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A sandworm is a fictional form of desert-dwelling creature from the ''Dune'' universe created by Frank Herbert. They first appear in the 1965 novel ''Dune'', considered to be among the classics in the science fiction genre, and are iconic of the ''Dune'' series. In the series, the sandworms called Shai-Hulud among the Fremen of the desert planet Arrakis (Dune) are worshiped as manifestations of "the earth deity of Fremen hearth superstitions." The Fremen believe that the actions of the sandworms are the direct actions of God, and so the worms have been given numerous titles such as the "Great Maker", "The Maker", and the "Worm who is God."(''God Emperor of Dune''). Virtually indestructible and with indefinite lifespans of potentially thousands of years, the giant sandworms are also referred to as the "Old Man of the Desert", "Old Father Eternity" and "Grandfather of the Desert". The worms may also be referred to by Fremen as Shaitan (Arabic الشيطان means "The Devil" (Iblīs) ), post God-Emperor. (Arabic شَؾْء خُلُود ''shay' khulūd'' means "a thing of eternity".) ==Physiology== Sandworms are animals similar in appearance to colossal terrestrial annelids and in other ways to the lamprey. They are cylindrical worm-like creatures with a fearsome array of crystalline teeth that are used primarily for rasping rocks and sand. During his first close encounter with a sandworm in ''Dune'', Paul Atreides notes, "Its mouth was some eighty meters in diameter ... crystal teeth with the curved shape of crysknives glinting around the rim ... the bellows breath of cinnamon, subtle aldehydes ... acids ..."〔Herbert, Frank (1965). ''Dune''. ISBN 0-441-17271-7.〕 Sandworms grow to hundreds of meters in length, with specimens observed over 400 meters (1,312 ft) long〔〔Herbert, Frank (1965). ''Dune''. "Worms of more than four hundred meters in length have been recorded by reliable witnesses, and there's reason to believe even larger ones exist."〕 and 40 meters (131 ft) in diameter, although Paul becomes a sandrider by summoning a worm that "appeared to be" around half a league (2,778 meters) or more in length. These gigantic worms burrow deep in the ground and travel swiftly; "most of the sand on Arrakis is credited to sandworm action."〔 Sandworms are described as "incredibly tough" by Liet-Kynes, who further notes that "high voltage electrical shock applied separately to each ring segment" is the only known way to kill and preserve them; atomics are the only explosive powerful enough to kill an entire worm, with conventional explosives being unfeasible as "each ring segment has a life of its own."〔Herbert, Frank. ''Dune''. "High voltage electrical shock applied separately to each ring segment is the only known way of killing and preserving an entire worm," Kynes said. "They can be stunned and shattered by explosives, but each ring segment has a life of its own. Barring atomics, I know of no explosive powerful enough to destroy a large worm entirely. They're incredibly tough."〕 Water is poisonous to the worms,〔 but is in too short supply on Arrakis to be of use against any but the smallest of them. The quasi-canonical ''Dune Encyclopedia'' invents a scientific name for the sandworm: ''Geonemotodium arraknis'' (also ''Shaihuludata gigantica)''. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Sandworm (Dune)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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