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{{quote|The basic outline of this pop theory of history: that a lack of wealth and sophistication leads to moral purity, which in turn leads to military prowess, which consequently produces a cycle of history wherein rich and decadent societies are forever being overthrown by poor, but hardy ‘Fremen’ who then become rich and decadent in their turn.|Bret Devereaux, PhD|[https://acoup.blog/2020/01/17/collections-the-fremen-mirage-part-i-war-at-the-dawn-of-civilization/ "The Fremen Mirage"]}}
The '''Fremen Mirage''' is the name given to a popular historical theory, derived from the Fremen of ''[[Dune]]''. The core of the Fremen Mirage theory is that as societies
# [[Noble Savage|They are unsophisticated and poor, and do not value material wealth.]]
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Highly related to [[Barbarian Tribe]] and [[Proud Warrior Race Guy]]. Some overlap with [[Noble Savage]], if the author wants to play up the moral superiority of the Fremen as a source of their strength. Many Fremen were [[Born in the Saddle]], and ride with the [[Hordes From the East]].
== [[
This isn't a [[Real Life]] section, because real life doesn't exhibit this trope. It is a component of History as a genre, which is presented as fact, but usually with very weak, biased sources from outside the culture.
* Tacitus's comments on the people in Germania{{context}} can be read as a way of lamenting how kids these days were making Rome weak -- at what was essentially the [[Golden Age]] of the Roman Empire.▼
*
* Later people reading Tacitus
* Herodotus ends book nine of ''The Histories'', written circa 415 BCE, with
▲* [[Dune]], of course, with its Fremen who take on decadent space empires.
▲* ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'': [[George R. R. Martin]] claims that the Dothraki are based on [[Hordes From the East|steppe warriors]] and [[Native Americans]], but are in fact based on [[Native American Tropes|tropes about these tribes]] and not the real people. And, of course, the society is a bunch of strong, violent Fremen who manage to be even more rapey than your average culture in Westeros or Essos.
▲* Tacitus's comments on the people in Germania as a way of lamenting how kids these days were making Rome weak -- at what was essentially the [[Golden Age]] of the Roman Empire.
▲* [[Julius Caesar]] on his reports of his enemies in Gaul played up how fearsome the next enemy was, based on their unique barbarian culture. Right before he went and creamed them with a larger army, thus proving how awesome he was. The power levels of the next Gauls just kept increasing, as did the use of this trope.
▲* Later people reading Tacitus, and his crediting of martial strength to the blood purity of the German people (even after centuries of conquests and intermarriage!) used this trope as a way of adding to the strength of the modern German state. See also [[Those Wacky Nazis]].
▲* Herodotus ends book nine of ''The Histories'', written circa 415 BCE, with an explanation v. similar to this concept:
{{quote|This Artayctes who suffered death by crucifixion had an ancestor named Atrembares; and he it was who made the Persians a proposal, which they readily accepted and passed on to Cyrus. 'Since,' they said, 'Zeus has given empire to the Persians, and among individuals to you, Cyrus, by your conquest of Astyages, let us leave this small and barren country of ours and take possession of a better. There are plenty to choose from - some near, some further off; if we take one of them, we shall be admired more than ever. It is the natural thing for a sovereign people to do; and when will there be a better opportunity than now, when we are masters of many nations and all Asia?'
Cyrus did not think much of this suggestion; he replied that they might act upon it if they pleased, but added the warning that, if they did so, they must prepare themselves to rule no longer, but to be ruled by others. 'Soft countries,' he said, 'breed soft men. It is not the property of any one soil to produce fine fruits and good soldiers too.' The Persians had to admit that this was true and that Cyrus was wiser than they; so they left him, and chose rather to live in a rugged land and rule than to cultivate rich plains and be slaves to others.}}
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[[Category:Older Than Feudalism]]
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