Blades

The technical revolution initiated by the Holtzman Effect saw the return of hand-to-hand combat to the battlefields of the Imperium. The unpredictable interaction of a lasgun beam and a Holtzman field forced the military of the empire to develop new techniques of in shield fighting which included new styles of fencing and knife fighting. Still the use of projectile weapons such as Dartguns or tiny projectors of needles were common but the more effective combat method was the effective use of blade weapons.

Long blades as well as short blades were used in shield-fighting, but commonly short blades were seen as more effective by experienced swordsmen. Blades were mostly forged of plasteel or Damasteel and could take different forms and designs.

Known designs

Long Blades

• Long sword
• Rapier
• Sardaukar sword
• Saw knife

Short Blades

• Bodkin
• crysknife
• Dagger
• kindjal
• Long knife
• Needle knife
• Short knife
• Short sword
• Silver-blade
• Slip-Tip
• Stiletto

Other

• Axe
• Lance
• Spear

Expanded Dune

Known Designs

• Assassination Blade
• Ceremonial Blade
• Dagger
  • Long Dagger - worn by the Seraphim
    • dueling dagger
  • Short Dagger - worn by Jipol officers
  • Stun-dagger - worn by Atreides fighters
• Hexagonal Blades - assassination-trap devices
• Knives
  • Curved Knife - used by the Guards of Rabban-Lankiveil
  • Fishing Knife - curved bladed weapons worn by Atreides Seamen
  • Lasknife
  • Makeshift-knife - improvised knifes
    • Scrap-metal knife - a kind of improvided knife
  • Shellfish Knife - worn by Lankiveil house-servants
  • Spatula-Knife - worn by the Ixians
  • Wire-knife - kitchen-knife used by Richesian chefs
  • Neuroknife
  • Razorknife - worn by Sardaukar-assassins
  • Robot-Knife - blades worn by the robots of the machine-empire
  • Work blade
    • Cutter Blades
    • Saw Blade - round blades used by the Harkonnens to cut limbs
• Nanoblade
• Ponta Neuroknife
• Pulse-sword
• Swords
• Epees - weapons mastered by the Ginaz
  • Harkonnen sword - thrusting-sword worn by Harkonnen-soldiers
  • Katana
  • Short Sword - uded by Atreides fighters in combination with the Kindjal
    • Barbed short sword - worn by combat-meks
    • sardaukar short fighting sword
  • Long sword - weapons mastered by the Ginaz
    • Broad sword
    • Electronic sword - used by the Army of the Jihad and the Ginaz
      • Pulse-sword
    • Fencing sword
    • Two-handed sword - enormous weapons mastered by the Ginaz
    • Heavy sword - worn by the Atreides Duke
    • Ceremonial sword - worn by the Ginaz masters
  • Rapier - used by the Atreides in shield-fighting
  • Wooden sword -
    • Training sword - used in swordmaster- training
  • Saber-sword - weapons mastered by the Ginaz

Famous Blades

• Duke's Blade
• Emperor's Blade

Images of bladed weapons

Gurney Halleck bringing training blades for sparring training (art by John Schoenherr)

Shield fighting

Slip-tip (Dune board game by Avalon Hill)

Crysknife (Dune board game by Avalon Hill)

Korba (Dune CCG, art by Mark Zug)

Atreides swords and Fremen crysknives (Dune, 2021)

Atreides sword (Dune, 2021)

House Atreides trooper with sheathed sword (Dune, 2021)

Female Atreides trooper in armour, with sword, guarding at housekeeper selection (Dune, 2021)

Courtyard night assault, Atreides soldiers with swords, spears and activated shields fending off Harkonnen soldiers with swords and activated shields (concept art for Dune, 2021, by Kamen Anev)

Duncan Idaho protected with his personal shield, slow-striking his blade through a sardaukar's shield (red), then speeding up the blade for a thrust and cut attack at the neck (Dune, 2021)

Idaho gripping a sardaukar soldier under the neck with two blades, using one of the blades to pass slowly through the shield (red) and attack the neck area (Dune, 2021)

Gurney crossing swords with a Harkonnen soldier during the Harkonnen invasion of Arrakeen (Dune, 2021)

Idaho fighting an overwhelming group of sardaukar in a hallway of the botanical testing station (Dune, 2021)

Gurney drawing his sword during a Fremen ambush attack on a smuggler carryall and harvester (Dune: Part Two, 2024)

Gurney walking with sword drawn towards Fremen launching ambush on smugglers (Dune: Part Two, 2024)

Smuggler spice harvester crew serving as dune men, armed with swords and rifles (Dune: Part Two, 2024)

Lady Jessica and the shadout Mapes (art by John Schoenherr)

Shadout Mapes with a crysknife (art by John Schoenherr)

Crysknife (The Dune Encyclopedia, art by Matt Howarth)

Paul Administers the Oath of the Fedaykin (illustration by John Schoenherr)

"Order of the Imperial Hero" military award, depicting a curved blade (The Dune Encyclopedia, art by Matt Howarth)

Videos

Behind the scenes videos

Videos on the portrayal of shield fighting in adaptations of the Dune series.