   the 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, post god-emperor. ==sandworm physiology== sandworms are animals similar in appearance to coloss
Dune_species_and_races Fictional_worms