The scepters, staffs and maces carried by monarchs and high priests alike occur with such frequency in the history of bygone eras as to suggest that at the very least these items are aspects of some type of archtypical symbol which the human mind seems to appreciate, perhaps quite subliminally.
Terry Pratchett (Wikipedia) Sir Terence David John Pratchett OBE (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English humourist, satirist, and author of fantasy novels, especially comical works. He is best known for his Discworld series of 41 novels.