Divine king
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A divine king is a monarch who is held in a special religious significance by his subjects, and serves as both head of state and a deity or head religious figure.
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[edit] Examples of divine kings in history
Some examples of historic leaders who are often considered divine kings are:
- Japanese Emperors before 1945
- Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt[citation needed]
- Kings of the Mayan city-states of the Classical period[citation needed]
- Inca Emperors in Pre-Columbian Peru[citation needed]
- The Dalai Lamas of Tibet
- Many Roman emperors were declared gods by the Roman Senate (generally after their death).
- Chinese leader Hong Xiuquan, leader of the Taiping Rebellion, claimed to be Christ's younger brother, and attempted to establish rule as a divine king.
- Javanese Kings during Hindu-Buddhist era (4th century - 15th century AD) such as Sailendra dynasty, Kediri, Singhasari, and Majapahit empire.
- Srivijaya emperors.
- Kings of Khmer Empire, Cambodia.
[edit] Examples of divine kings in fiction
- Leto II in God Emperor of Dune where Leto possesses near immortality and prescience making him also a divine king in a more literal fashion.
- The Immortal God-Emperor of Mankind in Warhammer 40,000 is the ruler of the Imperium of Man, which is the vast majority of human civilization in the galaxy. He was truly immortal in life, and is now held from death within an enormous machine complex known as the Golden Throne, where he also serves as a psychic beacon enabling warp travel.
[edit] References
[edit] Further reading
- Dean Nelson. "Nepal humbles its god-king", The Sunday Times, 2006-06-23.
- Maria Baptist (Spring 1997). The Rastafari. Buried Cities and Lost Tribes.
- Rick Effland (Spring 1997). Definition of Divine kingship. Buried Cities and Lost Tribes.
- The World of God Kings. Buried Cities and Lost Tribes (Spring 1997).
- H.E. Ameresekere (July 1931). "The Kataragama God: Shrines and Legends". Ceylon Literary Register 1: 289–292.
- F. A. Marglin (1989). Wives of the God-King. The RituaLs of the Devadasis of Puri. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
