At the same time he was cultivating his own charisma, building himself a legend, fostering belief that he was prescient and Messianic, and prophesying.20 His role in the Jihad was essentially that of a figurehead; but, unlike most figureheads, he did not allow himself to be manipulated by his hordes. Instead, he manipulated them as he consolidated, centralized, and practically immortalized his reign. What of Paul's history after rfw Second Jihad? Substantially better circumstantial evidence remains concerning the answer to this question than answering any of the others posed here. For one thing, the historians recording the events21 were witnesses to them, independent of rumor and legend. There is no reason to believe mat at least in regard to the demonstrable(tm) they had reason either to lie or themselves to be misled. For another after the jihad the history of Paul begins to coincide with the history of Leto II; and the latter has, of course, been well and often recorded. An assassination attempt by a conspiracy of Spacing Guild, House Corrino, and Bene Gesserit confederates was staged in 10205.23 Paul survived the attack, but was blinded in it; aad, as well he knew, to be a blind Fremen was to be condemned to the desert, Paul, as Emperor, could not be banished into the desert to perish; but he must have sensed that his blindness must inevitably lead to a weakening of his position both in the eyes of his Fremen, to whom blindness is anathema, and in those of his off-world disciples, to whom his blindness must have appeared as proof of his vulnerability. Therefore, shortly after the birth of his twin children, Leto II and Ghanima, Paul voluntarily vanished into the desert where he undoubtedly perished, This disappearance was arguably the masterstroke of Paul Atreides' genius. It precluded the possibility of a witnessed death, and so "CyaJeat, aren't we?--j.t>. "ft is easy to prophesy the decapitation of an enemy when one holds a sword and (he enemy lies bound at one's feet,-j-b. kept alive the rumor of his immortality and assured the accession of his son.24 IV CONCLUSIONS Paul Atreides in fact lived. He was charismatic and a military and political genius; whether he might be termed a "Kwisatz Haderach" or a "Muad'Dib" depends on what those terms are assumed to mean.25 He was not a deity. He was Fremen, born of desert parents whose identities are now unrecoverable.