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In the Dune series of science fiction books by Frank Herbert, a crysknife is a weapon made from the tooth of a Shai-Hulud, a giant worm that lives below the sands of the desert planet Arrakis.

A crysknife (crystal knife) is the formal weapon of the Fremen. It is a double-edged knife, the blade about 20cm long. The crysknife comes in two forms, fixed and unfixed. An unfixed crysknife must remain within the electromagentic field of a living being and cannot leave Arrakis or it will disintegrate, whereas fixed crysknives do not have this issue.

According to the religious beliefs of the Fremen, a crysknife must draw blood each time it is unsheathed before being sheathed again. The more serious the reason for drawing the crysknife in the first place is, the more blood needs to be shed.

All young Fremen must go through a ritual, confirming their adulthood. This ritual is sealed with the gift of a crysknife to the adolescent warrior.

Noted uses of crysknives

All Fremen warriors use these blades rather than more advanced, Shai-hulud attracting weaponry.

Before his metamorphosis Leto II used a potently poisoned crysknife to kill one of the assailing Laza-tigers who were intent on killing him and his sister, Ghanima.

Sources

Herbert, Frank. Dune. 1965 (reprint). ISBN 0-441-17271-7

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-A '''crysknife''' (crystal knife) is the formal weapon of the [[Fremen]] in the [[fictional]] universe of [[Dune (novel)|Dune]]. It is a double-edged knife, the blade about 20cm long, which is ground from a crystal tooth of the [[Sandworm (Dune)|sandworm]] of [[Arrakis]].
+In the [[Dune]] series of [[science fiction]] books by [[Frank Herbert]], a '''crysknife''' is a weapon made from the tooth of a [[Shai-Hulud]], a giant worm that lives below the sands of the desert planet [[Arrakis]].
-The crysknife comes in two forms, fixed and unfixed.  An unfixed crysknife must remain within the electromagentic field of a living being and cannot leave Arrakis or it will disintegrate, whereas fixed crysknives do not have this issue.
+A crysknife (crystal knife) is the formal weapon of the [[Fremen]]. It is a double-edged knife, the blade about 20cm long. The crysknife comes in two forms, fixed and unfixed.  An unfixed crysknife must remain within the electromagentic field of a living being and cannot leave Arrakis or it will disintegrate, whereas fixed crysknives do not have this issue.
-The Fremen consider the crysknife to be [[sacred]].  By [[tradition]] a drawn crysknife must draw blood before it can be re-sheathed.
+According to the religious beliefs of the Fremen, a crysknife must draw blood each time it is unsheathed before being sheathed again. The more serious the reason for drawing the crysknife in the first place is, the more blood needs to be shed.
 All young Fremen must go through a ritual, confirming their adulthood. This ritual is sealed with the gift of a crysknife to the adolescent warrior.
-Noted uses of crysknives:
+===Noted uses of crysknives===
-- All Fremen warriors use these blades rather than more advanced, Shai-hulud attracting weaponry.
+*All Fremen warriors use these blades rather than more advanced, Shai-hulud attracting weaponry.
-- Before his metamorphosis [[Leto II]] used a potently poisoned crysknife to kill one of the assailing Laza-tigers who were intent on killing him and his sister, [[Ghanima]].
+*Before his metamorphosis [[Leto II]] used a potently poisoned crysknife to kill one of the assailing Laza-tigers who were intent on killing him and his sister, [[Ghanima]].