Last modified: 2023-07-03 by
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For those who never read the book, it's a space opera where a feudal "house", the House of Atreides, is exiled to a dry, sandy planet called "Arrakis", or "Dune", formerly a (very profitable due to a certain "spice") fief of a rival "house", the House of Harkonnen.
Jorge Candeias, 29 july 2002
in the reference work "Dune Encyclopedia" (ISBN:0-425-06813-7), compiled by Dr. Willis E. McNelly, and approved by Frank Herbert, in the article "great houses, arms, pennants, and insignia" (p.275), is mentioned the following:
"The pennant served chiefly as a battle flag; flown on a long staff, it marked a rallying point for troops in combat. for easy recognition, it usually bore only the principal color or colors of the arms. [...] Houses did not hesitate to adopt special battle flags for situations in which ambiguity might threaten comman control."
The CHOAM company banner is «yellow with a black and red circle in the center». This flag is hoisted from the imperial cruiser in Arrakis, showing the Emperor's stand in the dispute. This may be on the more significative SF events envolving flags.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 28 april 2004
![[Atreides's banner]](../images/f/fic-atb.gif)
by Jorge Candeias
The "Prelude" serie (prequels written by Frank Herbert's son) describe the Atreides banner (if memory serves me right) as Green and black with a red hawk.
Marc Pasquin, 16 january 2002
The book doesn't say the House's symbol is on their banner. In a way it says the opposite: Paul envisions armies with the Atreides banner, where those who served house Atreides on Caladan are recognisable by the red hawk on their uniform. I'd say that would hardly be a feature to recognize them by if that same symbol was on every banner of the army.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 26 august 2002
Whenever I see someone talking about a "green and black banner", I cant help but to think this banner is a simple bicolour. And, since Herbert was american, the natural for him was undoubtedly making it horizontal.
Jorge Candeias, 29 july 2002
In "Dune", the Banner is described only as «black and green», when refered to throughout the book. It is used on location in the planets Arrakis and Caladan (current and previous fiefs of the House), and appears also in Paul's recurrent visions of a potential future arrakeen jihad made in his name.
A second Atreides symbol is also mentioned, apparently unrelated to the flag: the «Hawk crest of the House Atraides», used extensively as an ornamental identification in building, vehicle and space ship liveries.
In the second volume of the series, "Dune Messiah", after Paul Atraides is made Emperor, the banner is now described as green and white, perhaps the is the flag shown in the movie is this one?).
António Martins-Tuválkin, 28 april 2004
In the reference work "Dune Encyclopedia" (ISBN:0-425-06813-7), compiled by Dr. Willis E. McNelly, and approved by Frank Herbert, in the article "great houses, arms, pennants, and insignia" (p.275), is mentioned the following:
" The House Atreide pennant [...] was black and red;"
![[Atreides's banner]](../images/f/fic-atm.gif)
by Manuel Giorgini
In the movie Dune, the flag above is shown in reference to the Atreides Dinasty.
Manuel Giorgini, 14 january 2002
In the reference work "Dune Encyclopedia" (ISBN:0-425-06813-7), compiled by Dr. Willis E. McNelly, and approved by Frank Herbert, in the article "great houses, arms, pennants, and insignia" (p.275), is mentioned the following:
"House Corrino's was white with a gold stripe, but as the pennant of the House (rather than the throne) was never used as a battle flag."
The Banner of House Harkonnen is orange (p.233 of ISBN:0-450-01184-4); an "H" mongram is used to emblazon furniture (at least).
António Martins-Tuválkin, 28 april 2004
In the reference work "Dune Encyclopedia" (ISBN:0-425-06813-7), compiled by Dr. Willis E. McNelly, and approved by Frank Herbert, in the article "great houses, arms, pennants, and insignia" (p.275), is mentioned the following:
"The Imperial Battle Flag was that of the Sardaukar, plain black."