liquid The alteration process is described in much die same way as mat undergone by Bene Gessent Reverend Mothers being initiated widi melange The consciousness of the indi vidual became internalized, her timesense was slowed, and she was able to perceive the molecular structure of the poison, perceiving it, she could change it Sometimes, in the case of a Sayyadma attempting to achieve Reverend Mother status, this perception was not sufficiently quick or strong, and the poison remained unchanged In such cases the candidate b body was cremated-the only instance m which crema tion was used-and the Water of Life set aside and carefully guarded until a new candidate could be found To put the body tiirough die deatiistill while it contained the unchanged poison could be fatal to the entire tnbe, and leaving it in the desert invited even worse consequences, as it was known dial the Water of Life could become Water of Death if allowed contact with a pre spice mass The result of that transformation could be die death of die entire desert ecosystem OTHER CUSTOMS As more information concerning the Fremen is made available, it becomes clear that many customs other than FREMEN WATER CUSTOMS 256 those described above were in use during the period m which the wandering tribes were, in truth, the rulers of the Arrakeen desert Some are detailed m Jarret Oslo s book, Fremen Lives and Legends, and can best be further studied there One in particular, however, is a striking example of priority determination, and deserves mention here It has long been accepted by scholars that the Fremen held water to be of supreme importance, and its procure ment and conservation the highest priority of the individual or of the tnbe No drinkable water, it was thought, was ever wasted, even the water of those given to Shai-Hulud was seen as being used in the service of the Fremen by placating their god However, a document found amidst the Rakis Hoard (and tiled in Oslo, p 152) describes an exception to that rule die water of one possessed by demons shall not be touched, not by man nor beast no one shall say that it once belonged to a friend, or offer prayers for the release of its spirit, for a demon has dwelt within and tt is forever tainted Let it be taken into the desert in the beat of the day and poured out into a basin to steam away Let a guard be posted so that no creature will drink of it And let its demon bum in al Lat s fury for all eternity In addition to providing an interesting contrast to the body of Fremen water customs, this nte for the possessed offers possible answers to other questions as well It helps to explain, for example, the tremendous guilt the Frcmea were repdted to feel after a Tnal of Possession, since by not releasing the water's spirit they were damnmg a former comrade to eternal torment It also suggests the possible fate of the remains of Alia Atreides, who-unlike every other member of her Family-is not recorded as having a final resting place anywhere Further support for this hypothesis is currently bemg sought.