Honoured Matres

The Honoured Matres are an organisation in the fictional Dune universe created by Frank Herbert in his Dune series of novels.

The Honoured Matres are an organisation of women that evolved out in the Scattering. It is believed that they were a mix of Fish Speakers and Bene Gesserit, which combined the physical abilities of the Fish Speakers and some of the mental abilities of the Bene Gesserit that do not come from successfully surviving the Spice Agony. By all accounts they ruled a huge empire in the Scattering (several times larger than the Old Empire in size and population), but were eventually overthrown, by what force or entity is unknown. The remnant of the Honoured Matres then fled back to the Old Empire to build a new dominion.

The Honoured Matres rule through fear, power and sex. They have developed their sexual skills to such an extent that they can enslave men via sex, and they use these powers on anyone worthy of notice. Everyone else they rule through fear and brute power, slaughtering whole villages and towns if a single Honoured Matre is killed. The Honoured Matres subsequently destroyed Dune, turning it into a charred planet.