The Occult in National Socialism

A critical history of the roots of Nazi occultism and its continuing influence • Explores the occult influences on various Nazi figures, including Adolf Hitler, Albert Speer, Rudolf Hess, Alfred Rosenberg, and Heinrich Himmler • Examines the foundations of the movement laid in the 19th century and continuing in the early 20th century • Explains the rites and runology of National Socialism, the occult dimensions of Nazi science, and how many of the sensationalist descriptions of Nazi “Satanic” practices were initiated by Church propaganda after the war In this comprehensive examination of Nazi occultism, Stephen E. Flowers, Ph.D., offers a critical history and analysis of the occult and esoteric streams of thought active in the Third Reich and the growth of occult Nazism at work in movements today. Sharing the culmination of five decades of research into primary and secondary sources, many in the original German, Flowers looks at the symbolic, occult, scientific, and magical traditions that became the foundations from which the Nazi movement would grow. He details the influences of Theosophy, Volkism, and the work of the Brothers Grimm as well as the impact of scientific culture of the time. Looking at the early 20th century, he describes the impact of Guido von List, Lanz von Liebenfels, Rudolf von Sebottendorf, Friedrich Hielscher, and others. Examining the period after the Nazi Party was established in 1919, and more especially after it took power in 1933, Flowers explores the occult influences on key Nazi figures, including Adolf Hitler, Albert Speer, Rudolf Hess, and Heinrich Himmler. He analyzes Hitler’s usually missed references to magical techniques in Mein Kampf, revealing his adoption of occult methods for creating a large body of supporters and shaping the thoughts of the masses. Flowers also explains the rites and runology of National Socialism, the occult dimensions of Nazi science, and the blossoming of Nazi Christianity. Concluding with a look at the modern mythology of Nazi occultism, Flowers critiques postwar Nazi-related literature and unveils the presence of esoteric Nazi myths in modern occult and political circles.

Stephen Flowers studied Germanic and Celtic philology and religious history at the University of Texas at Austin and in Goettingen, West Germany. He received his Ph.D. in 1984 in Germanic Languages and Medieval Studies with a dissertation entitled Runes and Magic.

INTRODUCTION Essential Questions That Must Be Answered PART I Foundations of the Nineteenth Century (1800-1900) Introduction to Part I 1 Foundations of Volkism The Deep Background of What Became National Socialism 2 Foundations of the Scientific Culture Science and Pseudoscience of the Nineteenth Century at the Root of National Socialism 3 Foundations of German Occultism The Deep Occult Background of the Age PART II Before Hitler Came (1900-1919/1933) Introduction to Part II 4 Symbolic Volkism The World of Symbols and Signs into which the Third Reich Entered 5 Preludes in Science and Pseudoscience Science as Symbol and Weapon 6 Occult Culture in Greater Germany The Fantastic Occulture of the Age PART III Myth of the Twentieth Century (1919-1945) Introduction to Part III 7 Symbolic Elements in the NSDAP How Signs, Symbols, and Ceremonies Were Wielded to Gain and Maintain Power and Control 8 Rituals of National Socialism Magic and Manipulation 9 Religious Revolution in the Third Reich The Rise of New Religions 10 Occult Dimensions of Nazi Sciences The Weaponization of the Occult 11 Occultism and the Third Reich The Anti-occult Reich as a Step toward Political Spellcasting PART IV The Mythology of Nazi Occultism Introduction to Part IV 12 The Roots of the Myth of Nazi Occultism in Wartime Propaganda Imaginative Propaganda Lays the Foundation of Postwar Tabloid Scholarship 13 Aftermath: Esoteric Nazism Since 1945 The Generation of a New-Age Mythology A Summary and Final Assessments APPENDIX A A Simplified Version of the Organizational Structure of the Ahnenerbe APPENDIX B The Word Nazi A Chronological Annotated Bibliography References Index