Imperial cult
An Imperial cult is a kind of religion in which an Emperor, or a dynasty of emperors (or rulers of another title), are worshiped as demigods or deities. "Cult" here is used to mean "worship," not in the modern pejorative sense. The cult may be one of personality in the case of a newly arisen Euhemerus figure or one of national identity (e.g. Ethiopia or Japan) or supranational identity in the case of a multi-ethnic state (e.g. China, Rome).
Historical
Ancient China
In ancient China, an emperor was considered the Son of Heaven. The scion and representative of heaven on earth, he was the ruler of all under heaven, the bearer of the Mandate of Heaven, his commands considered sacred edicts. A number of legendary figures preceding the proper imperial age of China also hold the honorific title of emperor, such as the Yellow Emperor and the Jade Emperor.
Ancient Egypt
The Ancient Egyptian male pharaohs were believed to be incarnations of the god Horus, derived by being the son of the sun deity, Hathor (or later, Isis), or the sky deity, Nut. Pharaohs, both female and male, traced their lineage directly through the matrilineality of the royal women. Some women who were pharaoh, such as Hatshepsut, went to great lengths to trace their lineage to the most ancient of goddesses, such as Mut. Egyptian pharaohs were considered deified only upon their death.
Ancient Rome
In the Roman Empire the Imperial cult was the worship of the Roman emperor as a god. This practice began at the start of the Empire under Augustus, and became a prominent element of Roman religion.
The cult spread over the whole Empire within a few decades, more strongly in the east than in the west. It was gradually abandoned when the emperor Constantine I started supporting Christianity.
Japan
Before the end of World War II, the Japanese Emperor made similar claims to deity; see:
- Shinto - general article about Japan's religion.
- Arahitogami - the concept of a god who is a human being applied to Emperor Hirohito, up till the end of World War II.
- Ningen-sengen, the declaration with which Emperor Hirohito, on New Year's Day 1946, (formally) declined claims of divinity, keeping with traditional family values as expressed in the Shinto religion.
Fictional
Science Fiction, Games
In the book Dune by Frank Herbert, after Paul Atreides subverts Emperor Shaddam IV and becomes Emperor of the known universe, and even before that, the native Fremen of the planet Dune worship him as a Prophet, a Messiah, and even a God. His son, Leto Atreides is worshipped as a deity to an even greater level, thanks to a clever ploy in which he convinced Fremen elders he is the unique Supreme God Himself and aided by his sheer superhuman powers and longevity. What also can not be discounted was his unlimited and exclusive control of the single resource valuable for the Imperium: Melange. A form of hydraulic despotism.
In the game Warhammer 40,000 the Emperor of Mankind is worshipped as a god by trillions of his subjects, though he clearly states he is not a god ('I want warriors, not worshippers').
Imperial cult appears in a fictional Empire of Tamriel from The Elder Scrolls games, which has much resemblance to the historical Roman Empire. In Tamriel, Imperial Cult is an organization worshipping the Nine Divines, one of whom is Talos, the first Emperor of the Septim dynasty and founder of The Third Empire of Tamriel.
- See also: Imperial Cult (Elder Scrolls)
Fictionalized History
The cable television series Rome dramatizes the origins of the Roman Imperial cult.
Robert Graves depicts the early decay of the Roman Imperial cult through most of it's first dynasty from the high point of Augustus' reign until the accession of Nero in his work I, Claudius.
See also
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
