ABSTRACT
Referring to the symbolism of the king figure, William Willeford emphasizes the basic role that the king plays in his own dominion, defining it in the following way: “The kingship is … from the outset the means by which the forces of nature are made to conform to a pattern of ordered fertility” (152). This holy pattern, “carve[d] out of a chaotic and cruel cosmos” (153), in archaic thinking, was given to humankind in ancient times; the king, appointed as its highest custodian, should forever protect the unchangeable character of its laws, rules, and principles. For this reason, as Willeford argues, “the king is not only a magician, the prophet and the lawgiver; he is also the hero … engaged in a cosmic struggle in which he is made to face up to his opponents, that is to say, chaos and evil” (153).
