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Made in vn
Dakka Veteran




I find it quite fascinating about the similarities. The Inca emperors were mummified and present in court, treated as though they were alive. Current rulers would seek advice from their dead ancestors similar to how the Imperium communicates with the Emperor of Men using the Tarot deck.
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut




There are definitely some similarities. I dunno if they were intentional on GW's part.

There's a well-known fanmade chapter called the "Blood Jaguars" that uses an Aztec motif for their worship of the "Sun Emperor," replete with human sacrifice via cardiectomy (they are BA successors).

I think that the idea of a "priest-king" is something that pops up in a number of different cultures around the world, and the Emperor as a "God-Emperor" is a fantastical version of that.
   
Made in no
Liche Priest Hierophant





Bergen

Was it Inca or Aztek who had a lot of gold? He was on a golden throne.

   
Made in gb
Automated Rubric Marine of Tzeentch




dorset

the "god king" or "god emperor" concept is ancient, dating back as far as we can make clear statements about human social history (roughly to the invention of writing). The linking of temporal and Spiritual power into a single being is seen time and again. you have the Pharaohs of Egypt, the persian emperors (who also used the eagle as a symbol....), etc. the lords of the Mesopotamian city-states were often invested with religious power and functionality that was explictly interlinked with their secular authority, and the priesthood was effectively an arm of government. The romans would worship the dead emperors as gods ( Vespasian's last words, famously, were "Dear me, I think I'm becoming a god"), so its a very common element of history. its only really post antiquity that we get any sort of seperation of church and state as we think of it today.

To be a man in such times is to be one amongst untold billions. It is to live in the cruelest and most bloody regime imaginable. These are the tales of those times. Forget the power of technology and science, for so much has been forgotten, never to be relearned. Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for in the grim dark future there is only war. There is no peace amongst the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of thirsting gods.

Coven of XVth 2000pts
The Blades of Ruin 2,000pts Watch Company Rho 1650pts
 
   
Made in us
The Conquerer






Waiting for my shill money from Spiral Arm Studios

Not really. As above, God Emperors/Kings are quite a generic idea and theme.

The Emperor's Tarot is more just riffing off the idea of a divine Tarot that a deity can use to communicate with its followers. Its not really similar at all to the Inca practice of treating corpses as if they were alive. One is using a mystic spiritual connection to infuse a deck of cards from across the galaxy. The other is directly talking to a corpse in the same room as you.

The only real connection is both are dead god kings. Hardly something unique to the Inca.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/02/10 17:46:12


Self-proclaimed evil Cat-person. Dues Ex Felines

Cato Sicarius, after force feeding Captain Ventris a copy of the Codex Astartes for having the audacity to play Deathwatch, chokes to death on his own D-baggery after finding Calgar assembling his new Eldar army.

MURICA!!! IN SPESS!!! 
   
Made in au
Dakka Veteran




Is it Titanicus, or one of the early heresy novels? That has feathered warriors fighting as titan guard in a gods shadow.
   
Made in gb
Master Engineer with a Brace of Pistols





Northumberland

Hecaton wrote:
There are definitely some similarities. I dunno if they were intentional on GW's part.

There's a well-known fanmade chapter called the "Blood Jaguars" that uses an Aztec motif for their worship of the "Sun Emperor," replete with human sacrifice via cardiectomy (they are BA successors).

I think that the idea of a "priest-king" is something that pops up in a number of different cultures around the world, and the Emperor as a "God-Emperor" is a fantastical version of that.


That sounds cool as hell. I'm definitely going to look up Blood Jaguars.

One and a half feet in the hobby


My Painting Log of various minis:
# Olthannon's Oscillating Orchard of Opportunity #

 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut




 Olthannon wrote:
Hecaton wrote:
There are definitely some similarities. I dunno if they were intentional on GW's part.

There's a well-known fanmade chapter called the "Blood Jaguars" that uses an Aztec motif for their worship of the "Sun Emperor," replete with human sacrifice via cardiectomy (they are BA successors).

I think that the idea of a "priest-king" is something that pops up in a number of different cultures around the world, and the Emperor as a "God-Emperor" is a fantastical version of that.


That sounds cool as hell. I'm definitely going to look up Blood Jaguars.


Like I said, they're fanmade, so 1d4chan has the best info iirc.
   
Made in se
Stubborn Hammerer





Sweden

As others have pointed out, the Emperor draws upon ancient and widespread common human concepts of revered god kings. It's more of a generic thing, and more probably inspired by the old world than the new.

Yet you are particularly spot-on with these similarities between dead Inca emperors and the 40k Emperor of Man. And given the learning possessed by the founders of the setting, it may well have played a role, even if not inentional or strictly conscious.

The similarities between Aztec mass sacrifices to keep the sun rising, and the mass psyker sacrifices to keep the Astronomican lit may also be mentioned. Again, drawing upon ancient and common human conceps, with a good likelihood that the Aztec example played a subconscious role as part of the greater human whole of historical inspiration when Rick Priestley first wrote it.

The peculiar tradition of dead Inca rmperors retaining their estates may however not yet have been woven into the setting. Unless you count e.g. the Imperium as a whole as the Emperor's personal estate.

This message was edited 4 times. Last update was at 2022/02/15 11:17:45


   
Made in pl
Longtime Dakkanaut





 Olthannon wrote:
Hecaton wrote:
There are definitely some similarities. I dunno if they were intentional on GW's part.

There's a well-known fanmade chapter called the "Blood Jaguars" that uses an Aztec motif for their worship of the "Sun Emperor," replete with human sacrifice via cardiectomy (they are BA successors).

I think that the idea of a "priest-king" is something that pops up in a number of different cultures around the world, and the Emperor as a "God-Emperor" is a fantastical version of that.

That sounds cool as hell. I'm definitely going to look up Blood Jaguars.

Or if you want canon Aztecs, there is always this: https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Rainbow_Warriors
   
Made in ca
Preacher of the Emperor






 Irbis wrote:
Or if you want canon Aztecs, there is always this: https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Rainbow_Warriors


Aztec Rainbow Warriors is no more canon than Aztec Crimson Fists.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/02/16 14:53:36


   
Made in in
[MOD]
Otiose in a Niche






Hyderabad, India

Besides historical god-emperors I can think of some direct sci-fi inspirations.

Michael Moorcock's Hawkmoon books had an immortal emperor in a life support throne, I forget if it was gold or not.

Alejandro Jodorowsky's Incal and Metabarons comics (inspired by his unmade Dune screenplay) had a hermophodite emperor on a golden sphere. I think s/he has psychic powers too.

And speaking of Dune, David Lynch's Dune film had an ordinary mortal Emperor but whose throne room was made entirely of gold.


 
   
Made in tw
Longtime Dakkanaut





xerxeskingofking wrote: ( Vespasian's last words, famously, were "Dear me, I think I'm becoming a god")


That quote is being taken out of context- Vespasian was noted for his sense of humor

   
 
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