Sacred king

In many historical societies, the position of kingship carried a sacral meaning and was identical with that of a high priest and judge. Divine kingship is related to the concept of theocracy, although a sacred king need not necessarily rule through his religious authority; rather, the temporal position itself has a religious significance behind it. The monarch may be divine,^[1] become divine,^[2] or represent divinity to a greater or lesser extent.^[3]

^ This applies more particularly to the more mythical sovereigns, for example: the Chinese Yellow Emperor. Jean Kuo Lee (2022). "The Most Powerful Ruler". Huangdi: Yellow Emperor. Chinese Mythology. Minneapolis, Minnesota: ABDO. p. 5. ISBN 9781098275150. Retrieved 5 August 2024. In the land of mythical China, a Divine Emperor ruled part of the region. His name was Huangdi, or the Yellow Emperor.
^ Gilbert, Michelle (23 April 1992) [1987]. "The person of the king: ritual and power in a Ghanaian state". In Cannadine, David; Price, Simon (eds.). Rituals of Royalty: Power and Ceremonial in Traditional Societies. Past and Present Publications, ISSN 1754-792X. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 298. ISBN 9780521428910. Retrieved 5 August 2024. That kings are sacred is an anthropological and historical truism, but they are not born so, and must be made sacred by those over whom they reign.
^ Hani, Jean (2011) [1984]. "Sacred Royalty". Sacred Royalty: From the Pharaoh to the Most Christian King. The Matheson monographs. Translated by Polit, Gustavo. London: The Matheson Trust for the study of comparative religion. pp. 26, 28. ISBN 9781908092052. Retrieved 5 August 2024. The character of 'divine royalty' is not as marked in all traditions, and what can be seen is an approach by degrees towards another conception, that of 'royalty by divine grace'. This is what occurs in the Indo-European zone, in India and Iran, for example. [...] the sovereign is not personally 'divine'. In India, it is royalty that is divine, not the king as an individual. He is revered as a god only because his state and his role are divine.

[1] This applies more particularly to the more mythical sovereigns, for example: the Chinese Yellow Emperor. Jean Kuo Lee (2022). "The Most Powerful Ruler". Huangdi: Yellow Emperor. Chinese Mythology. Minneapolis, Minnesota: ABDO. p. 5. ISBN 9781098275150. Retrieved 5 August 2024. In the land of mythical China, a Divine Emperor ruled part of the region. His name was Huangdi, or the Yellow Emperor.

[2] Gilbert, Michelle (23 April 1992) [1987]. "The person of the king: ritual and power in a Ghanaian state". In Cannadine, David; Price, Simon (eds.). Rituals of Royalty: Power and Ceremonial in Traditional Societies. Past and Present Publications, ISSN 1754-792X. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 298. ISBN 9780521428910. Retrieved 5 August 2024. That kings are sacred is an anthropological and historical truism, but they are not born so, and must be made sacred by those over whom they reign.

[3] Hani, Jean (2011) [1984]. "Sacred Royalty". Sacred Royalty: From the Pharaoh to the Most Christian King. The Matheson monographs. Translated by Polit, Gustavo. London: The Matheson Trust for the study of comparative religion. pp. 26, 28. ISBN 9781908092052. Retrieved 5 August 2024. The character of 'divine royalty' is not as marked in all traditions, and what can be seen is an approach by degrees towards another conception, that of 'royalty by divine grace'. This is what occurs in the Indo-European zone, in India and Iran, for example. [...] the sovereign is not personally 'divine'. In India, it is royalty that is divine, not the king as an individual. He is revered as a god only because his state and his role are divine.

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