Sandworm (Dune)

Sandworm (Shai-Hulud)
Dune character
Sheeana stands before a sandworm, from the cover of Heretics of Dune (1984)
First appearance	Dune
Created by	Frank Herbert
Information
Aliases	Great Maker The Maker
Type	Giant worm/Deity

A sandworm is a fictional form of desert-dwelling creature from the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. They first appear in the 1965 novel Dune, considered to be among the classics in the science fiction genre, and are iconic of the Dune series.

In the series, the sandworms — called Shai-Hulud /ˈʃaɪ hᵿˈluːd/ (Arabic: شَؾْء خُلُود‎‎ shay' khulūd, meaning "a thing of eternity") among the Fremen of the desert planet Arrakis (Dune) — are worshipped as manifestations of "the earth deity of Fremen hearth superstitions". The Fremen believe that the actions of the sandworms are the direct actions of God, and so the worms have been given numerous titles such as the "Great Maker", "The Maker", and the "Worm who is God" (God Emperor of Dune). Virtually indestructible and with indefinite lifespans of potentially thousands of years, the giant sandworms are also referred to as the "Old Man of the Desert", "Old Father Eternity" and "Grandfather of the Desert". The worms may also be referred to by Fremen as Shaitan (Arabic: الشيطان‎‎ means "The Devil" (Iblīs)), post God-Emperor.

Sandworms are animals similar in appearance to colossal terrestrial annelids and in other ways to the lamprey. They are cylindrical worm-like creatures with a fearsome array of crystalline teeth that are used primarily for rasping rocks and sand. During his first close encounter with a sandworm in Dune, Paul Atreides notes, "Its mouth was some eighty meters in diameter ... crystal teeth with the curved shape of crysknives glinting around the rim ... the bellows breath of cinnamon, subtle aldehydes ... acids ..."