ABSTRACT
Ritualization of crises of life, a universal feature of human society, is designed to protect the individual from possible dangers and to give him additional powers. Among the Swazi the ritual depends on status in the political hierarchy, and at each stage of development the king is treated with elaborate and unique rituals that set him apart from ordinary men. The growth of the king takes place against a background of royal villages that react to each marked change in his status. The ritualization of Swazi kingship is directly linked with the custom of polygyny and the extension of the harem. The king is expected to have more wives than any of his subjects, not so much for economic as for social and political purposes. Once the king is selected he must be kept strong and virile because the prosperity of the nation is associated with his health.
