Sandworm (Dune)

Sandworm
Dune franchise element
A sandworm from the 2021 film Dune
First appearance	Dune 1965
Created by	Frank Herbert
Genre	Science fiction
In-universe information
Type	Creature
Traits and abilities	Aggressive, territorial and destructive, attracted by rhythmic sounds, and driven into a killing frenzy by Holtzman shields

A sandworm is a fictional extraterrestrial creature that appears in the Dune novels written by Frank Herbert, first introduced in Dune (1965).

Sandworms are colossal, worm-like creatures that live on the desert planet Arrakis. Their larvae produce a drug called melange (known colloquially as "the spice"), the most essential and valuable commodity in the universe because it makes safe and accurate interstellar travel possible. Melange deposits are found in the sand seas of Arrakis, where the sandworms live and hunt, and harvesting the spice from the sand is a dangerous activity because sandworms are aggressive and territorial. Harvesting vehicles must be airlifted in and out of the sand sea in order to evade sandworm attacks. The struggle over the production and supply of melange is a central theme of the Dune saga. The sandworms are reverently called Shai-Hulud by the planet's indigenous Fremen, who worship them as agents of God whose actions are a form of divine intervention.