Abstract

This article compares the characteristics of religious icons to those of popular icons, the latter having developed since 19th century under the impact of industrialization, mass production and circulation of the media. Both categories, according to critics, convey significant messages of faith, bind believers in a community of faith and grant special powers to those who believe in them. These features could be illustrated by examples in the category of celebrity culture and worship. The iconic celebrities in the new Olympus, as the case studies show, may share in beauty, wealth, a status of superlative beings, a type of isolation or confinement in an artificial environment, a special destiny, a spectacular life narrative, secrets in their past life, a capacity for change, but above all, a sense of metamorphosis ensuring them the status of mythical creatures and ultimately a prophetic aura, which makes adepts worship them.