For those unfamiliar with the Bene Gesserit, or their litany against fear, that can only mean one thing; you’ve never had the chance to read Dune (or see one of the adaptations of Frank Herbert’s works). That’s alright, you still have time to go out and pick up a copy of the book. Now if you’re not so inclined to read the novel, you can at least appreciate the sentiment. The purpose of the litany is to calm themselves and to ease their mind when faced with fear. We all have some form of coping strategy when in a situation that instills fear or pain, be it meditation, anger, or running away as fast as possible. Regardless of how you deal with fear, the first step is acknowledging it. From there it is how your mind processes it that results in your behavior. The purpose of this particular quote, and why it is so important to fans of the series, is that it isn’t a litany that denies the existence of fear, rather one where you can take control of your fear, face it head on, and come out the other side stronger for having stood up to your fear.
I’m not sure who the artist of this piece is, but it was done at Kawbi Tattoo, in Salem, Oregon, and it is the latest addition to the lettering tattoo gallery.
Comments
11 responses to “I must not fear”
Okay, not gonna lie, I went *squee* REALLY loudly when I saw this.
<3 Dune.
I’m getting the phrase “Fear is the mind killer” worked into my next tattoo =D
(seriously, I’m a nerd and a half, but the Litany has become so powerful for me.)
I LOVE THIS.
Haha, i totally already have a “Fear is the Mind Killer” tattoo
fear eats the soul
i dont like how it looks like it was written in comic sans..
overall pretty cool though
Wow…what a painfully generic font.
yep, way to f*ck up a quote by using comic sans.
Beautiful
Fear is the Mind Killer
is one of things i want as a tattoo some day.
great stuff
i gotta agree with #7 – a great tattoo ruined by goddamn Comic Sans
Hell Yes!!! Was flicking trough my dune trilogy book about half an hour ago. Goddamn I need a dune tattoo!