The historian bret devereaux has a multi-part and thorough evaluation of this trope through history, which he calls "the fremen mirage" so clearly based on the

The historian bret devereaux has a multi-part and thorough evaluation of this trope through history, which he calls "the fremen mirage" so clearly based on the same dune example of it. He also strongly agrees with the OP's suspicion: it's a mix of myth, propaganda, and storytelling device depending on the exact context it's deployed, but completely unsupported by history. It's a good read. https://acoup.blog/category/collections/the-fremen-mirage/ https://acoup.blog/category/collections/the-fremen-mirage/