The Secret King: The Myth and Reality of Nazi Occultism

by Stephen E. Flowers, Michael Moynihan

The Secret King is the first book to explode many myths surrounding the popular idea of Nazi occultism, while presenting the actual esoteric rituals used by Heinrich Himmler’s SS under the influence of rune magician Karl-Maria Wiligut, the “Secret King of Germany.” Stephen E. Flowers, PhD , is a prolific writer and translator in the fields of runology and the history of occultism. He is also the author of books on magical runic traditions under the pen name Edred Thorsson. Michael Moynihan co-authored the best-selling, award-winning book Lords of Chaos. He also co-edits the esoteric journal Tyr .

Genres: History, Occult, Nonfiction, World War II, Research, Satanism

197 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2007

About the author

American Runologist and proponent of occultism and Germanic mysticism.

Flowers is an advocate of "Esoteric Runology" or "Odinism", an occultist version of Germanic Neopaganism

Flowers has graduated in Germanic and Celtic philology.

Reviews

[N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally some truth on this matter. Tired of all the sensationalist claptrap books on this subject (and this are loads on Nazi occultism) but this is the only one that is serious, grounded and more interested in truth than fantasy

[Jimmy]

What made me wanted to read this book was due to the claims I have heard over the years by some atheists that the Nazis were Christians so it seems that a book on the Nazis or key leaders of the Nazis embracing an alternative belief system would be important to consider. The book was good in the beginning and the end. Right at the beginning of the book the authors defined the occult, paganism, Satanism and Christianity which is helpful though readers will note that his definition of Christianity is too broad and problematic for an Evangelical (basically, whatever religious system that attributes its belief as coming from Jesus). What I appreciated about this book is that it acknowledge how difficult it is to get an accurate history of Nazi occultism given that there has been a lot of sensationalism promoted by four main groups talking about Nazi occultism today: those for or against Paganism/Satanism/occult and those for or against the Nazis. The authors even devote a chapter on the myths of Nazi occultism and four sources for the embellishment of the extent of Nazi occultism including Allies’ propaganda and former disgruntled Nazis. This is balanced by the next chapter on the reality of Nazi occultism in which the authors argue that it was not as well spread as some might think though it seem to exists mainly among those under Heinrich Himmler and some in his organization, the SS. The book does not go into the full extent of all the Nazis named but interested readers would certainly have some sense of direction of trails of names to research up on. The rest of the book is then devoted to Karl-Maria Wiligut, a man whom Himmler clearly favored and the creator of much of the occultic imagination for Himmler and his Nazis’ fans. The bulk of the book is then devoted to primary sources translated from Himmler’s work—and the lack of much meaningful commentary by the authors means that for the general reading audience it remains enigmatic—and boring. The only exception is the part about the SS’ honor ring which Wiligut designed which shows the extent of Wiligut’s influence as pushed by Himmler. The rest of the primary sources is a collection of weird and unintelligible garble of wild interpretations of drawings filled with a whacky cosmology and fanciful pseudo-history. I did enjoy one of the appendix towards the end which interviewed a family friend and co-worker under Wiligut—and I thought she too was out there but it was an illustration to me of just how silly some people were in following Wiligut. It makes me realize the Christian truth that when people reject Christianity (Wiligut talked a lot about “Khristianity” which he believed is before “Christianity” and has something to do with Eurocentricism), they often times embrace something even more weird, foolish and bizarre.

[Jeffrey Lavoie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The work of Stephen Flowers has always garnered interest from those interested in these obscure pre-Nazi texts and their connection with Western Esotericism. In fact, Flowers went on to systematize an entire belief structure which he has labeled ‘Runa’ and has gone on to establish his own sect within the Temple of Set known as the Order of the Trapezoid that incorporates some of the esoteric elements found in these mystical German writers (without their racist implications). Notwithstanding this organization, this book provides a litte bit of background about and translations from the Schutzstaffel (SS/ ) occult leader- Karl Maria Wiligut.
Overall this is a great translation of some very difficult German texts. One of my main critiques of Flowers work is that he could stand to place his work within a deeper contextualization; however, one could argue he has merely left his audience wanting more. If this was his intent he certainly succeeded. Overall, this book provides a solid translation of very difficult German texts (due to many of them being written in poem form though the authors assure the reader they went for more an idiomatic translation than they were concerned with maintaining the flow of the rhymes). This book remains a well-written work that engages more than a few obscure German texts in an engaging format on a fascinating individual. [From the RESEARCH JOURNAL OF GERMAN ANTIQUITY, 2.4 ]

[Michael Kalb · Rating 5 out of 5]

'The Secret King: The Myth and Reality of Nazi Occultism' when first released was a more than needed tome dealing with a subject that is fraught with pitfalls of sensationalism and flat out lies turned to myths. I'm more than sure those who are interested in this have already read 'The Occult Roots of Nazism: Secret Aryan Cults and Their Influences on Nazi Ideology' and Black Sun: Aryan Cults, Esoteric Nazism, and the Politics of Identity by Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke and are familiar with his academia cum salacious writing prose. Those who are students of this taboo subject matter should be quite familiar with just how rare it is to get a book without misinformation and bias, let alone one that dispels the myths one after the other until what sits before you is as close to the truth as you will find.
My only qualm with this book is I'd like to have known more, but given the limited information there is, it cannot be the fault of either Michael Moynihan nor Stephen E. Flowers whose exhaustive research led them as about as far as one could go. All in all I would suggest this book to anybody with interest in this subject, as well as those who are just now getting into the Third Reich's dealings with the Occult.

M. Kalb

[Ataegina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book, since it explores a very rarely studied topic that turns out to be a captivating specific type of occultism. Yet, it is a bit boring to read.

[Äsruþr Cyneaþsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flowers has produced an impressive piece of work here. Finely treading the line between a look at the esoteric aspects and an objective look at the reasons such appealed to the Nazi's, Flowers successfully avoids the common trap of labelling the Nazi's as deranged occultists. Flowers breaks down the political and psychology manipulation behind much of the Nazi pursuit of the occult and delves into the reality of the few who held true interest in the occult within Nazi Germany.

Interesting for those studying the Nazi's or for those interested in the occult who wish to learn more about how and why aspects were employed by the Nazi's.

[Siv30 · Rating 3 out of 5]

ספר שעוסק בחלק הראשון שלו בניפוץ מיתוס המאגיות והמיסטיקה של המישטר הנאצי ובחלק השני שלו מביא את דמותו של אחד מאבות הטקסים והטקסטים המיתיים של יחידת העלית ב-SS. מדובר בספר לא פשוט לקריאה, מלווה בנספח ארוך של מסמכי מקור גרמניים שתורגמו לאנגלית, אולם, הספר מצייר בנאמנות את אופן צמיחתו של מיתוס ומאפשר לקורא למתוח קווים בין העבר להווה (לדוגמא תהליכי הדמוניזציה של אירן ובכלל של מדינות שמכונות "ציר הרשע".)

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was expecting something sensationalized like Ravenscroft's work, but this was a great break down of the man behind Nazi mysticism and the belief system. After actually reading what they believed, all I can say is . . . these Ubermorons actually believed this crap? Seriously, read it, and weep for Germany. It's a pretty idiotic belief system, and some of it appears to have been made up on the fly while other parts seems well researched.

[Trish · Rating 2 out of 5]

Karl Maria Wiligut was a very strange guy, and his beliefs even stranger.