ABSTRACT
Regicide as an aspect of early kingship is a central issue in the anthropological debate on the origin of the state and the symbolism of kingship. The main theme of R. Calasso’s La Rovina di Kasch concerns the deeper implications of the transition from the ancien régime to modern forms of political power and legitimation. The legend of Kasch, a slight corruption of the biblical name of Ham’s second son Kush who founded the kingdoms in the Upper Nile Valley, was collected in bits and pieces during a field trip in Sudan by the famous German ethnologist Frobenius. The legend of Kasch serves as a point of reference and contrast for this brief study of Nilotic regicide. It encapsulates the dominant view of the evolution of kingship in anthropology. Long-term suspense is generated by the escalating seriousness of the stages of the crisis and a short-term suspense generated by the sacrificial events.
