God-Emperors Japan/ Eygpt

The whole God-emperor thing. (deification of a living human).

Any Ideas how they fitted the constant demise of their deitys into the beleif system? Transference of godhead upon death?

Usually this was done as a way to make their claim on the throne more legitimate. Did the average Egyptian, Roman, or Japanese citizen really believe their emperor was a god? I'm sure some did, but I know that in the case of Rome many did not. The citizens were rather cynical in Rome when Julius Caesar was promoted to a deity, and even more so when Octavian was.

The short answer is that it was politically convenient for these rulers to take the role of a deity, but the perceptions of the people, in many cases, were rather dubious on the issue.

It is the ultimate example of using religion to control the masses.

I believe that Egyptian lore has the God transfering from a dead Pharoah into the body of the newborn new Pharoah.

What I want to know is did the old Pharoah's servants then speak to the newborn expecting it to remember conversations they had with the old Pharoah

Pygoscelis said:

It is the ultimate example of using religion to control the masses.

I believe that Egyptian lore has the God transfering from a dead Pharoah into the body of the newborn new Pharoah.

What I want to know is did the old Pharoah's servants then speak to the newborn expecting it to remember conversations they had with the old Pharoah

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The old Pharoah's servants were killed to join their master in the afterlife.

Well that is certainly one way to tie up a loose end in your ideology!

The pre-Islamic Malays practice a concept known as "Dewa-Raja" (God-King) which believe that the King is the reincarnation of the Hindu Gods. According to the "Hikayat Hang Tuah" (Hang Tuah Story) the Malays are the chosen people, descendants of the Holy Cow Goddess.