Jon Landau

James Taylor may be an all-American boy but he isn't Horatio Alger, and the lionizing of many rock stars by the rock press has as much to do with old fashioned rags-to-riches stories as does the straight culture's deification of its idols.

American Producer

Joseph Brodsky

The mechanics of love imply some sort of bridge between the sensual and the spiritual, sometimes to the point of deification; the notion of an afterlife is implicit not only in our couplings, but also in our separations.

American Poet

Rory Stewart

Nostalgia for dead tyrants and the longing for heroes are unhealthy, and they can result in the deification of a Saddam as easily as a Havel or Mandela.

British Politician

Nolan Bushnell

Grand Theft Auto', in its deification of antisocial behavior, is where I heap the most of my scorn.

American Businessman

Edith Sitwell

British Poet

Deification often indicates excessive admiration that elevates someone to a god-like status.

Cultural Hyperbole

Deification can be metaphorical, not implying literal god-making, but extreme honor or respect.

Metaphoric Usage

The term can have a negative connotation when it suggests blind or unwarranted worship.

Negative Connotation

Deification has a strong religious context, especially in historical polytheistic societies.

Religious Context

It's often used when discussing divine entities in mythologies where mortals became gods.

Mythology Relevance

Distinguish from 'canonization', which refers specifically to declaring someone a saint.