Revisiting the “Nazi Occult”
Histories, Realities, Legacies
Eds: Monica Black & Eric Kurlander Camden House 2015 Hb, 305pp, £75.00, ISBN 9781571139061
Eighty years after the start of World War II, Nazi political ideology continues to inform extremist politics, while its proponents are recast in film and video games as mad scientists and evil magicians. This book deals primarily with the latter role, discussing the realities of the occult in German culture from the late 19th century onwards. It starts with an overview of the esoteric revival of the 1880s, which rejected the materialism of science in favour of a more spiritual approach, paradoxically couching new philosophies in scientific terms. Theosophy and Anthroposophy were popular, as was the lesser-known Mazdazian movement, which espoused vegetarianism, breathing exercises and, notably, racial hygiene. The Romantic movement reminded Germany of its essential ‘German-ness’ through a renewed interest in traditional folk-ways and culture, while the cinema of the Weimar Republic reached out to engage the emotions of a nation which had lost not only a world war but also its soul.
Under Hitler, scientists who wanted to keep their research funding chose projects and presented results with care. Hard sciences were unpopular, with physics dismissed as “too Jewish”. Archaeological excavations had to prove the mythical lineage of the German people. Three pseudo-scientific theories that were particularly in favour were astrology, anthroposophy and ice world theory. All are examined in detail here. Although the German government is widely thought to have suppressed occult movements during the war, the real picture is more nuanced. Map dowsing, for example, was trialled as a way of locating Allied vessels at sea (a forerunner of Cold War remote viewing experiments), and was successfully deployed in finding Mussolini. The anthoposophic method of biodynamic agriculture was adopted as one of many strategies believed to purify German bodies and German soil.
Moving to the legacy of Nazi Germany, the stigmatic Therese Neumann and faith healer Bruno Gröning are considered as agents of resistance. Neumann represented both political and folk-Catholicism throughout the war and until her death in 1962. Both eventually tapped into Cold War fears and popular apocalypticism.
Hans Bender as the Spukproffesor (Professor Poltergeist) brought parapsychology to post-war German TV. A potted biography discusses the balance between serious scientific research and entertaining television and gives him credit for both raising the profile of parapsychology and drawing attention to the importance of good mental health.
The book ends with some consideration of Nazi archetypes in computer games, particularly Wolfenstein, and of the interplay between Nazi iconography, right-wing politics, neo-paganism and popular music.
This is a fascinating book recommended to anyone interested in history or cultural studies.
Paula Dempsey ★★★★★