An Imperial cult is a kind of religion in which an Emperor, or a dynasty of emperors (or rulers of another title), are worshipped 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. Egypt, Ethiopia, Japan) or supranational identity in the case of a multi-ethnic state (e.g. China, Rome). An emperor is a (male) monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. ... Taken during a Hindu prayer ceremony on the eve of Diwali. ... The term demigod, meaning half-god, is a modern distinction, often misapplied in Greek mythology. ... Look up deity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... There are many meanings for the word cult: A practice within a religion; see cult (religion). ... Euhemerus (Ευήμερος) (working late 4th century BCE) was a Greek mythographer at the court of Cassander, the king of Macedonia. ...

Ancient Egypt

Main article: Pharaoh

The Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs were believed to be descendants and incarnations of the god Horus. Pharaoh was the ancient Egyptian name for the office of kingship. ... Khafres Pyramid and the Great Sphinx of Giza, built about 2550 BC during the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom,[1] are enduring symbols of the civilization of ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt was a civilization in Northeastern Africa concentrated along the middle to lower reaches of the Nile River... For other uses, see Horus (disambiguation). ...

Ancient Rome

Main article: Imperial cult (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 Imperial cult in Ancient Rome was the worship of the Roman Emperor as a god. ... For other uses, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ... Ordinary Magistrates Extraordinary Magistrates Titles and Honors Emperor Politics and Law This article discusses the nature of the imperial dignity, and its dynastic development throughout the history of the Empire. ... For other persons named Octavian, see Octavian (disambiguation). ... The term Roman religion may refer to: Ancient Roman religion Imperial cult (Ancient Rome), Sol Invictus Mithraism Roman Christianity Category: ...

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. Constantine. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is...

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. China is the worlds oldest continuous major civilization, with written records dating back about 3,500 years and with 5,000 years being commonly used by Chinese as the age of their civilization. ... The king or wang (王 wang2) was the Chinese head of state from the Zhou to Qin dynasties. ... The king or wang (王 wang2) was the Chinese head of state from the Zhou to Qin dynasties. ... This article is on the car division of Toyota. ... All under heaven (Chinese: 天下; pinyin: tiān xi ) is a concept in Chinese history. ... Mandate of Heaven (天命 PÄ«nyÄ«n: Tiānmìng) was a traditional Chinese sovereignty concept of legitimacy used to support the rule of the kings of the Zhou Dynasty and later the Emperors of China. ... China is the worlds oldest continuous major civilization, with written records dating back about 3,500 years and with 5,000 years being commonly used by Chinese as the age of their civilization. ... Yellow Emperor The Yellow Emperor or Huang Di (Traditional Chinese: , Simplified Chinese: , pinyin: huángdì) is a legendary Chinese sovereign and cultural hero who is said to be the ancestor of all Han Chinese. ... The Jade Emperor (Chinese: ; pinyin: or 玉帝 Yù Dì), are known by many names including Heavenly Grandfather (天公 Tiān Gōng), the Pure August Jade Emperor, August Personage of Jade (玉皇上帝 Yu Huang Shangdi or 玉皇大帝 Yu Huang Dadi), is formally known as Peace-Absolving Central-August-Spirit Exalted-Ancient-Buddha-Most-Pious...

Japan

Before the end of World War II, the Japanese Emperor made similar claims to deity; see: Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... For the CPR ocean liner, see Empress of Japan. ...

• 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.

Shinto ) is the native religion of Japan and was once its state religion. ... Arahitogami (現人神) is a Japanese word, meaning a god who is a human being. ... Emperor Shōwa ) (April 29, 1901 – January 7, 1989) was the 124th emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from December 25, 1926 until his death in 1989. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Shin-Nippon kensetsu ni kan suru shōsho (新日本建設に関する詔書, lit. ...

Haile Selassie and the Rastafari

An imperial cult of a totally different dimension occurred also in the 20th century. Thousands of miles from where the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie lived, a new religion developed in the Caribbean, stating the Ethiopian Emperor to be a manifestation of God. The Rastafarians, named after the Emperor's earlier name, consider him an earthly aspect of the God referred to in the Bible. Haile Selassie was exiled in Britain during Italian occupation of his country (1935-1941) but returned to rule for another three decades. Rastafari belief peaked in the 1970s and 1980s, when it was spread around the world with Reggae music as its best known carrier. Haile Selassie I (Geez: , Power of the Trinity; July 23, 1892 – August 27, 1975) was de jure Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974 and de facto from 1916 to 1936 and 1941 to 1974. ... Jah (IPA: ) is a name for God, most commonly used in the Rastafari movement. ... Haile Selassie I Rasta, or the Rastafari movement, is a religion that accepts Haile Selassie I, the former Emperor of Ethiopia, as God incarnate, whom they call Jah. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ... Reggae is a music genre developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. ...

Fiction

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. Dune is a science fiction novel written by Frank Herbert and published in 1965. ... Paul Atreides, as portrayed by Kyle MacLachlan in David Lynchs Dune (1985), wielding the infamous Weirding Module. Paul Orestes Atreides is a fictional character in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. ... Spoiler warning: The Fremen are a group of people in the Dune series of science fiction novels by Frank Herbert. ... Leto is the name of two characters in the fictional Dune series. ... Look up Melange in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Hydraulic despotism is a term for despotic rule supported by control of a single, necessary resource. ...

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'). This article is about the tabletop miniature wargame and the fictional universe in which it is set. ... The Imperium is a fictional galactic empire that contains the majority of humanity, set in the Warhammer 40K meta-universe created by the Games Workshop. ...

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. The Empire of Tamriel Tamriel is the fictional continent where the events of The Elder Scrolls games take place. ... Bethesda Softworks Elder Scrolls 10th anniversary logo from 2004. ... This article lists the deities and saints of various pantheons worshipped in Tamriel, a vast Empire of the Elder Scrolls CRPG series. ... A Septim coin. ... The Third Age of Tamriel is a period of time during in the fictional universe of the Elder Scrolls, that began after Tiber Septim united Tamriel under his banner and proclaimed himself the Emperor of the Third Empire of Tamriel. ...

See also: Imperial Cult (Elder Scrolls)

The Imperial Cult appears in a fictional Empire of Tamriel from The Elder Scrolls games, which has much resemblance to the historical Roman Empire. ...

See also

• Cult of personality

A cult of personality or personality cult arises when a countrys leader uses mass media to create a larger-than-life public image through unquestioning flattery and praise. ...

External links

• Role of the Roman Imperial Cult During the Augustan Age