dib, Family Commentaries” quotes a saying by St. Alia-of-the-Knife that a Reverend Mother must “become a wellspring of cunning and resourcefulness” in order to... (full context)

Paul’s younger sister, Alia, has also been born. She is a strange child, for despite only being two years... (full context)

Alia enters Jessica’s room with Harah, a female member of Paul’s household. Jessica can see that... (full context)

Environment and Human Culture Theme Icon

...challenge. However, the rest of tribe agree that they are better off with Stilgar alive. Alia suggests she will talk with the young men to try and deescalate the situation. (full context)

...with her son is not as gentle as it was when she connected consciousness with Alia or the elderly Fremen Reverend Mother. But it is a connection nonetheless. Paul asks and... (full context)

...attacked, killing many Fremen including Paul and Chani’s son Leto. The Sardaukar have also captured Alia; there is no word in the message about Jessica and Chani. (full context)

The Padishah Emperor has the captive Alia Atreides brought in. After hearing of the battle between Sardaukar and Fremen in which she... (full context)

Alia, who looks merely four years of age, astonishes the room by announcing articulately that she... (full context)

Meanwhile, the Reverend Mother Mohiam is appalled when she recognizes Alia’s strange way of being and demands that they kill the girl. She views Alia as... (full context)

...Fremen interrupt the Imperial negotiations, and the Shield Wall is breached. In the resulting confusion, Alia feigns fear to back into Baron Harkonnen’s imprisoning arms before stabbing the Baron—whom she knows... (full context)

Reflecting on the day’s events, Paul remembers the strange ability that Alia has used to bend time to place a future message into his awareness. She is... (full context)

...Jessica for her rebellion in carrying a son and her mistake in creating the all-seeing Alia. Paul coldly tells the old woman that she has no right or cause to forgive... (full context)

...of the Bene Gesserit order, daughter of Baron Harkonnen, and mother of Paul Atreides. Lady Alia Atreides is listed as Paul’s sister, born to Lady Jessica on Arrakis after Duke Leto’s... (full context)