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Lucifer's Court: A Heretic's Journey in Search of the Light Bringers
Rahn’s personal diary from his travels as occult investigator for the Third Reich
• First English translation of the author’s journeys in search of a Nordic equivalent to Mt. Sinai
• Explains why Lucifer the Light Bringer, god of the heretics, is a positive figure
Otto Rahn’s lifelong search for the Grail brought him to the attention of the SS leader Himmler, who shared his esoteric interests. Induced by Himmler to become the chief investigator of the occult for the Nazis, Rahn traveled throughout Europe--from Spain to Iceland--in the mid 1930s pursuing leads to the Grail and other mysteries. Lucifer’s Court is the travel diary he kept while searching for “the ghosts of the pagans and heretics who were [his] ancestors.” It was during this time that Rahn grasped the positive role Lucifer plays in these forbidden religions as the bearer of true illumination, similar to Apollo and other sun gods in pagan worship.
This journey was also one of self-discovery for Rahn. He found such a faithful echo of his own innermost beliefs in the lives of the heretics of the past that he eventually called himself a Cathar and nurtured ambitions of restoring that faith, which had been cruelly destroyed in the fires of the Inquisition. His journeys on assignment for the Reich--including researching an alleged entrance to Hollow Earth in Iceland and searching for the true mission of Lucifer in the caves of southern France that served as refuge for the Cathars during the Inquisition--also led to his disenchantment with his employers and his mysterious death in the mountains after his break with the Nazis.
• First English translation of the author’s journeys in search of a Nordic equivalent to Mt. Sinai
• Explains why Lucifer the Light Bringer, god of the heretics, is a positive figure
Otto Rahn’s lifelong search for the Grail brought him to the attention of the SS leader Himmler, who shared his esoteric interests. Induced by Himmler to become the chief investigator of the occult for the Nazis, Rahn traveled throughout Europe--from Spain to Iceland--in the mid 1930s pursuing leads to the Grail and other mysteries. Lucifer’s Court is the travel diary he kept while searching for “the ghosts of the pagans and heretics who were [his] ancestors.” It was during this time that Rahn grasped the positive role Lucifer plays in these forbidden religions as the bearer of true illumination, similar to Apollo and other sun gods in pagan worship.
This journey was also one of self-discovery for Rahn. He found such a faithful echo of his own innermost beliefs in the lives of the heretics of the past that he eventually called himself a Cathar and nurtured ambitions of restoring that faith, which had been cruelly destroyed in the fires of the Inquisition. His journeys on assignment for the Reich--including researching an alleged entrance to Hollow Earth in Iceland and searching for the true mission of Lucifer in the caves of southern France that served as refuge for the Cathars during the Inquisition--also led to his disenchantment with his employers and his mysterious death in the mountains after his break with the Nazis.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1937
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693 people want to read
About the author
Otto Rahn
11 books32 followersOtto Wilhelm Rahn was a German medievalist and a Obersturmführer (First Lieutenant) of the SS.
From an early age, he became interested in the legends of Parsifal, Holy Grail, Lohengrin, and the Nibelungenlied. While attending the University of Giessen he was inspired by his professor, the Baron von Gall, to study the Albigensian (Catharism) movement, and the massacre that occurred at Montségur.
In 1931 he traveled to the Pyrenees region of southern France where he conducted most of his research. Aided by the French mystic and historian Antonin Gadal, Rahn argued that there was a direct link between Wolfram Von Eschenbach's Parzival and the Cathar Grail mystery. He believed that the Cathars held the answer to this sacred mystery and that the keys to their secrets lay somewhere beneath the mountain pog where the fortress of Montségur remains, the last Cathar fortress to fall during the Albigensian Crusade.
Rahn believed it was possible to trace the Cathars, who guarded the Holy Grail in their castle at Montsegur, back to Druids who converted to Gnostic Manichaeism. The Druids in Britain were forerunners of the Celtic Christian Church. He saw that the culture of the medieval Cathar stronghold of Languedoc bore a strong resemblance to the ancient Druids. Their priests were akin to the Cathar Parfaits. The Cathar secret wisdom being preserved by the later Troubadours, the travelling poets and singers of the medieval courts of France-M. Sabeheddin.
Rahn wrote two books linking Montségur and Cathars with the Holy Grail: Kreuzzug gegen den Gral (Crusade Against the Grail) in 1933 and Luzifers Hofgesind (Lucifer's Court) in 1937. After the publication of his first book, Rahn's work came to the attention of Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS, who was fascinated by the occult and had already initiated research in the south of France.
Rahn joined his staff as a junior non-commissioned officer and became a full member of the SS in 1936. Journeys for his second book led Rahn to places in Germany, France, Italy, and Iceland.
Openly homosexual, he was assigned guard duty at the Dachau concentration camp in 1937 as punishment for a drunken homosexual scrape. He resigned from the SS in 1939.
On March 13, 1939 nearly on the anniversary of the fall of Montségur, Rahn was found frozen to death on a mountainside near Söll (Kufstein, Tyrol) in Austria. His death was officially ruled a suicide.
From an early age, he became interested in the legends of Parsifal, Holy Grail, Lohengrin, and the Nibelungenlied. While attending the University of Giessen he was inspired by his professor, the Baron von Gall, to study the Albigensian (Catharism) movement, and the massacre that occurred at Montségur.
In 1931 he traveled to the Pyrenees region of southern France where he conducted most of his research. Aided by the French mystic and historian Antonin Gadal, Rahn argued that there was a direct link between Wolfram Von Eschenbach's Parzival and the Cathar Grail mystery. He believed that the Cathars held the answer to this sacred mystery and that the keys to their secrets lay somewhere beneath the mountain pog where the fortress of Montségur remains, the last Cathar fortress to fall during the Albigensian Crusade.
Rahn believed it was possible to trace the Cathars, who guarded the Holy Grail in their castle at Montsegur, back to Druids who converted to Gnostic Manichaeism. The Druids in Britain were forerunners of the Celtic Christian Church. He saw that the culture of the medieval Cathar stronghold of Languedoc bore a strong resemblance to the ancient Druids. Their priests were akin to the Cathar Parfaits. The Cathar secret wisdom being preserved by the later Troubadours, the travelling poets and singers of the medieval courts of France-M. Sabeheddin.
Rahn wrote two books linking Montségur and Cathars with the Holy Grail: Kreuzzug gegen den Gral (Crusade Against the Grail) in 1933 and Luzifers Hofgesind (Lucifer's Court) in 1937. After the publication of his first book, Rahn's work came to the attention of Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS, who was fascinated by the occult and had already initiated research in the south of France.
Rahn joined his staff as a junior non-commissioned officer and became a full member of the SS in 1936. Journeys for his second book led Rahn to places in Germany, France, Italy, and Iceland.
Openly homosexual, he was assigned guard duty at the Dachau concentration camp in 1937 as punishment for a drunken homosexual scrape. He resigned from the SS in 1939.
On March 13, 1939 nearly on the anniversary of the fall of Montségur, Rahn was found frozen to death on a mountainside near Söll (Kufstein, Tyrol) in Austria. His death was officially ruled a suicide.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
August 26, 2024
It's difficult for me to sum up my feelings about this book, because this book is a bit all over the place. It is the travel journal of Otto Rahn who was sent out in search of the Holy Grail by Heinrich Himmler at some point in the late 1930s. To say that Rahn has a "different take" on the nature and origins behind the Holy Grail than what most readers might expect would be an understatement. The grail is to him a jewel that fell to Earth from Lucifer's crown, and there is some folklore that supports him in this belief. It's a bit unclear at times rather he "believed" this from the standpoint of a person that believes myths have value and importance in the lives of men or literally that there is a stone somewhere in the world that fell from Lucifer's crown. I suspect it was the first.
There is a lot of space in this book devoted to the wrong doings of early Christians against the Pagans of Germany/Europe. Much of this was interesting. At certain points, however, when the conversation moved from Pagans to heretics I felt the author went to extremes to include such heretics in what he called "Lucifer's Court" instead of perhaps recognizing that they were very likely not Luciferians (or whichever of the other such terms he applied to them) but rather Christians or non-religious people that got caught up in or fell victim to the politics of the time.
Likewise, some great leaps are made to include other figures from mythology and folklore in with Lucifer. To understand this, the reader must see Lucifer as a sort of archetype that these other characters/figures fit into. This might be a little hard at times for most readers, because when the writer speaks of Lucifer or these other characters he speaks about them in a way that seems to imply that he's speaking of real people. Remember these stories are just stories meant to impart some value or moral.
The final comments I will make about this book should be obvious. This book was written by a Nazi. A Nazi who later decided to leave the SS and was then "encouraged" to kill himself, mostly owing to the fact that he was a homosexual and had become disenchanted with the Nazi party. So, as one might imagine, there are few unkind references to Jews throughout this book and it is the Jewish connection that seems to be the biggest hang up the author has with Christianity. There's also a lot of praising of anything and everything German and anything viewed as good is usually associated with or credited as having German/Aryan origins, even Lucifer. How much of this was what Rahn truly believed and how much of it was him towing the party line in an effort to keep himself safe is hard to say.
There is a lot of space in this book devoted to the wrong doings of early Christians against the Pagans of Germany/Europe. Much of this was interesting. At certain points, however, when the conversation moved from Pagans to heretics I felt the author went to extremes to include such heretics in what he called "Lucifer's Court" instead of perhaps recognizing that they were very likely not Luciferians (or whichever of the other such terms he applied to them) but rather Christians or non-religious people that got caught up in or fell victim to the politics of the time.
Likewise, some great leaps are made to include other figures from mythology and folklore in with Lucifer. To understand this, the reader must see Lucifer as a sort of archetype that these other characters/figures fit into. This might be a little hard at times for most readers, because when the writer speaks of Lucifer or these other characters he speaks about them in a way that seems to imply that he's speaking of real people. Remember these stories are just stories meant to impart some value or moral.
The final comments I will make about this book should be obvious. This book was written by a Nazi. A Nazi who later decided to leave the SS and was then "encouraged" to kill himself, mostly owing to the fact that he was a homosexual and had become disenchanted with the Nazi party. So, as one might imagine, there are few unkind references to Jews throughout this book and it is the Jewish connection that seems to be the biggest hang up the author has with Christianity. There's also a lot of praising of anything and everything German and anything viewed as good is usually associated with or credited as having German/Aryan origins, even Lucifer. How much of this was what Rahn truly believed and how much of it was him towing the party line in an effort to keep himself safe is hard to say.
March 4, 2012
Esse homem é extraordinário, em termos de Raiders of the Lost Ark, ele é a união de Indiana, Beloq e Toth, soma-se a isso The Last Crusade, tudo ao mesmo tempo. Suicídio na Áustria? Uma pinóia. Rá!
October 13, 2020
Rahn's own melancholic quest for meaning in life, alongside his deep need for a connection with his heretic ancestors made for an epic travel log in which he not only constructs a powerful, saddening and, at the same time, beautiful and bucolic narrative but it also expresses and paints a very vivid image of the more subtle and occult political agenda by which some of the Germans lived those days.
The powerful calling heard by Rahn is intimately lapidated in this book, and it is written for people like him: People with deep, powerful, perenial ties with their ancestor's faith and systems of belief.
The powerful calling heard by Rahn is intimately lapidated in this book, and it is written for people like him: People with deep, powerful, perenial ties with their ancestor's faith and systems of belief.
January 3, 2009
Libro estraordinario y minoritario. Describe el viaje de Otto Rahn a aquellos pueblos y ciudades europeas en las que la herejía cátara fue guia y sendero para miles de personas Particularmente interesantes para mi como español catalán las menciones a Don Quijote, Ignacio de Loyola, Germana de Foix y Valencia, Montserrat...
Libro importántisimo por diversas razones. Absolutamente imprescindible y, para mi, de cabecera
Libro importántisimo por diversas razones. Absolutamente imprescindible y, para mi, de cabecera
July 28, 2021
An interesting book. However, I would not recommend reading this for historically accurate information. Certain passages are thought provoking and the language is rather beautiful.
Read my full review here: https://thegoldenone.se/2021/02/17/lu...
Read my full review here: https://thegoldenone.se/2021/02/17/lu...
March 11, 2025
Fa temps que volia acostar-me a 'La cort de Llucifer' tot i el rebuig que em provoca l'autor (alguns diuen que les SS, de les quals ell en formava part, el van obligar a suïcidar-se; d'altres afirmen que Rahn va morir congelat al cim Wilder Kaiser, practicant l'Endura del Catarisme, un mena de suïcidi ritual). El llibre es presenta en forma de diari de viatge i a la vegada és un recull més o menys enginyós de pinzellades culturals que escombren cap a casa des del punt de vista germànic. Otto Rahn persegueix el rastre de l'epopeia càtara i la històrica recerca del Sant Grial tot viatjant per Occitània, Suïssa, Itàlia, Alemanya, Escòcia, Islàndia i Catalunya. Apareixen passatges i reflexions sobre els Pirineus catalans, la muntanya de Montserrat, Manresa, Sant Ignasi de Loiola... Es diu que Heinrich Himmler, un dels capitosts nazis més interessats en l'ocultisme, va visitar l'abadia de Montserrat empès per la lectura d'aquest llibre.
November 2, 2025
When I was young in the late 1970s, I watched a documentary about the horrors of World War II. One episode focused on the story of Otto Rahn, a German medievalist and Ariosophist. Heinrich Himmler hired him as an SS officer to uncover hidden knowledge related to the occult.
Rahn's homosexuality was known to Himmler, but in 1937, it became a source of tension with other SS officers. They often contrasted their behaviour with the open homosexuality that had been prevalent in Ernst Röhm's Sturmabteilung. After a "drunken homosexual scrape," Rahn was assigned to guard duty at the Dachau concentration camp, supposedly to "toughen him up."
Deeply troubled by what he witnessed at Dachau, Rahn offered his resignation from the SS in February 1939, which Himmler accepted. On March 13, Rahn's body was discovered by local children in a ravine near Söll in Kufstein, Tyrol, Austria. Sixty years later, one of the children who found Rahn's body recalled discovering "two empty bottles" next to it. Although his death was privately ruled a suicide, Himmler presented it to the SS as a "mountaineering accident." The circumstances of his death, shrouded in mystery, continue to intrigue historians and enthusiasts alike.
I watched documentaries about Nazi Germany that described how Himmler had a castle where he invited high-ranking officers to practice black magic. I struggled to understand what they were trying to achieve, as conjuring black magic would likely attract evil spirits, complicating their lives rather than solving their problems.
I started reading Otto Rahn's book, "Lucifer's Court," and began comparing it to his other works to gain a better understanding of his intentions. The German people sought to establish a national identity by utilizing Greek mythology and incorporating it into Christian theology, thereby helping to shape that identity. Rahn also employed heretical concepts to develop a distinctive Germanic national identity. Furthermore, he relied on Aryan cultural symbols to promote the idea of the Germanic race as superior, with an intention to dominate the world.
On page 21, the author discusses the Holy Grail, a central theme in Rahn's work. The Grail, believed to be located in Montségur, was sought by the followers of the devil because they wanted to restore the lord's diadem. Rahn theorized that the Cathars, whom the Catholic Church destroyed, were guarding the Grail and had hidden it in or around Montségur Castle in southern France before their final stand. Rahn's interpretation of the Grail and its connection to the Cathars is a key aspect of his work.
Rahn believed that "at that moment, Escarmonde, who was the keeper of the Grail, threw the precious relic into the mountain gorge, which then closed upon it again. In this way, the Grail was saved."
On page 25, the author states, "I prefer to believe that Satan's, not Lucifer's, armies stood before the walls of Montségur to steal the Grail, which had fallen from the Light Bringers, from Lucifer's Crown, and was kept by pure ones. These were the Cathars, not those clerics and adventurers who, cross on chest, wanted to prepare the Languedoc for a new caste – their own." This stark contrast between the Cathars, who were the true keepers of the Grail, and the clerics and adventurers of the Catholic Church, who sought to impose their own rule, evokes a sense of injustice.
On page 27, the author states, "when, through the threat of the stake, Rome's Inquisitors finally imposed the cult of the Blessed Virgin Mary and, through force, the custom of the Roasry, the troubadours dutifully addressed their verse to Maria."
On page 28, the author states, "our word Minne does not mean 'love,' but 'remembrance' and 'communication."
On page 50, the author states, "The cornerstone of Christianity is the belief that God is personified through Jesus, the Son of God, who became a human being. The Cathars, however, stood in contradiction to this concept. They claimed, 'We heretics are theologians, but philosophers who seek only spirit and truth. We have already recognized that God is light and spiritual strength. Even though the earth is material, it exists in relation to God—through light, spirit, and strength.'"
On page 56, the author states, "Jason led the Argonauts, while the Thessalonians were heroes and singers. His name means 'saviour,' and his twelve (or fifty-two) companions were also heroes, singers, and sons of the gods of ancient Greece. Notable names include Hercules, Castor, Pollux, and Orpheus. The goal of the Argonauts was, as mentioned earlier, to capture the Golden Fleece. According to old myths, it was to be found across a great sea to the north; the Argo, the sailing ship of the Argonauts, sailed 'with northern hoist.' To locate the sun isle lying toward midnight, they set an oracular piece of wood into the prow of their ship. This wood, made from Dodonian oak, was taken from Greece's holiest tree."
On page 65, the author states, "In Wolfram's Parzival, a character says: 'Sir, I am not sure who can lie!' He is a true Cathar, embodying purity. The Cathars taught that there are two principal sins: hardness of the heart, which contrasts with pity (not to be confused with compassion), and the act of lying."
On page 83, the author states, "I am fighting under the flag of Lucifer. I am a heretic and a child of this world, for I like to visit the theatre and attend concerts. "The pupils of the Society of Jesus may go neither to public plays or comedies nor to other performances except for the execution of criminals, and only when it concerns the execution of heretics. "In other times, the Jesuits would have burned me."
On page 90, the author states, "Augustine taught in his *City of God*: Of the two first parents of the human race, Cain was the firstborn, and he belonged to the city of men. After him, Abel was born, who belonged to the City of God. The quarrel between Romulus and Remus illustrates how the earthly city is divided against itself: the conflict between Cain and Abel highlights the animosity that exists between the two cities—the City of God and the city of men. Fallen angels of God created the Assyrians, Persians, and Athenians. Only in Shem did the line of Abel continue. Because Adam fell from grace, he certainly had a fatal flaw. In the history of the people of Israel, sin always reemerged, but Jesus Christ appeared in Israel to save humanity."
On page 126, the author states, "The palace of the League of Nations, with its garish whiteness and enormous dimensions, brutally imposes on the graceful Geneva landscape nestled between the Jura, Salève, and the Voirons. It stands in the middle of a large park that the people of Geneva once took great pride in, and whose loss of tranquility they now regret. This park is called the Ariana. The name 'Ariana' carries a significance that intertwines fate with the history of the world: it is the ancient name of Iran. Ariana was named in honor of the Parsi land, a memory of an ancient Aryan territory created by a god of light. The sacred writings of the Iranian Aryans recount a tale in which, one day, the god of light emerged as the 'serpent of winter.' Out of this divine light, which illuminated a paradise where humans thrived and were always connected to the divine, a land transformed into something 'cold for the water, cold for the earth, cold for the plant world.'"
Author: Otto Rahn, "Lucifer's Court," page 138. We are a people of Nordic blood who call ourselves Cathars, just as an Oriental people of Nordic blood called themselves Farsi: "pure ones." You can understand me, or is your blood also impure? "Farsi...?" Yes! The Farsi, the ancient Aryans and we, the Cathars, have not betrayed our blood. This is the secret link you've been searching for. If you reflect on Parzival, you should know that this name represents an Iranian word. That word means 'pure flower.' And if you look for the Grail, then you are looking for the holy stone-the ghral of the Farsi."
The author discusses how Manichaeism presents a complex, dualistic cosmology that describes the struggle between a good, spiritual world of light and an evil, material world of darkness. This ongoing process unfolds throughout human history, as light is gradually extracted from the material world and returned to the world of light, from which it originally came. Mani's teachings aim to combine, succeed, and surpass the philosophies of Platonism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Marcionism, Hellenistic and Rabbinic Judaism, Gnostic movements, Ancient Greek religion, Babylonian and other Mesopotamian religions, as well as various mystery cults. Mani is revered as the final prophet, following Zoroaster, the Buddha, and Jesus.
On page 230, the author begins to conclude his book, stating, "Christianity is primarily concerned with humankind. It either condemns nature as non-divine or relinquishes it to non-spiritual 'natural science' or more modern technology. In contrast, paganism was intrinsically connected to nature, featuring 'real gods.' All natural events were attributed to the actions of genies or spirits."
The author further explains, "Ancient myths are inseparable from the power of gods. This spiritual association is part of a blood bond that grants a people their inner strength. For that reason, the Edda chants: 'In the old times, as the eagles sang, holy water ran from the sacred mountains of Paradise.' Yet every people—yes, every tribe—looked to its own distinctly different gods."
The author argues that myths are not inherently linked to faith and creed. Many organized religions emerged when the tangible presence of gods transitioned into nebulous abstractions, leading people to yearn for that missing connection in new faiths.
This book provides valuable insights into the complexity of the world and how various faith groups have navigated their struggles to exist and define God or gods in their own terms.
Rahn's homosexuality was known to Himmler, but in 1937, it became a source of tension with other SS officers. They often contrasted their behaviour with the open homosexuality that had been prevalent in Ernst Röhm's Sturmabteilung. After a "drunken homosexual scrape," Rahn was assigned to guard duty at the Dachau concentration camp, supposedly to "toughen him up."
Deeply troubled by what he witnessed at Dachau, Rahn offered his resignation from the SS in February 1939, which Himmler accepted. On March 13, Rahn's body was discovered by local children in a ravine near Söll in Kufstein, Tyrol, Austria. Sixty years later, one of the children who found Rahn's body recalled discovering "two empty bottles" next to it. Although his death was privately ruled a suicide, Himmler presented it to the SS as a "mountaineering accident." The circumstances of his death, shrouded in mystery, continue to intrigue historians and enthusiasts alike.
I watched documentaries about Nazi Germany that described how Himmler had a castle where he invited high-ranking officers to practice black magic. I struggled to understand what they were trying to achieve, as conjuring black magic would likely attract evil spirits, complicating their lives rather than solving their problems.
I started reading Otto Rahn's book, "Lucifer's Court," and began comparing it to his other works to gain a better understanding of his intentions. The German people sought to establish a national identity by utilizing Greek mythology and incorporating it into Christian theology, thereby helping to shape that identity. Rahn also employed heretical concepts to develop a distinctive Germanic national identity. Furthermore, he relied on Aryan cultural symbols to promote the idea of the Germanic race as superior, with an intention to dominate the world.
On page 21, the author discusses the Holy Grail, a central theme in Rahn's work. The Grail, believed to be located in Montségur, was sought by the followers of the devil because they wanted to restore the lord's diadem. Rahn theorized that the Cathars, whom the Catholic Church destroyed, were guarding the Grail and had hidden it in or around Montségur Castle in southern France before their final stand. Rahn's interpretation of the Grail and its connection to the Cathars is a key aspect of his work.
Rahn believed that "at that moment, Escarmonde, who was the keeper of the Grail, threw the precious relic into the mountain gorge, which then closed upon it again. In this way, the Grail was saved."
On page 25, the author states, "I prefer to believe that Satan's, not Lucifer's, armies stood before the walls of Montségur to steal the Grail, which had fallen from the Light Bringers, from Lucifer's Crown, and was kept by pure ones. These were the Cathars, not those clerics and adventurers who, cross on chest, wanted to prepare the Languedoc for a new caste – their own." This stark contrast between the Cathars, who were the true keepers of the Grail, and the clerics and adventurers of the Catholic Church, who sought to impose their own rule, evokes a sense of injustice.
On page 27, the author states, "when, through the threat of the stake, Rome's Inquisitors finally imposed the cult of the Blessed Virgin Mary and, through force, the custom of the Roasry, the troubadours dutifully addressed their verse to Maria."
On page 28, the author states, "our word Minne does not mean 'love,' but 'remembrance' and 'communication."
On page 50, the author states, "The cornerstone of Christianity is the belief that God is personified through Jesus, the Son of God, who became a human being. The Cathars, however, stood in contradiction to this concept. They claimed, 'We heretics are theologians, but philosophers who seek only spirit and truth. We have already recognized that God is light and spiritual strength. Even though the earth is material, it exists in relation to God—through light, spirit, and strength.'"
On page 56, the author states, "Jason led the Argonauts, while the Thessalonians were heroes and singers. His name means 'saviour,' and his twelve (or fifty-two) companions were also heroes, singers, and sons of the gods of ancient Greece. Notable names include Hercules, Castor, Pollux, and Orpheus. The goal of the Argonauts was, as mentioned earlier, to capture the Golden Fleece. According to old myths, it was to be found across a great sea to the north; the Argo, the sailing ship of the Argonauts, sailed 'with northern hoist.' To locate the sun isle lying toward midnight, they set an oracular piece of wood into the prow of their ship. This wood, made from Dodonian oak, was taken from Greece's holiest tree."
On page 65, the author states, "In Wolfram's Parzival, a character says: 'Sir, I am not sure who can lie!' He is a true Cathar, embodying purity. The Cathars taught that there are two principal sins: hardness of the heart, which contrasts with pity (not to be confused with compassion), and the act of lying."
On page 83, the author states, "I am fighting under the flag of Lucifer. I am a heretic and a child of this world, for I like to visit the theatre and attend concerts. "The pupils of the Society of Jesus may go neither to public plays or comedies nor to other performances except for the execution of criminals, and only when it concerns the execution of heretics. "In other times, the Jesuits would have burned me."
On page 90, the author states, "Augustine taught in his *City of God*: Of the two first parents of the human race, Cain was the firstborn, and he belonged to the city of men. After him, Abel was born, who belonged to the City of God. The quarrel between Romulus and Remus illustrates how the earthly city is divided against itself: the conflict between Cain and Abel highlights the animosity that exists between the two cities—the City of God and the city of men. Fallen angels of God created the Assyrians, Persians, and Athenians. Only in Shem did the line of Abel continue. Because Adam fell from grace, he certainly had a fatal flaw. In the history of the people of Israel, sin always reemerged, but Jesus Christ appeared in Israel to save humanity."
On page 126, the author states, "The palace of the League of Nations, with its garish whiteness and enormous dimensions, brutally imposes on the graceful Geneva landscape nestled between the Jura, Salève, and the Voirons. It stands in the middle of a large park that the people of Geneva once took great pride in, and whose loss of tranquility they now regret. This park is called the Ariana. The name 'Ariana' carries a significance that intertwines fate with the history of the world: it is the ancient name of Iran. Ariana was named in honor of the Parsi land, a memory of an ancient Aryan territory created by a god of light. The sacred writings of the Iranian Aryans recount a tale in which, one day, the god of light emerged as the 'serpent of winter.' Out of this divine light, which illuminated a paradise where humans thrived and were always connected to the divine, a land transformed into something 'cold for the water, cold for the earth, cold for the plant world.'"
Author: Otto Rahn, "Lucifer's Court," page 138. We are a people of Nordic blood who call ourselves Cathars, just as an Oriental people of Nordic blood called themselves Farsi: "pure ones." You can understand me, or is your blood also impure? "Farsi...?" Yes! The Farsi, the ancient Aryans and we, the Cathars, have not betrayed our blood. This is the secret link you've been searching for. If you reflect on Parzival, you should know that this name represents an Iranian word. That word means 'pure flower.' And if you look for the Grail, then you are looking for the holy stone-the ghral of the Farsi."
The author discusses how Manichaeism presents a complex, dualistic cosmology that describes the struggle between a good, spiritual world of light and an evil, material world of darkness. This ongoing process unfolds throughout human history, as light is gradually extracted from the material world and returned to the world of light, from which it originally came. Mani's teachings aim to combine, succeed, and surpass the philosophies of Platonism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Marcionism, Hellenistic and Rabbinic Judaism, Gnostic movements, Ancient Greek religion, Babylonian and other Mesopotamian religions, as well as various mystery cults. Mani is revered as the final prophet, following Zoroaster, the Buddha, and Jesus.
On page 230, the author begins to conclude his book, stating, "Christianity is primarily concerned with humankind. It either condemns nature as non-divine or relinquishes it to non-spiritual 'natural science' or more modern technology. In contrast, paganism was intrinsically connected to nature, featuring 'real gods.' All natural events were attributed to the actions of genies or spirits."
The author further explains, "Ancient myths are inseparable from the power of gods. This spiritual association is part of a blood bond that grants a people their inner strength. For that reason, the Edda chants: 'In the old times, as the eagles sang, holy water ran from the sacred mountains of Paradise.' Yet every people—yes, every tribe—looked to its own distinctly different gods."
The author argues that myths are not inherently linked to faith and creed. Many organized religions emerged when the tangible presence of gods transitioned into nebulous abstractions, leading people to yearn for that missing connection in new faiths.
This book provides valuable insights into the complexity of the world and how various faith groups have navigated their struggles to exist and define God or gods in their own terms.
October 21, 2020
A travel journal detailing Otto Rahn's quest to find the Holy Grail and also to find more information on the Cathar's in general, this book takes us on his journey through many holy and ancient places.
I thought the best part about this book is the actual travel diary aspect of it. The way he describes the scenery, the history, the landscape, that is all really interesting and fun to read. However, there are many times the book turns very religious, to the point where it feels like you are at a mass reading from the bible or other holy scriptures. I found these parts to be very tedious to read and unfortunately caused me to lose interest to a certain degree. Not to say it may not be interesting to other people, especially religious people, but to me... I prefer the travel diary parts.
After finishing this book and looking up a bit of history regarding the author, I was surprised and a bit dismayed to find that Otto Rahn was part of the SS during the late 30's. That really didn't sit well with me at first to be honest. However, if you read about what happened to Otto Rahn, the story changes. He joins the SS because... back then there really was no saying "no" to Himmler and the other Nazis. He is tasked with retrieving the grail for the glory of Germany, but from his writing, you can tell its much more of a passion project and not about Nazism or anything to do with war.
Instead, I found his writing to be insightful, heartfelt, honest, and at times poetic. I learned that after he learned what the Nazi's were doing, he denounced and resigned as an SS officer. This lead to his eventual suicide after the secret police were sent after him. A sad end for a man who seemed to be very kind.
Overall, an interesting book that presents a lot of thoughts and meditations on nature, God, belief, religion and other similar topics.
I thought the best part about this book is the actual travel diary aspect of it. The way he describes the scenery, the history, the landscape, that is all really interesting and fun to read. However, there are many times the book turns very religious, to the point where it feels like you are at a mass reading from the bible or other holy scriptures. I found these parts to be very tedious to read and unfortunately caused me to lose interest to a certain degree. Not to say it may not be interesting to other people, especially religious people, but to me... I prefer the travel diary parts.
After finishing this book and looking up a bit of history regarding the author, I was surprised and a bit dismayed to find that Otto Rahn was part of the SS during the late 30's. That really didn't sit well with me at first to be honest. However, if you read about what happened to Otto Rahn, the story changes. He joins the SS because... back then there really was no saying "no" to Himmler and the other Nazis. He is tasked with retrieving the grail for the glory of Germany, but from his writing, you can tell its much more of a passion project and not about Nazism or anything to do with war.
Instead, I found his writing to be insightful, heartfelt, honest, and at times poetic. I learned that after he learned what the Nazi's were doing, he denounced and resigned as an SS officer. This lead to his eventual suicide after the secret police were sent after him. A sad end for a man who seemed to be very kind.
Overall, an interesting book that presents a lot of thoughts and meditations on nature, God, belief, religion and other similar topics.
October 13, 2008
1936, un gran año para buscar el grial por los pirineos.
June 16, 2024
A travelogue done in a style I haven't seen much before. Instead of it being a diary that does a day-by-day overview of the transpiring events, it's a set of musings done location by location. Sometimes it takes place in a big metropolis, but mostly the author is in small towns somewhere far away in mountainous ranges looking for Lucifer's stone, the Grail. Each time the spot he's at is used as a background for meditations on either chivalry, hagiography and Rahn's own hunches at esoteric truth underlying all of this.
Criticisms can be made against his insights. For example, anyone in whatever time slot they're in are perceived to either be Cathars or at least be representatives of this lost current of occult knowledge. As such, Christian heresies are regarded as surviving remnants of paganism and everything that's upsetting to the medieval or early modern mainstream is considered to be a manifestation of Lucifer and his 'courtiers'. There is something to be said about that though. For all we know there is indeed such a spiritual power at work that uses heretics, heresies and knights, allied more to Arthur than Christ, as fingers for its nameless hand.
The book is an interesting tapestry of tales that show a Europe that struggled through the centuries with the transition from pagan to Christian and demonstrates how that identitarian fight has never been settled. Each time the Church managed to seemingly expunge the old heathen ways with massive mobilizations of force, it atavistically resurged like weeds in a field. Otto Rahn most likely thought of himself as such a creature.
This one can be read at a steady pace and every now you can pick a chapter that won't take much time or effort to get through. Each chapter has a tidbit of knowledge that you probably haven't heard of before. And for that reason this book is a valuable blog 'avant la lettre' that strangely enough doesn't signal anything ominous going on in the Europe at the time of writing this.
Criticisms can be made against his insights. For example, anyone in whatever time slot they're in are perceived to either be Cathars or at least be representatives of this lost current of occult knowledge. As such, Christian heresies are regarded as surviving remnants of paganism and everything that's upsetting to the medieval or early modern mainstream is considered to be a manifestation of Lucifer and his 'courtiers'. There is something to be said about that though. For all we know there is indeed such a spiritual power at work that uses heretics, heresies and knights, allied more to Arthur than Christ, as fingers for its nameless hand.
The book is an interesting tapestry of tales that show a Europe that struggled through the centuries with the transition from pagan to Christian and demonstrates how that identitarian fight has never been settled. Each time the Church managed to seemingly expunge the old heathen ways with massive mobilizations of force, it atavistically resurged like weeds in a field. Otto Rahn most likely thought of himself as such a creature.
This one can be read at a steady pace and every now you can pick a chapter that won't take much time or effort to get through. Each chapter has a tidbit of knowledge that you probably haven't heard of before. And for that reason this book is a valuable blog 'avant la lettre' that strangely enough doesn't signal anything ominous going on in the Europe at the time of writing this.
January 6, 2026
This is a deeply problematic book written by a deeply problematic man, and pretending otherwise would be dishonest. Otto Rahn was an SS officer who sought the Holy Grail for Himmler. That's not subtext; that's the text.
And yet. Lucifer's Court remains a fascinating document of European esoteric obsession—a travelogue through Cathar country, Icelandic myth, and the author's own increasingly fractured psyche. Rahn writes beautifully about landscapes and ruins, even as his ideological framework curdles everything he touches.
Read it as a primary source for understanding how mysticism gets weaponized. Read it alongside better scholarship on the Cathars. But read it with your critical faculties fully engaged. The mountain paths Rahn describes are real; the conclusions he draws are poison dressed as revelation.
And yet. Lucifer's Court remains a fascinating document of European esoteric obsession—a travelogue through Cathar country, Icelandic myth, and the author's own increasingly fractured psyche. Rahn writes beautifully about landscapes and ruins, even as his ideological framework curdles everything he touches.
Read it as a primary source for understanding how mysticism gets weaponized. Read it alongside better scholarship on the Cathars. But read it with your critical faculties fully engaged. The mountain paths Rahn describes are real; the conclusions he draws are poison dressed as revelation.
January 8, 2022
Excellent read. Otto is a someone who is curious about our origins and a truth seeker. I learnt about how pagan beliefs were quite widespread within Europe even when Christianity was dominant. The behaviours of the Pope and Catholic church are something we can learn from and it's interesting to see how these attitudes still echo and shape todays society. Love the ancient myths and Ottos diary journals whilst he is traveling to these ancient sites.
January 7, 2024
-Lucifer es la naturaleza tal como tú la ves en ti, alrededor de ti y sobre ti. Tiene un doble carácter: tierra carente de luz y vivificador cielo luminoso.
-¿Es Lucifer vuestro dios?
-¿Por qué no hablas de la divinidad? Vuestra expresión Dios, el Dios, comprende la representación de lo personal en sí. Mis contemporáneos alemanes llaman a la divinidad, debes de saberlo, "lo Dios". Las representaciones bíblicas os lo han deformado, lo queráis reconocer o no.
-¿Es Lucifer vuestro dios?
-¿Por qué no hablas de la divinidad? Vuestra expresión Dios, el Dios, comprende la representación de lo personal en sí. Mis contemporáneos alemanes llaman a la divinidad, debes de saberlo, "lo Dios". Las representaciones bíblicas os lo han deformado, lo queráis reconocer o no.
July 29, 2024
This book was a whirlwind of legends all throughout. It reads like a german version of an intellectual Odysseus.
It is akin to 7 degrees of Lucifer and one man’s search for answers in a quest for the Holy Grail. I like the snatches of fables all throughout, and the evolution of Minne. The legend of Esclarmonde was very radical. Would love to see a movie about her. The first feminist, in a way. Recommended!
It is akin to 7 degrees of Lucifer and one man’s search for answers in a quest for the Holy Grail. I like the snatches of fables all throughout, and the evolution of Minne. The legend of Esclarmonde was very radical. Would love to see a movie about her. The first feminist, in a way. Recommended!
November 1, 2019
This book (being a translated and reworked diary, stated by the author), is a product of its time. Is it a mystical personal revelation or the ramblings of a thinly veiled opponent of anything smacking of the Middle East? The only thing that is certain, is that Otto Rahn saw himself as a heretic.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2017
One of the most beautiful and inspiring, poetic books I have read in a long time.
October 12, 2018
"We are a people of Nordic blood who call ourselves Cathars, just as an Oriental people of Nordic blood call themselves Farsi 'pure ones'. You can understand me, or is your blood also impure?"
October 29, 2019
How could a book by a gay Nazi about the Luciferian Holy Grail possibly be so boring?
November 27, 2024
this was the real.indiana jones
May 13, 2024
Only the introductory essay by the translator is worth reading.
April 6, 2015
This is a travelogue of Rahn's trips from France to the Arctic in search of knowledge and the Holy Grail. How much of it is thoughtful scholarship and how much is written as propaganda, I leave to you to decide. An author must write for his audience and Rahn was questing under the auspices of the SS and Himmler. Was he writing what they wanted to hear or did he find something? I guess we'll never know for sure. There is some small doubt as to whether he committed suicide, was murdered, or just disappeared and managed to continue his search. Fact or fiction this was a great book. It lays the groundwork for such books as Holy Blood, Holy Grail and The Davinci Code.
January 4, 2012
A wonderful book from which I've learned everything that was left out of school history books - and definietly far more interesting! I really liked how Medieval history - in particular, history of heretics and inquisition - is introduced through the eyes of a true "heretic", in the concept of beliefs and mythology. This book is definietly a must-read for all the enlightened and pure. I wish I could have read it in original German, though, but I don't understand German.
July 27, 2011
Fascinating book and very interesting concepts. Otto Rahn was a truly fascinating individual - a real life Indianna Jones and this book is essential reading for anyone interested in the Rennes Le Chateau mystery, though this is never directly referred to in the text. Good historical tales of the Cathars etc.
May 9, 2014
Son de esos pocos libros, que con el paso de cada capítulo te hace reflexionar, tener otra perspectiva del mundo y, te da el poder de entender que ciertas cosas y/o entidades no son lo que parecen. Reflexiono.
October 5, 2008
pretty intense and factual acount of Catharism
lots of speculation but i think it really well researched
lots of speculation but i think it really well researched
Currently reading
February 18, 2009It's about time someone translated this tour diary of a german, SS heritic.
September 13, 2011
es muy interesante, un vista a la agresividad de la iglesia en ese tiempo,te envuelve desde el primer momento que lo lees
February 15, 2021
Nonsensical, superficial, blabbering....
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