Nazis and the Occult: The Esoteric Roots of the Third Reich by Paul Roland

by Paul Roland

For the first time, this secret history of the Third Reich reveals the full extent of hitler's involvement with the occult and the Nazis' fascination with symbols of arcane power such as the Holy Grail and the Spear of Destiny.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, Occult, War, Germany, Historical

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Roland

Reviews

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

Being interested in both Nazis and the occult, I had high expectations for this book - I wasn't expecting a John Green best seller, but I was hoping for *something*. I personally found the text to be really dry and monotonous, bordering on repetitive at times, and I'm still not sure if the author is endorsing or rejecting the idea of occult practices amongst the Nazi Party. The content itself seemed to be extensively researched, but there were a few things written that I know to be untrue or were just rumours/here-say, which makes me question the credibility of book. It was an okay read, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

[Oziel Bispo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Depois da leitura desse livro surge uma revolta tão grande, um nojo tão grande de Hitler que parece que vamos adoecer.

As barbaridades do viciado em drogas  Hitler e de seus capangas em relação aos Judeus já é muito conhecida e repugnada. 

Mas Hitler não destruiu só os Judeus. Ele destruiu a fé Alemã inventando falsas notícias sobre a igreja, destruiu a família Alemã separando os maridos das esposas incentivando o adultério , ele destruiu a mulher Alemã ; as casadas tendo que ficar em casa cuidando dos filhos sozinhas, as solteiras sendo desprezadas e sendo colocadas para trabalhar em fábricas em regime de escravidão.

Hitler enganou o povo Alemão com promessas de melhorias salariais, com descontos mensais no salário para a aquisição de carros, coisa que nunca aconteceu.

Hitler e seus capangas roubaram vinhos, perfumes e quadros valiosíssimos dos Franceses.  Estima se que mais de 650.000 mil itens valiosos foram roubados pelos nazistas. Além de também terem roubados milhares de quilos de ouro dos bancos Franceses.Nem os dentes dos judeus eles perdoavam, estima se que só em um campo de concentração foram retirados 40 quilos  de ouro da boca dos Judeus. Até os cabelos das mulheres eram cortados e usados para enchimentos de colchão e travesseiro. É muito revoltante como esse monstro pode destruir um pedacinho de cada habitante deste planeta, confesso que meu coração sangrou ao saber de tanta monstruosidade.

[paper0r0ss0 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rimasticatura nemmeno troppo accurata della teoria ormai quasi universalmente accolta, della riconducibilita' delle radici dell'ideologia nazista (perlomeno del gruppo dirigente) al sottobosco esoterico, occultistico, eccentrico dell'Europa di fine '800 inizio '900. Per una piu' appagante e rigorosa lettura rimando al pionieristico e scientificamente corretto lavoro di Giorgio Galli "Hitler e il Nazismo magico".

[Nicole Yovanoff · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was not the worst book I have ever read and it was not really boring, but it lacked any gravitas that most history books have. It felt like I was reading an undergraduate essay who thinks occult stuff is cool and fun.

No real depth, something to read if you are not a huge history buff.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Equal parts fascinating and bamboozling. Not sure how much of it is fact and how much is fiction and speculation. Lots of reference to "The Spear of Destiny" which the author dismisses as being a work of fiction but then heavily alludes to throughout. Much weirdness. Perfect for what I wanted (ways to make my serial killer more disturbed/disturbing!)

[Estefanía Teixeira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Não sei o quanto são fatos e o quanto são apenas boatos. Muito desorganizada a informação e até se contradiz em certos aspectos.

[Mx · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ultimately Roland's book is a text that is not going to pull off any grand reveals for the curious, and skeptics will remain unconvinced. There's questionable categorization for chapters, and many of the examples are (by his own admission) based on circumstantial evidence, disputed account, and 'myth-making' in the wake of those with aggendas to capitalize on the continuous allure for Hitler, his impact on the world, and either his personal or the Nazi party's ties to mysticism. There is no grand narrative here, only a gallery of examples in the unusual directions where the Nazi regime were potentially influenced, collaborated with, or were captivated by occultism (a trend that persisted in a great part of the early 20th century all over the world but will naturally have specific dark implications for this moment in time). When treated less as a case-study, and more like an exhibit, Roland's book shows much more merit, but arguably would do better with fleshed out examples and perhaps better editorial to help readers who have trouble determining the degrees of which his book relies upon his sources knowing that some of it doesn't hold up under scrutiny.

[Sheldon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book can be summed up using a quote from page 276. "Contrary to popular myth there is no documentary evidence to support the belief that Hitler and his inner circle were practicing magicians or occultists of any kind."

This book does not discuss the occult aspects of the Nazis, it just takes way too long to tell you that the Nazis weren't dabbling in the occult. It is repetitive and the first half to three-quarters of the book is a slog to get through. Chapter 2 is dedicated to dissecting the "The Spear of Destiny" by Trevor Ravenscroft, which the book blatantly says is a fictional work on multiple occasions. The entire book is supposed to be a dissection of the myths surrounding Nazi Occultism, but it can be difficult to follow the message as the author merges fact and fiction in an attempt at comparing the two.

The book attempts to frame the information in a way that seems to make fun of the allegations of Nazi Occultism, but it does so while also supporting the existence and efficacy of magic in a way that reminds me of "The Power of Now" or similar books. "What you put out is what you get in return."

Don't waste your time with this book.

[Emily Cauduro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty average. Although I did learn about some of the lesser known players from the Third Reich, I had picked up the book to learn about what sorts of experiments and quests the Nazis were looking into during the war. Instead the book focused on how the occult and the supernatural played a role in how Hitler came into power and the various prophesies he was fulfilling as the Furher.
It’s an informative book just not on the topic I was hoping to cover.

[Vernon Whitcomb · Rating 2 out of 5]

author spends a lot of time, such as an entire chapter on the spear of destiny, quoting writers he also says are discredited, making the entire chapter practically just fiction. honestly this looks like a collection of essays on random occult topics and there is no major thesis to the book. The author also inserts his opinion in too many places and is not very objective.

[Noah Kellum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting material. Author is disenchanted and heavily biased towards PWC. Argues that the Nazis were mere intuitive black magicians who accidentally summoned a “demon,” (not real according to author) by strength of ill-will. They leveraged all kinds of pseudoscientific means of power including astrology, ritual magic, and esoteric artifacts among other things.

[C.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A riveting read.

No spoilers per se, but the author seems to suggest that if Hitler and the Nazis conjured up demons, they did so unconsciously and didn’t notice because they were evil incarnate themselves.

[Johnny Newtonia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolute twaddle, highly recommended reading for laughing at, 1/5.

[Northawke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Much better books out there on this subject, f.e. Goodrick-Clarke. Also very annoying that he questions certain sources, yet exclusively uses those sources to bolster his own arguments, even though he presents himself rationally and I agree with sone underlying conclusions.

[John LeBourgeois · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disinformation through out

So when dealing with information like this the author can be neutral, enthusiastic or disparaging. This book appears to be written by those who have a vested interest in obscuring the truth. As with all lies some portion of the truth is always present, however it is twisted, belittled or posed as absurd in the subtle editorial permeating this work. It looks to me like a hit job done by a magical society which wants to hide the realities that would be revealed in an objective book. Those who are not experienced in the occult might adopt the author's point of view. But if you know, then the lies, distortions and prejudice are glaringly apparent and quite off-putting.
I strongly encourage the reader to find another more objective treatment of the occult history of the 3rd reich

[Smiley III · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will rock you down to your foundations: however you might think of the "Occult" (try: the Esoteria is beyond the Preliminary Under-pinnings) or wherever this book's filed in your local bookstore (Nazis? Black magic? Radiation poisoning?), this little trip will take you through the ideological structures and physical/mental energies released by these Heartless Bastards (read: Spoiled Bananas/Ruined Milk/Destroyed Cancerous Cells, etc.), not some "belief system" structure which keep the reader safe — and at a remove — the proverbial armchair, w/slippers and pipe, and puppy at one's feet.

("Those who don't know their History are doomed to ... " well, perhaps not see the next Iteration coming!)

"A word to the wise guy ... "

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Using an objective, journalistic approach, Roland deconstructs the popular myths surrounding Hitler and the Nazi party's obsession with the occult, and history's attempts to attribute the Reich's attrocities to the rise of 'The dark Massiah'.

The book is nicely illustrated and would have received a full five stars had the print not been so ludicrously small.

[Andrew]

Wow. Very well researched information on the Rise of Hitler.. Thule society and Vrill Society! Scary stuff here...

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good and informative read, meticulously researched and with the author's conclusion stated at the end of the book. Mentions both the facts and silly rumours floating around on Nazi occultism.

[Moravian1297 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to read The Nazis and the Occult (TNATO), mainly due to the subject matter contained within my last book, The Pale Criminal (TPC), second in the brilliant Bernie Gunther series. And indeed, TNATO did feature characters and places that appear heavily in TPC, namely, Reinhard Heydrich (somewhat unsurprisingly), but also the lesser known, SS Gruppenfuhrer and head of the kripo, Artur Nebe, SS Obersturmfuhrer, medievalist and Ariosophist Otto Rahn, SS Brigadefuhrer and occultist medium, Karl Maria Wiligut and Himmler's infamous private castle, Wewelsburg.
So my curiosity was wholly satisfied!

Apart from that initial curiosity, I didn't go into this book with much expectations, as it did look a little threadbare and somewhat limited in scope and on completion it did seem to concentrate on astrology more than the occult.
However, unlike Ryan Green's book on Carl Panzram, "Kill 'em All", the author here, Paul Roland did offer up, if a little bombastic at times, his own thoughts and conclusions and I did spot the odd contradiction to what I believe to be the actual facts of some of the events mentioned in this book.
For example, the author here, states that during the failed Beer Hall Putsch of 1923, Hitler stupidly released members of the Bavarian government that were being held hostage by members of the Nazi party, on the promise that they would just go home. However, they predictably raised the alarm and Hitler and the putsch were crushed by the waiting and heavily armed Bavarian police. This was patently nonsense, as it was famously General Ludendorff whom had freed the elite government hostages and Hitler was apoplectic at Ludendorff's naive stupidity!
I did discover however, for the first time, that the famous picture of Hitler out in the street in amongst a large crowd, celebrating the outbreak of WWI, is believed to be a fake! I had always marvelled at the coincidence of that historic photograph, but yes, it is a bit too fantastical to have been true.



It was also amazing to read about things that seemed to be straight out of some B movie, Nazi exploitation picture.
For example, the story of Wilhelm Wulff, who was posted into an extremely weird occultist 'think tank', made up of various spiritualists, mediums, pendulum practitioners, astrologers and other 'sensative' types, effectively, oddballs, fantasists, quacks and cranks! All coming across as extremely bizarre and frighteningly odd. Like the Nazis needed anything paranormal or supernatural to be any more frightening or bizarre?!

But the books final conclusion, at it's ultimate end, it basically said, somewhat unsurprisingly, that the Nazis were no occult Devil worshippers at all, they were just a nasty den of c**ts! Ain’t that the truth!

[Doug Brunell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Roland takes a very open-minded and even-handed approach to the Nazi/Occult link that has been bandied about in circles for decades. He looks to answer questions such as whether or not the Nazis were all dabbling in the occult and if they used its powers to wreak havoc on the world. The answers he formulates are not surprising, but will probably upset people on all sides of the debates.

As with any book of this nature, there are going to be issues. The two here that prove to be vexing are its length and the quotes. The book could have been twice as long and still only covered the surface. The quotes, on the other hand, are far more troublesome.

All too often Roland will quote a source he admits as being disreputable if only to prove a point he is trying to make, which, of course, weakens his argument. Sometimes he tries to step around this, but more often than not he quotes the person and just leaves it there for the reader digest. Understandably, this is a tough subject to find strong, honest quotes on, but for a book that handles the Nazi/Occult connection the way this one does, to use quotes this way is unforgivable.

Despite that issue, this book is a good read for anyone interested in this fascinating subject.

[Paul Rush · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting blend of sceptical and credulous. The author is a believer in the occult, but debunks the idea that the Nazi state practiced any sort of ritual magic or sought Raiders of the Lost Ark style supernatural aid... at least on purpose.

The sole exception being Himmler and the SS, which practiced a jumble of cobbled-together neopagan rites of Himmler’s own concoction. Otherwise, the presence of occult practices in Nazi Germany are portrayed as a disorganized collection of ordinary superstitions and wacko racial theories which could only be backed up by imagining even further wacko-ness.

But the author believes in the power of ritual, latent psychic abilities, astrological signifiers... As such, he believes that the Nazis did in fact release dark powers upon the world, powers they had no conscious idea they were dealing with and in the end could not control. For this notion, he offers no real argument, and I think that’s fine in context. Just take it as the author’s honest admission of bias/POV. Portions biased by his beliefs can be safely ignored.

It’s an interesting blend. Well researched, but best read with a pinch of salt, and Wikipedia open to verify the occasional fact that sounds hinky.

[Amber Ray · Rating 1 out of 5]

Confusing. Poorly laid out and disorganized.

The last half gets better as he discusses how "paganism" was used by the Reich to appeal to the people's emotions, diverting and twisting religious sentiment from the Catholic Church to feed nationalism. Devotion to Hitler and the Fatherland was fed with "pagan" and trash occult beliefs that supported Nazi ideals...while blatantly ignoring contradictory information. That part was interesting, but you have to wade through quite a lot of poorly organized and effusive weird philosophy and I was very confused whether the author was arguing from the viewpoint of a practicioner of magic or as one.
I've heard from a great number of sources Nazi Germany did have some occult/"pagan" beliefs...when they supported the Nazi beliefs. I felt this book needed to more carefully lay out historical examples, how they fed the propaganda and antisemitic beliefs, then present the origins of those beliefs in a more organized and clear fashion.
Discovering Trevor Ravenscroft was the only real enjoyable moment...I picked up this book because of Indiana Jones and chuckled a bit to see where Marion's last name was cribbed from.
Basically a poorly done book, just not what it could have been.

[Martin White · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read books like this I’m usually disappointed by poor referencing, sensational claims or lack of knowledge either of the history in question or the actual questions being asked. However, this book was not one of those! The author obviously knows his stuff both in relation to the occult, the Nazis and the progression of WWII. He systematically addresses all the popular nazi/occult myths by explaining them, discussing their sources and any credibility (or lack thereof!) and then references them (as far as possible) in an effort to gauge any credibility in the myth/story.

I don’t want to give any of the conclusions away but I found it refreshing that, despite the authors obvious knowledge and enthusiasm for the esoteric, he draws some logical and pragmatic conclusions based on the evidence and resists the temptation to sensationalise anything.

This is an interesting read, solidly researched and logically presented - not only does it address the matter at hand but it also places everything in the perspective of the times. A good book which should hold interest for historians and occultists alike.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, Roland does not disappoint. Here is my favorite thing about Roland’s writing style. He takes a broad, multi-faceted and difficult topic and breaks it down into easy-to-understand chunks. I wish I had read this before I took my grad class in Nazi Germany. Roland won’t tell what you WANT to hear. Many who rate this book below four stars are feeling a little upset that they didn’t have their beliefs confirmed. Roland will tell you the facts - though sardonic at times. So again - if you want a fact-based interpretation of Nazi fascination and leveraging of occult symbology and tactics in mass psychology and group mind control, read it. But if you’re going to feel all put-out or put-off that your bias wasn’t confirmed, save your time and keep believing myths to a great extent.

Roland explained Hitler’s rise to power quickly and easily even in the first few pages. My verbose and puffed up grad teachers would do well to take a lesson from Roland’s easy, intelligent, and direct writing style.

[Eliot Blades · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a curious book written by someone who does believe in the existence and effectiveness of magical practices. He begins by stating his beliefs in the introduction, clearly outlining his belief that magical practice consists almost solely in utilising ritual to focus the mental capacities of the practitioner. In discarding some of the more fantastical conceptions of magic, he seems to promising a largely scientific rational approach to some of the allegations of occult beliefs and ritualistic behaviour of the nazis. He largely sticks to this, arguing that - for example - Hitler's pursuit of the spear of destiny was motivated by its symbolic value.

Where the book falls down is in its reliance on the testimony of a number of historical figures who the author himself agrees have been discredited. For example, he discusses Rauschning's outing as a fantasist and unreliable historian, but then uses his work to underscore and validate several passages of this book.

[Sulaiman Taji · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt less like the Hitler I've come to know from reading other history books, and more like Red Skull from Hydra (of Captain America fame). You have Odin, Spear of Destiny and other fabled items/personalities all mentioned here.
Extremely speculative. Then suddenly the writer starts to hammer the point that it's not your "magic" in the magician's sense, but more like someone who's kept the whole nation captive with his (or rather the Nazi) theatrics.

It was a very light read, nothing to take away from in the end.

The only useful thing here is the short timeline about the 3rd Reich drawn in the end, which incidentally did not have much to do with the actual content of the book.

Forgettable, yet enjoyable in a completely non serious way.

[Rupin Chaudhry · Rating 4 out of 5]

One gets extremely thrilled to explore this facet of Nazi regime, but the truth is that there is no evidence that supports that supports Hitler and his inner circle practising occultism. The Nazis unleashed such atrocities and torments which we generally attribute to demonic influence.
Yes the Nazis did practise magic in the sense that influenced the masses to adopt a path of short lived glory and ultimate predation. They did so unconsciously and therefore could not control it. Hitler proved that the evil in this world is entirely man made and those who succumb to it are doomed to failure.
A good read but disappointing for those who are expecting some Hollywood inspired hell boy inspired theme.

[Alberto Moran · Rating 2 out of 5]

libro de el ocultismo o filosofía que estuvo presente durante la Alemania nazi. un libro que da entrada a muchos temas, muchos sub temas a manera solo de una rápida introducción, no se aborda ningún tema con mayor profundidad.

durante el libro que habla del esoterismo por parte de diversas áreas de poder y con Adolf Hitler menciona acciones y áreas dedicadas a ciertas investigaciones en ocultismo, esoterismo sin tener una convicción de los hechos sucedidos se puede decir que autor no cree o concuerda con el hecho de que durante la segunda guerra mundial hubo prácticas esotericas.

omitendo comentarios de autor, libro podría funcionar como introducción al tema o ficha tecnica para búsqueda de otros libros del mismo temas desarrollados a profundidad.

[Nikki Gipson Čadeni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tato kniha je opravdu zvláštním kouskem v mojí knihovně a hned mě zaujala po vypravování mého bylvalého profesora s tím, že se nacisté do velké míry nechávali ovlivňovat norskou mytologií, astrologií a věštěním.

Kniha je velice zajímavá, poskytuje pohled na skryté stránky nacismu, o kterých se v učebnicích historie vůbec nepíše.
Zajímavá je také pasáž knihy, která se věnuje astrologickému rozboru Hitlerova horoskopu.

Sama za sebe knihu můžu rozhodně doporučit všem, kteří se do hloubky zajímají o WWII, její skryté aspekty a rádi by nahlédli do způsobu uvažování představitelů a iniciátorů tohoto bestiálního režimu.