Dune Codexery

Gom Jabbar

A needle that separates the human from the beast in a single heartbeat.

The gom jabbar is a poison needle tipped with meta-cyanide, used by Bene Gesserit Proctors in their death-alternative test of human awareness. In Dune (2021) the Reverend Mother and Imperial Truthsayer Gaius Helen Mohiam subjects Paul Atreides to the gom jabbar test to assess his humanity and impulse control, and he passes.

Quick Facts

Primary users
The Bene Gesserit

Lore & Background

The test pairs the needle with a nerve induction device, the box, which causes the sensation of intense pain; Mohiam tests Paul with it in Dune. As Dune begins, the old Reverend Mother comes to Caladan to test young Paul before he departs for Arrakis.

Reader's Guide

Read this page with the Agony Box, Reverend Mother Mohiam and the Bene Gesserit.

More in Abilities & Artifacts

Related in Dune

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Elsewhere in Dune

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