Egyptian pharaohs and modern pop stars are examples of individuals in whose name an army of agents and officials conducts a lucrative business operation: a man and his brand. Sumerian gods were also branded - even though imagined - individuals. This is more than just a reputation. The individual is famous not only because of his own deeds but also because he has become the focus of a large-scale collective activity, e.g.:
the Throne wants advice on consequences if His Majesty tours the subjugated rebel worlds;
-copied from here.
"The Throne" requests advice? To what extent is the individual Emperor himself behind that request? Of course, the Founder too is often referred to. The Empire remains his brand long after his death - although not forever. Anderson shows us Argos, then his Empire, then the later ages when Anglic has become a dead language.
On a more modest scale, we know that, during his lifetime, Nick van Rijn is sometimes seen in telescreen interviews. His company is called "Solar Spice & Liquors," not "Van Rijn Enterprises." Nevertheless, his personality is probably known and will help to sell the products.
8 comments:
Paul:
One of the subplots in Terry Pratchett's Nation involves "The Gentlemen of Last Resort," a group of "Men in Black" (literally) who serve the British Crown. They do NOT serve the King or Queen, although if His/Her Majesty is intelligent and not power-mad, he/she and the Gentlemen will probably get along fairly well.
"You can certainly make requests, sire, and we will do our very best to help. But, alas, you cannot give us orders. My word, we would be in a bad way if we took orders from kings.... It would be Charles the First all over again, and ... his arrogance and stupidity nearly lost England for the Crown...."
The Crown is not the monarch, though the monarch is the current occupant of the Crown. It sort of represents institutional continuity -- the House of Windsor claims uninterrupted descent from Wotan, through the Wessex kings, after all!
Though Victoria may not have been the child of her father of record, btw., and her Prince Consort Albert probably wasn't -- he was quite likely the son of a (converted) Jewish court official with whom his mother's name had been linked in gossip. He strongly resembled the man, and unlike his father of record, who was a dullard of the first order, but like the court official Albert was intellectually brilliant.
This would have been a good eugenic move if it had been deliberate.
The British monarchs are also descended from the royal house of Troy, of course!
Kaor, Paul!
And descended from Mohammad ibn Abdallah, as a result of intermarriage between Moslem and Christian ruling houses in medieval Spain.
Best Regards,
Nicholas D. Rosen
Quite a mixed ancestry then!
Kaor, Paul!
It is customary for most monarchs to address each other as either "brother" or "cousin" in personal communications. So the King of Morocco and the King of Spain can quite literally to greet each other as "cousin."
Sean
Gordon Dickson, in None But Man, featured an extraterrestrial people who used a similar reference to "cousins." At the story's climax, main character Cully When had convinced the aliens he was now in charge of humanity's negotiations with them (this was something of an exaggeration). The aliens' chief negotiator then explained to a young alien prince that Cully was "your Very Most Respectable cousin."
Kaor, DAVID!
Which only goes to show that ceremonial words, forms, titles, gestures, honorifics, etc., really DO matter. Something I discussed in one of my articles talking about how Anderson and Stirling used such things. HOW you address another being indicates how you intend to treat him, and any entity he may represent or stand for.
Sean
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