History Main / HighPriest

* Deacon Hollingshead, the head of the Dominion of Jesus Christ in ''JulianComstock''.

*** One of the effects of the Prophet Brutha's revelation on the Omnian church was to abolish the Cenobriarch and ("let there be a thousand voices") start a long train of schisms, meaning Omnians stopped running around ruling an empire of grandeur and oppression and the suppression of science and got busy arguing theology all the time and became harmless and handed out a lot of pamphlets. Which is a ''tad'' bit DidNotDoTheResearch if you look at some of the awful shit Protestants have pulled in the last four hundred years, but the Disc can be like that.

** The actual office of HighPriest and it's duties in Ancient Israel are described, including the vestments to be worn and the proper way of butchering a sacrifice. The office was hereditary and dominated by the line of Aaron, Moses' brother, and of the Tribe of Levi. This fell out of joint a bit after the Babylonian Exile and while the office was restored by the returnees it was destroyed along with a large ammount of the Jewish religious hierarchy during the JewishRevolts. There hasn't been a HighPriest or indeed any kind of priest sense then. The rabbinical class to some degree took the place of the priesthood but rabbis can't do sacrifices, one reason that modern Jews don't sacrifice anymore(the other is that there is no temple). However those with the last name of Cohen are said to be descendants from Levites and hence decended from the priesthood; theoretically there might be one Cohen hovering around that is the rightful HighPriest and doesn't know it.

* ''YuGiOh'' has a couple of late arcs in which we start to learn who exactly our main character is and why he inhabits a puzzle, and it turns out that Seto Kaiba, an early antagonist who edged toward NobleDemon since his second return from PutOnABus defeat, though he never quite accepted that DefeatMeansFriendship, is the reincarnation of the the HighPriest who served under the Puzzle Spirit three thousand years ago[[hottip:*:in some lost period of New Kingdom history, apparently, unless you follow another translation and make it five thousand, which makes him the Scorpion King or something and doesn't agree with the architecture]], and apparently only betrayed him because of MindControl from his own dead father, the previous HighPriest [[BigScrewedUpFamily and the previous Pharaoh's younger twin brother]]. Who made the magic gold jewelry by ''burning [[AxCrazy Bakura]]'s family alive.''

* In TheBible, Israel went through a period of being ruled by "Judges" like Samuel. God was actually [[AristocratsAreEvil very displeased]] when the Jews asked for a regular king.
* High Priest Hughon Ridcully is the High Priest of the Ankh-Morpork clergy in ''{{Discworld}}'', of the sort that regards actual religious-ness as one of those tiresome things that you just have to put up with when what you really want to concentrate on is getting the pews organised.

* ''MagicTheGathering'': [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=214352 Elesh]] [[http://www.planeswalkerslibrary.com/images/action/Elesh_Norn.jpg Norn]], Grand [[TheBlank Cenobite]] is the leader of [[TheLegionsOfHell New Phyrexia]]'s [[LightIsNotGood white-aligned]] faction, the [[ReligionOfEvil Machine Orthodoxy]].
* ''{{Warhammer 40000}}'' has several:

* ''YuGiOh'' has a couple of late arcs in which we start to learn who exactly our main character is and why he inhabits a puzzle, and it turns out that Seto Kaiba, an early antagonist who edged toward NobleDemon since his second return from PutOnABus defeat, though he never quite accepted that DefeatMeansFriendship, is the reincarnation of the the HighPriest who served under the Puzzle Spirit three thousand years ago[[hottip:*:in some lost period of New Kingdom history, apparently, unless you follow another translation and make it five thousand, which makes him the Scorpion King or something and doesn't agree with the architecture]], and apparently only betrayed him because of MindControl from his own dead father, the previous HighPriest [[BigScrewedUpFamily and the previous Pharaoh's younger twin brother]]. Who made the magic gold jewelry by ''burning [[AxCrazy Bakura's]] family alive.''

* From ''OrderOfTheStick'':

* The Elder on the Assasi Village on ''TengenToppaGurrenLagann'', who founded a {{Cargo Cult}} around an abandoned [[HumongousMecha Gammen]]. Not evil, but does use his religion to make killing children ForTheGreaterGood more palatable.

* [[http://limoday.blogspot.com/2011/01/limhotep.html Imhotep]] from the black and white ''Film/TheMummy''.
* [[http://blogs.crikey.com.au/purepoison/2010/10/29/a-dangerous-idea-that-stubbornly-refuses-to-die/ Mola]] [[http://www.imdb.com/media/rm473086720/ch0001075 Ram]] from ''IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom''.

* Sarm the Priest-King in the film version of ''{{Gor}}''. The Priest-Kings in the book are nothing like that.

* Deacon Hollingshead, the head of the Dominion of Jesus Christ in ''JulianComstock''.

* High Priest Jakan, head of the [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Yuuzhan Vong]] religious caste, is a recurring supporting villain during the last third of the NewJediOrder (and was the father of Elan, a one-off villainess from earlier in the series). His boss, [[EvilOverlord Supreme Overlord Shimrra]], is somewhere between PriestKing and GodEmperor.

* In ''{{Mistborn}}'' [[SmugSnake Lord Prelan Tevidian]] is HighPriest of the CorruptChurch, one of the chief lieutenants of [[GodEmperor the Lord Ruler]] and [[spoiler: the father of heroine Vin]]. There is a faction in his church, led by [[WasOnceAMan the Steel Inquisitors]], that want to get rid of him and put the head Inquisitor, Kar, in his place [[spoiler: and they succeed, offing Tevidian brutally before he has a chance to really do anything on-page, though Kar himself is then killed before he can enjoy his new position]].
* In ''JohnCarterOfMars'' the title of "Holy Hekkador" basically means "PriestKing" among the [[PathOfInspiration Therns]]. During the time of the novels, it's held by Matai Shang, very much a villain.

[[AC:Live Action TV]]
* ''{{Series/Merlin}}'' has had three. Nimueh was the High Priestess of the Old Religion until her death at the end of season 1. It was revealed later that Morgause had become the new High Priestess, and when Morgana killed her as the blood sacrifice to open the veil between worlds, she became the new High Priestess.

* [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Habaruku/Habalk]] in ''BreathOfFire2'' is the High Priest of the Church of Eva. [[spoiler: [[OffscreenTeleportation He also masquerades as the village priest in the tiny town of Gate.]]]]

* In BabylonFive the Grey Council has three representatives from the warrior, religious, and worker castes respectively. Delenn is in the religious caste making her a High Priest.

* [[http://limoday.blogspot.com/2011/01/limhotep.html Imhotep]] from the black and white ''TheMummy''.

* The ''{{Green-Sky Trilogy}}'' has D'ol Falla, described as high priest of the Vine. Since the Root of the Vine is all that stands between the good people of Green-sky and the revelation of a horrific truth, the high priest of the Vine is the ultimate authority on the planet. She lives in the Vine Palace at the heart of the Ol-zhaan complex.

* ''MagicTheGathering'': [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=214352 Elesh]] [[http://www.planeswalkerslibrary.com/images/action/Elesh_Norn.jpg Norn]], [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel Grand]] [[TheBlank Cenobite]] is the leader of [[TheLegionsOfHell New Phyrexia]]'s [[LightIsNotGood white-aligned]] faction, the [[ReligionOfEvil Machine Orthodoxy]].

A character (or several) that leads the religious group they belong to. They can be either good or evil, depending on whether the religion in question is a SaintlyChurch or ReligionOfEvil, respectively. It can be a bit more iffy in a CorruptChurch, since the character may not know of it's corruption. The HighPriest usually resides in a Vatican-style HolyCity, especially if the church worships a [[CrystalDragonJesus God-analogue]].

** [[TheDragon Redcloak]] from ''Webcomic/OrderOfTheStick'' is high priest of the goblins.

* Egypt often actually had these; not of the entire 'religion' so much as of specific powerful cult-centers, since a particular god in ascendancy generally only had one location that was at the center of his or her worship. Since it behooved the ruler to be aligned as closely as possible with the most important of the gods and vice-versa, and since Pharaoh was a religious position, High Priest was often a highly government-affiliated job.
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* YuGiOh has a couple of late arcs in which we start to learn who exactly our main character is and why he inhabits a puzzle, and it turns out that Seto Kaiba, an early antagonist who edged toward NobleDemon since his second return from PutOnABus defeat, though he never quite accepted that DefeatMeansFriendship, is the reincarnation of the the HighPriest who served under the Puzzle Spirit three thousand years ago[[hottip:*:in some lost period of New Kingdom history, apparently, unless you follow another translation and make it five thousand, which makes him the Scorpion King or something and doesn't agree with the architecture]], and apparently only betrayed him because of MindControl from his own dead father, the previous HighPriest [[BigScrewedUpFamily and the previous Pharaoh's younger twin brother]]. Who made the magic gold jewelry by ''burning [[AxCrazy Bakura's]] family alive.''

* In JohnCarterOfMars the title of "Holy Hekkador" basically means "PriestKing" among the [[PathOfInspiration Therns]]. During the time of the novels, it's held by Matai Shang, very much a villain.

* {{Warhammer 40000}} has several:

* The Fire Sages in AvatarTheLastAirbender seem to be this, only 1) there's a roughly equal group of them and 2) they spend most of their time on an island separate from the rest of their countrymen and 3) it's unclear what the tenets of their faith are supposed to ''be'', anyway, besides supporting the Avatar and crowning the Fire Lord.

* Aaron, in the ''{{Exodus}}''.

* [[TheDragon Redcloak]] from ''Webcomic/OrderOfTheStick'' is high priest of the goblins.

** In ''Discworld/SmallGods'' Deacon Vorbis of the Omnian church plots to take over the Omian High Priest post (The Cenobriarch) and usher in a new age of religious terror.

* Egypt often actually had these; not of the entire 'religion' so much as of specific powerful cult-centers, since a particular god in ascendancy generally only had one location that was at the center of his or her worship.

* YuGiOh has a couple of late arcs in which we start to learn who exactly our main character is and why he inhabits a puzzle, and it turns out that Seto Kaiba, an early antagonist who edged toward NobleDemon since his second return from PutOnABus defeat, though he never quite accepted that DefeatMeansFriendship, is the reincarnation of the the HighPriest who served under the Puzzle Spirit three thousand years ago[[hottip:*:in some lost period of New Kingdom history, apparently, unless you follow another tradition and make it five thousand, which makes him the Scorpion King or something and doesn't agree with the architecture]], and apparently only betrayed him because of MindControl from his own dead father, the previous HighPriest [[BigScrewedUpFamily and the previous Pharaoh's younger twin brother]]. Who made the magic gold jewelry by ''burning [[AxCrazy Bakura's]] family alive.''

* The Fire Sages in [[Series/AvatarTheLastAirbender]] seem to be this, only 1) there's a roughly equal group of them and 2) they spend most of their time on an island separate from the rest of their countrymen and 3) it's unclear what the tenets of their faith are supposed to ''be'', anyway, besides supporting the Avatar and crowning the Fire Lord.

* Father Conello, the priest of Leto's Church on ''FullMetalAlchemist''.
* The Elder on the Assasi Village on ''TengenToppaGurrenLagann'', who founded a {{Cargo Cult}} around an abandoned [[HumongousMecha Gammen]].

A common variation is for the character to be a PriestKing, who leads their people both spiritually and physically.

* Galius from ''ExitFate'', High Priest of Cento while also Governor of Oischin.