I had initially intended on looking at a few applicable aspects connected to von List, however upon review I can see that there are almost endless tie-ins to a large host of other things! No wonder Guido von List is approached with caution by so many in modern times. In a nutshell, there was the Third Reich, preceded by the formation of the Nazi Party, which was itself preceded by a number of secret occult societies, which were themselves preceded by the works of Guido von List, Madame Blavatsky, and others who had long passed away when the National Socialists rose to power.
Although virtually all of von List's work was tied to Germanic pre-Christian paganism, the Runes themselves originated with Cisalpine peoples. I think the historical record is pretty clear on this point. Ironically, the Roman-Christian junta destroyed the Runes in Etruria when they took over there, and they later destroyed the Runes in Northern Europe, at least as far as their place in everyday life and culture. A great irony was that the Langobards marched into the Cisalpine territory under a flag which featured the odal rune, which stands for "homeland." It's probably is worth noting that Guido von List was very interested in the old traditions of lower Austria, which does tie-in to the general east Alpine milieu of Austria, Slovenia, and the tri-Veneto region.
'The Secret of the Runes' [von List; 1908]
Editorial Reviews
"If runes interest you at all, The Secret of the Runes is a historical and sociological document of great import. If you are a student of occult beliefs, you will recognize many of the newfangled new-age concepts we take for granted as vintage Armanen, perhaps very much to your dismay. Either way, this is an important book whose mysteries never fail to provoke thoughts and challenge beliefs." (Thor the Barbarian, Nemeton, Jan 2006 )
Product Description
The runes are said to have “revealed themselves” to von List, uncovering a complete cosmology and esoteric understanding of the primeval Teutonic/Aryan peoples, and becoming the cornerstone of his ideology. No other work so clearly and simply sets forth the full spectrum of von List’s fantastic vision of a mystical philosophy based on Germanic principles.
Fascinating
This is an incredibly interesting piece of work written by a truly enigmatic and fascinating individual. Guido Von List was an expert in Indo-European linguistics, Norse mythology, German folklore and had a broad understanding of etymology, anthropology and archaeology. He obtained this knowledge during his life-long study of the esoteric roots of pre-Christian Germanic society.
There have been many vocal detractors of List and his work, especially in the decades following the conclusion of World War Two. His writings have been described as "fascistic" and "fantastic". Perhaps List understood better than his critics did that documenting the racial/philosophical/religious/linguistic roots of the ancient Aryans was never meant to be a demonizing process.
'The Secret of the Runes' (first published in 1908) offers the reader a chance to explore many of List's basic themes in a very easy to read format. The translator and editor, Stephen Flowers, treats his subject matter objectively and fairly. Not once is there a hint of heavy handiness of politically correct whitewashing. The work is allowed to stand on it's own.
'The Secret of the Runes' is not a piece of work that will appeal to everyone. Modern practitioners of Wicca or "rune magik" will most likely find this work offensive for it's pro-Nordic, racial themes. However, anthropologists, mythologists and those who study language or the occult will undoubtedly find many interesting nuggets of information thanks to Lists' exhaustive research and insight.
'The Religion of the Aryo-Germanic Folk: Esoteric and Exoteric' [von List; 1910]
Editorial Reviews
As a follow-up to the classic and seminal work The Secret of the Runes, Rûna-Raven presents a translation of another of Guido von List's important volumes: Die Religion der Ario-Germenen in ihrer Esoterik und Exoterik, first published in 1910. This text, next to that of The Secret of the Runes provides an in-depth look at the ideological world of the turn of the century Viennese master. Perhaps no other text so precisely sums up List's religious world-view. In these pages he describes an esoteric, theosophical, cosmology in terms of Germanic mythology and addresses questions of astrology and the purpose and destiny of the human soul.
Those who have made a study of the esoteric world of early 20th century Germany and Austria will welcome this little book which sheds more light on the topic. The text is preceded by an introduction by Dr. Stephen E. Flowers (translator and editor of The Secret of the Runes) in which he addresses the issues of List's use of folk-etymology, theosophical influence on List's ideas, and most importantly issues statements on research into the topic of occultism in the Third Reich and the general misuse of the theory of "Nazi occultism"
Amazon.com reviewer B. Leavitt
This is a great book. Guido Von List who died much before the Nazi party began had nothing to do with National Socialism or the nazis. He died in 1912 or 1921. The secret of the runes is another great book of his. I recommend the one with only his name as author. There is another one with Stephen Flowers AKA Edred Thorsson, that is a good read also. I just don't know how they could of co-authored a book when Von List has been dead for 90 years.
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