The Nazi Quest for Thor's Hammer - WW2 Documentary Special

Summary

This script delves into Heinrich Himmler's obsession with creating a Nazi cult based on Germanic myth and occult beliefs. It explores his attempts to fuse National Socialism with paganism through SS ceremonies and the Lebensborn Program, aiming to produce 'Aryan' children. Despite Himmler's efforts to establish a new religion, his influence was limited, and the script challenges the persistent myth of Nazis as occultists, emphasizing the ordinary nature of those who committed atrocities.

Takeaways

• 🔍 Heinrich Himmler, a high-ranking Nazi official, sought to create a new religion based on Germanic myth and pseudoscience, aiming to establish a neo-pagan belief system for the Aryan race.
• 🎥 The script discusses how Himmler's beliefs have been dramatized in popular culture, such as in Indiana Jones and Marvel films, where Nazis are portrayed as occultists seeking ancient artifacts for power.
• 💒 Himmler introduced SS-specific ceremonies, including weddings and naming ceremonies, which combined elements of National Socialism with pagan symbolism.
• 👶 Himmler encouraged SS members to have many children to increase the Aryan population, with programs like Lebensborn supporting racially 'pure' mothers, regardless of marital status.
• 🌞 Himmler organized summer solstice celebrations to promote fertility among the SS, believing that ancient Germanic tribes procreated during this time.
• 🏰 Himmler took over Wewelsburg Castle to serve as a central shrine for his cult, with plans for it to become a spiritual and historical center for the SS, though the plans were never fully realized.
• 🔮 Himmler's interest in the occult included reading works on astrology, hypnosis, spiritualism, and telepathy, and he was influenced by the Völkisch nationalist movement's neo-pagan and occultist beliefs.
• 🌏 Himmler established the Ahnenerbe, a think tank dedicated to finding evidence of ancient Aryan civilizations, with expeditions sent to various countries to gather artifacts and knowledge.
• 🔨 Himmler was fascinated by the idea of Thor's hammer, Mjölnir, and believed it to be an ancient weapon of Aryan warriors, even attempting to recreate it as a modern weapon against the Allies.
• 🤔 Despite Himmler's efforts, his new religion did not gain widespread acceptance among the German public or even within the SS, with many conversions to Gottgläubig being superficial.
• 📚 The script emphasizes that the myth of Nazism's occult practices can distract from the more mundane but dangerous ideologies that motivated the regime, such as anti-Semitism and conspiracy theories.

Q & A

What was Heinrich Himmler's role in the Nazi regime and what were his beliefs?

Heinrich Himmler was the Reichsführer SS in the Nazi regime. He held strong neo-pagan and occult beliefs, which he attempted to integrate into a new religion for the German race, combining National Socialism with paganism and pseudoscience.

Why did Himmler create new ceremonies for SS weddings and births?

Himmler created new ceremonies to replace traditional Christian ones, as part of his effort to establish a new religion that combined National Socialism with paganism. He aimed to encourage SS members to produce 'Aryan' children and to indoctrinate them from birth.

What was the purpose of the SS wedding ceremony as described in the script?

The SS wedding ceremony was designed to symbolize the commencement of a new Germanic bloodline and to commit the couple to a shared life and work for the nation, as per the National Socialist ideology.

What was the Lebensborn Program and how did it relate to Himmler's beliefs?

The Lebensborn Program was a system where the Nazi regime provided care for racially pure, single mothers. It was part of Himmler's effort to increase the Aryan population and was in line with his belief in the importance of Aryan blood purity.

How did Himmler attempt to increase the fertility of his SS members?

Himmler organized solstice celebrations with dancing, gymnastics, and speeches to encourage SS men to procreate. He also ensured that these events included attractive women to discourage homosexuality and promote the production of Aryan children.

What was the significance of the naming ceremony for SS babies instead of a christening?

The naming ceremony was a pagan ritual that replaced the Christian christening, reflecting Himmler's desire to create a new, non-Christian identity for the SS and the German race.

What was the Ahnenerbe and what was its role in Himmler's efforts?

The Ahnenerbe was a think tank established by Himmler to find evidence of ancient Aryan civilizations. It conducted expeditions across Europe and beyond to gather artifacts and information that could support Himmler's beliefs in a superior Aryan race.

Why did Himmler send an expedition to Tibet?

Himmler sent an expedition to Tibet to find evidence of the Aryan race, as he believed that the Tibetan upper class displayed Nordic features. The expedition also aimed to support the pseudoscientific theories of the time, such as the Welteislehre or 'World Ice Theory'.

What was Himmler's interest in Thor's Hammer, Mjölnir, and how did it relate to his beliefs?

Himmler was interested in Mjölnir as he believed it to be a powerful ancient weapon of the Aryans. He thought that if he could find or recreate it, it would provide a significant advantage in the war.

How successful was Himmler in spreading his neo-pagan beliefs among the German population and the SS?

Himmler's efforts to spread his neo-pagan beliefs were not very successful. The German public and even many within the SS were not receptive to his ideas, and his attempts to create a new religion were largely limited to the SS and did not gain widespread acceptance.

What is the broader implication of the script's discussion on Himmler's cult and the Nazi regime?

The script suggests that while Himmler's cult may be seen as a subject of entertainment in popular culture, it's important not to overlook the real motivations behind the Nazi regime, which were grounded in more mundane but dangerous ideologies of victimization and conspiracy theories.

Outlines

00:00

🔮 Nazi Occultism and Himmler's Pagan Pursuits

The paragraph delves into the historical intersection of Nazi ideology and occultism, focusing on Heinrich Himmler's efforts to blend National Socialism with Germanic paganism and pseudoscience. Himmler, influenced by his rejection of Catholicism and fascination with Tacitus's depiction of Germanic tribes, sought to create a new religion for the German race. He introduced SS ceremonies for weddings and births, incorporating elements of paganism and National Socialism. The SS was encouraged to marry and produce 'Aryan' children, with the state supporting single mothers under the Lebensborn Program. Himmler's beliefs were further fueled by his association with mystics like Karl-Maria Wiligut and the establishment of the Ahnenerbe, a think tank dedicated to exploring ancient Aryan civilizations.

05:03

🏰 Himmler's Vision of a Nazi Cult and its Challenges

This paragraph examines Himmler's ambitious yet ultimately unsuccessful attempts to establish a Nazi cult. He aimed to use Wewelsburg Castle as a central shrine for his beliefs, but his plans were overly ambitious and were not realized by the end of World War II. Himmler's desire to create a new religion was driven by his disillusionment with Catholicism and his interest in occult and neo-pagan ideologies. However, his efforts to indoctrinate through weddings and naming ceremonies were met with limited success, and his ideas faced skepticism from both the public and the SS leadership. Himmler's reliance on mystics and pseudoscientists, such as Wiligut, further highlights the cult-like nature of his pursuits.

10:09

🌏 Himmler's Global Quest for Aryan Artifacts and Evidence

The paragraph discusses Himmler's global search for artifacts and evidence to support his belief in ancient Aryan civilizations. The Ahnenerbe, under Himmler's direction, conducted expeditions across Europe and beyond, including to Tibet, to find proof of these civilizations. These expeditions involved recording pagan practices, searching for Nordic script, and even attempting to measure the physical features of local populations for signs of Aryan ancestry. The most famous of these was the Tibet expedition led by Ernst Schäfer, which sought to prove the existence of a superior Aryan race. Despite these efforts, the evidence collected was often questionable and failed to substantiate Himmler's theories.

15:10

🚫 The Limited Influence of Himmler's Cult and the Dangers of Myth

The final paragraph reflects on the limited influence of Himmler's cult within Germany and the broader implications of the myth of Nazi occultism. Despite Himmler's efforts, his neo-pagan religion did not gain widespread acceptance among the German public or even within the SS. Hitler himself was dismissive of such cultist activities, and the SS leadership showed little enthusiasm for abandoning Christianity. The paragraph also challenges the enduring image of Nazis as occultists, arguing that this distracts from the more mundane but dangerous myths that drove Nazi ideology, such as anti-Semitism and conspiracy theories. It emphasizes the importance of recognizing that the individuals committing atrocities were not monstrous cultists but rather ordinary people, a realization that confronts us with the uncomfortable truth about human capacity for evil.

Keywords

💡Nazi Occultism

Nazi Occultism refers to the belief in and practice of occult or esoteric doctrines by certain members of the Nazi Party, particularly Heinrich Himmler. In the video, it is depicted as a driving force behind Himmler's actions, influencing his creation of a new religion and his search for ancient artifacts like Thor's Hammer, Mjölnir. This concept is central to understanding the video's exploration of Himmler's beliefs and their influence on Nazi ideology.

💡Heinrich Himmler

Heinrich Himmler was a leading member of the Nazi Party and one of its highest-ranking officials. As the head of the SS and a key architect of the Holocaust, he is a central figure in the video's narrative. His fascination with the occult and Germanic mythology led him to attempt to create a new religion for the Germanic race, as illustrated by his establishment of ceremonies and rituals within the SS.

💡Ahnenerbe

The Ahnenerbe was an organization founded by Himmler with the aim of researching and promoting the supposed cultural and historical ties between the German people and ancient Aryan civilizations. In the video, it is mentioned as the entity that Himmler used to dispatch teams to various locations in search of evidence supporting his beliefs in ancient Aryan power.

💡Lebensborn Program

The Lebensborn Program was a Nazi initiative aimed at promoting the birth of racially pure and healthy Aryan children. In the video, it is discussed in the context of Himmler's encouragement of SS members to marry and produce 'Aryan' offspring, reflecting the broader Nazi agenda of racial purity and eugenics.

💡SS (Schutzstaffel)

The SS, or Schutzstaffel, was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, known for its role in the Holocaust and other atrocities. In the video, the SS is highlighted as the group Himmler targeted with his new religious and ideological beliefs, aiming to create a racially pure and ideologically committed elite force.

💡Mjölnir

Mjölnir is the mythical hammer of the Norse god Thor, symbolizing power and protection. In the video, Himmler's interest in Mjölnir is presented as part of his quest for ancient Aryan artifacts, suggesting a belief in their mystical power and historical significance.

💡Wewelsburg Castle

Wewelsburg Castle was chosen by Himmler as the central shrine for his SS cult. The video describes Himmler's ambitious plans for the castle, which included a museum for Germanic artifacts and a special room for the storage of SS Honor Rings, symbolizing the connection between the living and the spirits of the dead SS men.

💡Germanic Mythology

Germanic Mythology is the body of myths and beliefs of the ancient Germanic peoples. In the video, Himmler's belief in and incorporation of elements of Germanic mythology, such as the gods Waralda and Wotan, is discussed as a key aspect of his attempt to create a new religion and cultural identity for the Germanic race.

💡Pseudoscience

Pseudoscience refers to beliefs or practices that claim to be scientific but lack the empirical evidence and rigorous methodology of true science. In the video, Himmler's interest in pseudoscientific theories, such as the Welteislehre (World Ice Theory), is highlighted as part of his broader embrace of occult and mystical beliefs.

💡Neo-Paganism

Neo-Paganism is a modern religious movement that seeks to revive or reinterpret ancient pagan beliefs and practices. The video discusses Himmler's attempt to create a new religion for the Germanic race that incorporated elements of neo-paganism, including the veneration of ancient gods and rituals.

💡Hanns Hörbiger

Hanns Hörbiger was an Austrian pseudoscientist known for his cosmological theory called the 'Welteislehre' or 'World Ice Theory'. In the video, Himmler's interest in Hörbiger's theories is mentioned as an example of his embrace of pseudoscientific ideas, which influenced his beliefs about the universe and its history.

Highlights

Heinrich Himmler, a powerful Nazi, led programs to create a new religion based on pagan gods, Germanic myth, and pseudoscience for the Germanic race.

Himmler's SS invented new ceremonies, including those for marriages and births, combining National Socialism with paganism.

SS weddings involved readings from Mein Kampf and the lighting of a candle symbolizing a new Germanic bloodline.

Himmler encouraged SS marriages primarily to produce Aryan children, with less emphasis on monogamy.

Lebensborn Program cared for single mothers as long as they raised their children as committed National Socialists.

Himmler organized summer solstice celebrations to encourage procreation among SS members.

Himmler feared SS men might engage in homosexuality and采取措施 to prevent it.

SS babies were given naming ceremonies instead of christenings in rooms decorated with Nazi symbolism.

Himmler's declaration to God in SS ceremonies never clearly defined which god replaced the Abrahamic Jehovah.

Himmler's programs to create a Nazi cult were not very successful, with limited impact on the German population.

Himmler's fascination with a new religion began after the Nazi Beer Hall Putsch and the rejection of his Catholic faith.

Himmler was influenced by the Völkisch nationalist movement and its neo-pagan and occultist sub-sections.

Himmler recruited Karl-Maria Wiligut, an Austrian mystic claiming to access ancient Germanic knowledge through clairvoyance.

Wewelsburg Castle was intended as a central shrine for Himmler's cult, but his ambitious plans were never completed.

Ahnenerbe, a think tank led by Himmler, conducted expeditions across Europe and beyond in search of evidence of ancient Aryan civilizations.

Himmler's interest in the occult was used to justify his actions and beliefs, despite the lack of concrete evidence.

The myth of Nazism was more about a false tale of victimization and anti-Semitic prejudice rather than occult practices.

The crimes of the Nazis were committed by ordinary people, not monsters or fanatical cultists, highlighting the capacity for evil within humanity.

Transcripts

You've seen them in the Indiana Jones, Marvel, and DC comics and films: fanatical Nazi henchmen

searching for ancient artifacts to make super weapons that will achieve world domination.

Sturmbannführer Arnold Ernst Toht racing Indiana to find the Ark of the Covenant.

Johann Schmidt AKA the Red Skull fighting the Avengers to control the Teserakt.

Baroness.

Paula von Gunther using her occult powers to fight Wonder Woman.

Wild fantasies dreamed up by screenwriters and comic book creators?

Not entirely… one of the most powerful Nazis, Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler led programs

to achieve exactly that… he even went hunting for Mjölnir, Thor's Hammer.

I'm Spartacus Olsson and this is a World War Two in realtime special on Heinrich Himmler

and his neo-pagan and occult beliefs.

Thor's hammer is part of Himmler's belief in pagan gods, Germanic myth, and pseudoscience.

He has fused all of this together to create a new religion that the wants the German race

to adopt, and has ordered his minions to search the globe for evidence of ancient Aryan power.

This image of the Nazis as occultists will become firmly entrenched in postwar fiction.

But how successful has Himmler actually been in creating his Nazi cult?

That is what we will look at today.

While Himmler might not be able to control the religious traditions of the entire, Aryan

Race, or as it actually is; the Christian majority of the German population, he can

control the SS.

So that is where he begins.

He invents new ceremonies for marriages and births which combine National Socialism with

paganism.

According to a set of official instructions, an SS wedding opens with an officer reading

quotations from _Mein Kampf_.

The bride and groom then light a candle as a symbol of "the commencement of a new Germanic

blood-line'.

Then they shake hands and commit to "a shared life and shared work for the nation".

Himmler encourages marriage mainly to create Aryan children, ideally lots of them.

He's not too fussed about monogamy as long as any illegitimate children are born to racially

worthy women.

Anna has already talked about the Nazi Breading farms in the Lebensborn Program in On the

Home Front.

You can watch that for more detail, but the basic principle is that single mothers are

cared for as long as they raise their child a committed National Socialist.

He also turns to ancient traditions to try and increase the fertility of his SS.

In 1937, Himmler states that for some Germanic tribes it was only at the summer solstice

that "children were procreated and… sexual intercourse took place".

He organizes elaborate solstice celebrations of dancing, gymnastics, and speeches.

Here, SS men are introduced to members of the National Socialist Women's League in order

to… well… have sex in order to bring the Führer a baby.

Himmler also has great fear that the handsome men of the SS might find each other a more

attractive alternative…

.

"We need to make sure that we invite the best girls rather than inferior ones and give SS

men the chance to dance with the girls and enjoy themselves…

to make sure that no one is ever set on the wrong road towards homosexuality."

Note his classifications of superior and inferior…what can I say.

In any case.

If all of this works out, and Himmler's SS babies arrive, they are given a naming ceremony

rather than a christening.

The ceremony takes place in a room decorated with portraits of German Führer Adolf Hitler,

SS flags, and runes.

Lebensborn babies are welcomed into the SS with the touch of a ceremonial dagger.

Sometimes you have to be glad for the babies that they are not aware of what's going on…

You see, on occasion, they are subjected to passages read or even worse, sung chorally,

from Mein Kampf - which if you haven't read it, is arguably one of the worst pieces of

literature forged by human hand - and I'm not speaking only of the content - Hitler

and his ghostwriter Rudolf Hess were not the best authors to put it mildly.

Anyway, then an SS officer, sometimes even Himmler himself, makes a declaration to God.

Himmler never entirely clarifies which god has replaced the Abrahamic Jehovah.

Mostly he speaks of a Germanic god called Waralda or "The Ancient One" or simply of

a higher power.

Anyway, the declaration is that:

"We believe in the God of the universe / And in the mission of our German blood / that

grows eternally young from the German soil.

/ We believe in the nation, the bearer of this blood / And in the Fuhrer, whom God has

given us."

None of these programs are extremely successful - sure, a few thousand babies are born under

all of these efforts, but would these people - most of who are in their late teens and

twenties not have had babies anyway?

And his idea to indoctrinate newborns into fanatical Nazis fails on a simple premise-

time is not on his side.

As for the wedding ceremonies as a path towards ingrained traditions as a basis for a new

religion, there are quite a few weddings SS style… but does that matter?-Does getting

married in a church by force make you a proselytizing, true believing Christian?

Like most weddings the groom and bride have higher priorities; getting on with life while

getting some regular vitamin P.

But why does Himmler want so desperately to have a new religion?

Himmler's fascination began after he and his fellow Nazis failed in the Nazi Beer Hall

Putsch of 1923 in Munich.

Despite his party membership he was still searching for his own ideology.

By this point, he had already rejected his Catholic faith, believing it too soft on the

Jews and a hotbed of homosexuality.

In 1925, the same year that he joined Hitler's protection unit, the Schutzstaffel, or SS,

he read the book _Germania_ by the Roman historian Tacitus.

In his diary, Himmler wrote that Tacitus's description of the Germanic tribes of central

Europe was a "wonderful portrait of how high, pure, and capable our ancestors were.

This is how we will become again...".

He also read books on astrology, hypnosis, spiritualism, and telepathy.

Himmler is certainly not alone in his beliefs.

The Völkisch nationalist movement has a prominent neo-pagan and occultist sub-sect ion.

At the end of the 19th century, an Austrian named Guido von List created a new religion

based on the worship of the god Wotan, better known in English as Odin.

He claimed that ancient Aryan priests left behind their knowledge in a set of runes that

were revealed to him in a dream.

Another Austrian named Jorg Lanz-Liebenfels wrote of an Aryan race descended from interstellar

gods who would once again rule over the subhumans.

The Thule Society argued that Germans were descended from Aryans who had lived on a lost

arctic island.

Several leading Nazis like Dietrich Eckhart, Alfred Rosenberg, and Rudolf Hess belonged

to or attended the society.

After taking charge of the SS in 1929 Himmler decides he must lead Germany in returning

to pre-Christian Germanic traditions.

Only then would the Aryan race triumph in the conflict between the human and subhuman.

Himmler quickly sets to work after the Nazis seize power in 1933.

He recruits a man named Karl-Maria Wiligut, a Rasputin-like Austrian mystic.

This new SS member claims he can access the knowledge of ancient Germanic tribes by going

into a clairvoyant trance.

Now, Himmler isn't aware, and I'm not sure that he would care if he was, but Wiligut

is a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic who at one point spent three years locked up in

an asylum.

Wiligut's wife will also claim that he was a violent drunk who beat her and had an unhealthy

desire towards their daughters.

To fair to Willgut, none of that makes him very special within the SS - if you look at

the SS elite's criminal, and mental health records,.and Berlin of this time was Gotham

City, the SS would have overpopulated Arkham Asylum in a nanosecond.

OK, so now that Himmler has his theologian, like any good cult he needs some sort of central

shrine, so Himmler takes over Wewelsburg Castle near the town of Büren, Westphalia in August

1934.

It's near the Teutoburg Forest where tradition has it that Hermann the Cheruskan - better

known as Arminius - beat Publius Quinctilius Varus in battle and stopped the Roman Northward

expansion in the year 4 AD.

Himmler believes the castle is blessed with what he calls "original German blood."

Wiligut claims that the castle will see battle again in a future war between West and East.

Himmler sets out ambitious plans for the castle and an SS township.

In fact, his plans are too ambitious.

Neither the main hall nor the crypt will be completed by the end of the war.

No weddings, cult rituals, or other ceremonies will take place here.

Only once will the SS Gruppenfuhrer hold their conference at Wewelsburg, in June 1941.

He does build a museum containing Germanic artifacts from the region, and a special storage

room where the Ehrenringe or Honour Rings of dead SS officers are held.

Designed by Wiligut, these rings incorporate the distinctive SS death's head, a Swastika,

and various runes purported to represent ancestry, camaraderie, and the power of the sun.

Himmler believes that by gathering the rings at Wewelsburg, the spirits of dead SS men

will stand among the ranks of the living.

Finished or not, the cult and castle needs a historiography, a tradition based on artifacts

and archeological finds.

So Himmler sets to work finding as much evidence of ancient Aryan civilizations as he can.

In 1935, he sets up a think tank called the Ahnenerbe with Herman Wirth, a disgraced Dutch

prehistorian.

Himmler and Wirth despatch teams across Europe and beyond.

They go to Finland to record pagan sorcerers and witches.

Cameramen record a soothsayer summoning the spirits of her ancestors.

There are expeditions to Sweden in 1936 and Italy in 1937 looking for evidence of Nordic

script.

Further expeditions also go to Greece, Iraq, and Libya.

Planned trips to the Andes, Iran, and Iceland are interrupted by the war.

The most famous expedition is the one to Tibet in 1938-1939 which is led by Ernst Schäfer,

an SS officer and zoologist, which also results in a pseudo-documentary film.

On an earlier expedition, Schäfer found what he believed to be Aryan symbols buried alongside

skeletons.

He also noted that some people had Aryan features.

Schäfer doesn't believe that the Aryans were sent down from heaven, but he uses Himmler's

curiosity in Tibet to obtain funds for a new expedition.

Once they arrive in Tibet, Schäfer's anthropologist, Bruno Beger, begins examining the skulls and

facial features of the locals.

By the end of the trip, he has photographed nearly 2,000 Tibetans, Bhutanese, Sherpas,

and Nepalis.

He has taken measurements of 376 people and has cast the hands and faces of 17.

Beger concludes that the upper classes of Tibetan society have Nordic skulls, noses,

and cheekbones.

They also "have a sense of themselves as dominant" and must therefore be descended from Aryans.

Himmler's interest in the expedition is heavily influenced by his desire to find proof for

hobby cosmologists and pseudoscientist Hanns Hörbiger's Welteislehre ("World Ice Theory")

that posits that ice is the basic substance of all cosmic processes, and that ice moons,

ice planets, and the "global ether" (appartently also made of ice) have determined the entire

development of the universe.

As one would expect, Schäfer's expedition does indeed find a lot of ice in Tibet…

but fail to unearth any proof that the rest of the universe is also made of frozen water.

Segue

The war interrupts many of these extravagant efforts, but the need for weapon to achieve

final victory, and the war of expansion brings new opportunities for Himmler's helpers' hikes

into hysterical historiography.

Exploiting the new territory conquered by the Wehrmacht.

Expeditions are sent to Poland to loot artifacts and to Crimea and Ukraine for evidence of

Germanic tribes, and the history of his imaginary Aryan civilization

And this is also when we finally arrive at Mjölnir, Thor's hammer - perhaps the mightiest

tool the universe has known, rivaled in lethality only by Gungir, Odin's spear, and in practicality

only by Freyr's sword that fights on its own.

But Spears are unwidey, not spectacular enough for a mighty Norse warrior, a sword not, the

hammer it must be!

If only Himmler can get his hands on it, then all of his, the Nazis, and Germany's problems

can be solved in one single mighty blow against humanity, now laid out on the anvil of war.

So In 1940 he sends out a memorandum to the Ahnenerbe:

"Find all places in the northern Germanic Aryan cultural world where an understanding

of the lightning bolt, the thunderbolt, Thor's hammer, or the flying or thrown hammer exists…

I am convinced that this is not based on natural thunder and lightning, but rather that it

is an early, highly developed form of war weapon of our forefathers…"

It's unclear if the Ahnenerbe ever finds any evidence.

But Himmler stays true to his beliefs, even as the Allies close the ring on Nazi Germany.

As late as November 1944, he will order his staff to try and build a modern version of

the hammer to disable Allied vehicles, communication systems, and radars with an electrical pulse.

And in his final letter, he assures his wife and daughter that Waralda, "The Ancient One",

will always protect them.

OK, so there you have it - Himmler is at the head of a cult that believes in hocus-pocus,

pseudoscientific hogwash, and mythical historiography, but how successful is he at spreading these

ideas among your average Germans.

The answer is not very.

Even Himmler realises that Germany isn't ready for a new neo-pagan religion.

He instructs his SS that weddings and christenings must not be conducted in public or reported

in the press.

As he puts it, there is too much risk of a priest turning up and causing a scene about

a "heathen marriage".

He's also worried that the German public will ridicule his SS.

It's not just the public who might be skeptical.

Hitler certainly believes a lot of the same occult and pseudoscientific rubbish, but he

doesn't think it's anywhere near as important.

He too is wary of the backlash from the church.

According to Joseph Goebbels' diary, in 1935 Hitler tells Himmler and others that they

"must stop this nonsense with cults"

Himmler's SS men are hardly receptive either.

They are encouraged to renounce Christian faith and register as Gottgläubig or "God

believers" which is a belief in a vaguely defined higher power.

And yes between 60% and 80% of the SS leadership will be registered as Gottgläubig across

the organization's three main branches in 1938.

But these are hardly enthusiastic neo-pagans.

Most are hurried conversions, abandoning Christianity shortly before or after entering the SS.

Among the rank-and-file, Himmler's ideas are even less influential with 51% of SS men being

Protestants, 26% Catholics and just 23% listed as Gottgläubig.

Nonetheless, this image of the Nazis as occultists will prove enduring.

During the war, British and American pseudo-historians and occultists are already writing that Hitler

is possessed by a demon.

After the war more books and documentaries will be produced claiming that Hitler used

black magic or drew his power from biblical relics like the Holy Grail.

Sure, as rational people, we can laugh at all of this.

Light-hearted books and films featuring inept or evil Nazis trying to steal the Ark of the

Covenant or open portals to hell will keep generations entertained.

But there is a more serious point.

We've seen that the association between Nazism and the occult is never really that deep.

And yet it will be blended into the wider notion so prevalent after the war that the

Nazi clique hoodwinked the German population.

Whether that's through clever politics, persuasive oratory, or even black magic.

Even those who reject occultism as nonsense will repeat the phrase "the Nazis cast a spell

on the German people".

The real myth, the very dangerous myth that drives the Nazis forward, one that far more

people are willing to embrace is pedestrian and ordinary in nature.

It's a false tale of victimization, based in anti-semitic prejudice, and perspicuous

conspiracy myths: the of a culture war where Germans are being treated badly, and even

threatened in their existence by secret cabal of people without any special powers other

than their cunning and hunger for power.

It's a mythical belief system that doesn't require anyone to believe in the fancy fairy

tales that Himmler and his cohorts fantasize about.

All you have do is convince yourself that there is us and them, and that they are out

to get you.

So while Himmler's and the SS cultism may be great comic book and movie material, and

no matter how seriously we take it or not , it runs the risk of distracting us from

an uncomfortable truth.

The people committing horrific crimes in this war are normal men and women like you and

me.

They are not monsters or crazed fanatical cultists.

Some of them are Christian, some atheist, some Gottgläubig, and some pagan or occultist.

But their crimes are the crimes of humanity alone.

If you'd like to see more on the Nazi relationship with religion, click here for our special

episode on the geopolitics of the Vatican.

Now…

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ourselves and future generations So we do believe that it's a good idea to join that

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By that that we can continue to put out ever more content like this.

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