Black Sun
Encyclopedia
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
significance. Its design bases on a sun wheel incorporated in a floor of Wewelsburg Castle during the Nazi era.
Today, it may also be used in occult currents of Germanic neopaganism
Germanic neopaganism
Germanic neopaganism is the contemporary revival of historical Germanic paganism. Precursor movements appeared in the early 20th century in Germany and Austria. A second wave of revival began in the early 1970s...
, and in Irminenschaft
Irminenschaft
Irminenschaft is a current of Ariosophy based on a Germanic deity Irmin which is supposedly reconstructed from literaric, linguistic and oonomastic sources...
or Armanenschaft-inspired esotericism - but not necessarily in a racial or neo-Nazi context.
Historical background
Alamanni
The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Rhine river . One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Roman Emperor Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211 to 217 and claimed thereby to be...
brooches (Zierscheiben), possibly a variation of the Roman swastika fibula
Fibulae and ancient brooches
A fibula is an ancient brooch. Technically, the Latin term, fibulae, refers to Roman brooches; however, the term is widely used to refer to brooches from the entire ancient and early medieval world that continue Roman forms...
, thought to have been worn on Frankish
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
and Alemannic women's belts.
Some Alemannic or Bavarian
Bavarii
The Bavarii were a Germanic tribe whose name emerged late in Teutonic tribal times. The full name originally was the Germanic *baio-warioz. This name has been handed down as Baiwaren, Baioaren, Bioras, latinised Bavarii, Baioarii. or Bavarii, Bavarians, Bajuwaren, Bajuvarii, Bajuwaren and Baiern....
specimens incorporate a swastika
Swastika
The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
symbol at the center. The number of rays in the brooches varies between five and twelve.
Goodrick-Clarke
Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke
Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke B.A. , D.Phil. is a professor of Western Esotericism at University of Exeter and author of several books on esoteric traditions....
(2002) does connect the Wewelsburg design with the Early Medieval Germanic brooches, and does assume that the original artifacts had a solar significance, stating that
"this twelve-spoke sun wheel derives from decorative disks of the Merovingians of the early medieval period and are supposed to represent the visible sun or its passage through the months of the year."
He further refers to scholarly discussion of the brooches in Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, allowing for the possibility that the designers of the Wewelsburg mosaic were indeed inspired by these historical precedents.
The Wewelsburg mosaic
The shape of the symbol as it is used within Germanic mysticist esotericism and Neo-NazismNeo-Nazism
Neo-Nazism consists of post-World War II social or political movements seeking to revive Nazism or some variant thereof.The term neo-Nazism can also refer to the ideology of these movements....
today is based primarily on the design of a floor mosaic at the castle of Wewelsburg
Wewelsburg
For the village of Wewelsburg see Village of WewelsburgWewelsburg is a Renaissance castle located in the northeast of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, in the village of Wewelsburg which is a quarter of the city Büren, Westphalia, in district of Paderborn in the Alme Valley. The castle has the...
(built 1603), a Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
castle located in the northwest of North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
During the Third Reich the castle was to become a representative and ideological center of the order of the SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
. Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
, the leader of the SS, wanted to establish the "Center of the New World". A focus of the actual SS-activities at the castle were archaeological excavations in the surrounding region and studies on Germanic early history.
The mosaic is located in the ground floor room of the North-Tower of the castle, in the so-called Obergruppenführersaal ("Obergruppenführer
Obergruppenführer
Obergruppenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA and until 1942 it was the highest SS rank inferior only to Reichsführer-SS...
hall", completed 1939-1943) (see photo of the room). The "Obergruppenführer" (literally: "Upper-Group-Leaders") were the highest ranking SS-generals. It is not known if the SS had a special name for the ornament, or if they attributed a special meaning to it. The sun wheel is significant for the Germanic light- and sun-mysticism which was propagated by the SS. In their studies on sense characters, the sun apart was interpreted as "the strongest and most visible expression of god", the number twelve as significant for "the things of the target and the completion". The mosaic at Wewelsburg itself is dark green (see two photos: top view and close-up in high-resolution (1,1 MB)) on a whitish/greyish marble floor. Probably a golden disc was originally located in the middle of the ornament.
Traditional Christianity was to be replaced by a "völkisch" (folkish or racial) cult. Instead of Christianity, Himmler wanted a moral doctrine derived from the pre-Christian pagan Germanic heritage. Cultic ceremonies and rituals were part of the everyday life of the SS. The Wewelsburg was to be a center of a "species-compliant" religion (German: "artgemäße" Religion)
The North-Tower of the castle was to be the center of a planned circular estate, 1.27 kilometres in diameter (also see the architectural drawing and model from 1944). The architects called the complex the "Center of the World" from 1941 on.
The North-Tower, which had survived a ruin after 1815, only assumed importance for Himmler starting in the autumn of 1935. In the process of Himmler establishing the castle as a cult site (an ideological and religious center of the SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
), the tower was to serve the highest-ranking SS leaders as a meeting place and probably as location for quasi-religious devotions. Nothing is known about the possible way and the kind of arrangement of designated ceremonies in the tower—the redesigned rooms were never used.
According to the architects, the axis of the North-Tower was to be the actual "Center of the World".
The inside of the complete castle was redesigned in an Nazi-specific mythological way (see the Wewelsburg SS School).
SS architect Hermann Bartels
Hermann Bartels
Hermann Bartels was a German architect and member of the Nazi Party and the SS.Bartels was close to Heinrich Himmler, who put Bartels to work on his pet project of rebuilding castles, and as such the Reichsführer-SS gave Bartels the rank of SS-Standartenführer...
presented a first draft of plans that envisioned using the North Tower on three different levels. However, a meeting in the first floor mosaic room never occurred—the building work at the room was stopped in 1943. In 1945, when the "final victory" didn't materialize, the castle was partially blasted and set on fire by the SS, but the two redesigned rooms in the North-Tower stayed intact.
It is not known whether this symbol was placed in the marble floor at Wewelsburg before or after the National Socialist Regime and the taking over of the castle by Himmler. There is speculation as to whether the symbol was put into the hall by the Nazis or whether it was there a long time before but there is no definitive proof either way. It must be noted that the book sold by the Wewelsburg museum on the history of the castle from 1933 to 1945 makes no mention of who put it there. The plans for the North Tower by SS architect Hermann Bartels
Hermann Bartels
Hermann Bartels was a German architect and member of the Nazi Party and the SS.Bartels was close to Heinrich Himmler, who put Bartels to work on his pet project of rebuilding castles, and as such the Reichsführer-SS gave Bartels the rank of SS-Standartenführer...
make no mention of it. Scholars today are reluctant to say with any certainty why it was put there, or by whom. Because the ceilings of the North-Tower were cast in concrete and faced with natural stone during the Third Reich, it is more likely that the ornament was created during the Himmler era.
There is, although its origins are unknown, an identical rendition of the Wewelsburg Schwarze Sonne in a wall painting at a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
military bunker memorial to Bismarck
Otto von Bismarck
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...
at Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
below a statue of Bismarck (see Bismarck-Monument (Hamburg)). It is with a central piece incorporating a sunwheel and swastikas and the texts "Nicht durch Reden werden große Fragen entschieden, sondern durch Eisen und Blut" ("Great questions will not be resolved by talk, but by iron and blood").
The Vienna Circle
The "Black Sun" is often associated with the mystic-esoteric aspects of National Socialism. Origin of a phantastic post war "SS mysticism" which refers to the "Black Sun" is a right-wing esoteric circle in ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in the early 1950s.
The former SS member Wilhelm Landig of the Vienna Circle (esoteric)
Vienna Circle (esoteric)
The Landig Group was an occultist and neo-völkisch group formed in 1950, that first gathered for discussions at the studio of the designer Wilhelm Landig in Vienna's 4th district of Wieden, in Austria....
"coined the idea of the Black Sun, a substitute swastika and mystical source of energy capable of regenerating the Aryan race" Rudolf J. Mund (also a former SS member and later also member of the Vienna Circle) discusses a relationship of the Black Sun with alchemy
Alchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
. The visible sun is described as a symbol of an invisible anti-sun: "Everything that can be comprehended by human senses is material, the shadow of the invisible spiritual light. The material fire is - seen in this way - also just the shadow of the spiritual fire."
Nazi and Neo-Nazi significance
The term Black Sun may originate with the mystical "Central Sun" in Helena Blavatsky's TheosophyTheosophy
Theosophy, in its modern presentation, is a spiritual philosophy developed since the late 19th century. Its major themes were originally described mainly by Helena Blavatsky , co-founder of the Theosophical Society...
. This invisible or burnt out Sun (Karl Maria Wiligut
Karl Maria Wiligut
Karl Maria Wiligut was an Austrian Ariosophist- Biography :...
's Santur in Nazi mysticism
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
) symbolizes an opposing force or pole. Emil Rüdiger, of Rudolf John Gorsleben
Rudolf John Gorsleben
Rudolf John Gorsleben was a German Ariosophist, Armanist , journal editor and playwright.-Life:...
s Edda-Gesellschaft (Edda Society), claimed that a fight between the new and the old Suns was decided 330,000 years ago, and that Santur had been the source of power of the Hyperboreans.
The Wewelsburg symbol can be deconstructed into three swastika
Swastika
The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
s; a "rising", a "zenith" & a "setting" one, the design is popular among German Neo-Nazis as a replacement for the outlawed singular swastika symbol. Another interpretation is that the symbol incorporates twelve reversed "Sig rune
Sig Rune
Sig is the name given by Guido von List for the Sigel or s rune of the Armanen Futharkh, and is also used by Karl Maria Wiligut for his runes.-Nazism:...
s" of the Armanen runes
Armanen runes
The Armanen runes, or Armanen 'Futharkh' as Guido von List referred to them, are a row of 18 runes that are closely based in shape on the Younger Futhark...
.
Allegedly, the design was drawn for Heinrich Himmler from an "old Aryan emblem", and was meant to mimic the Round table of Arthurian legend with each spoke of the sun wheel representing one "knight" or Officer of the "inner" SS. According to James Twining
James Twining
James Twining is a British thriller writer.- Life :Although born in London, Twining spent most of his childhood in France after his family moved to Paris when he was four...
, "The symbol of the Black Sun unites the three most important symbols of Nazi ideology - the sun wheel, the swastika and the stylized victory rune." and that it is symbolic in its form representing "the twelve SS Knights of The Order of the Death's Head and their three retainers).
Erich Halik was the first to link the esoteric SS with the Black Sun roundel insignia carried by German aircraft in the polar region at the close of World War II.
Contemporary esotericism
The symbol has been used by a variety of esotericists; for example, as the name of the well-known Black Sun PressBlack Sun Press
The Black Sun Press was an English language book publisher founded in 1927 as Éditions Narcisse by poet Harry Crosby and his wife Caresse Crosby , American expatriates living in Paris...
of Mary Phelps Jacob
Mary Phelps Jacob
Caresse Crosby , born Mary Phelps Jacob , was an American patron of the arts, poet, publisher, and peace activist...
, as well as the official symbol of the occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
group Black Order of the Theozoa.
Occasionally, and unscientifically, black dwarf
Black dwarf
A black dwarf is a hypothetical stellar remnant, created when a white dwarf becomes sufficiently cool to no longer emit significant heat or light...
s are referred to as black suns. This is not entirely unrelated to the esoteric meaning, since ariosophy
Ariosophy
Armanism and Ariosophy are the names of ideological systems of an esoteric nature, pioneered by Guido von List and Jörg Lanz von Liebenfels respectively, in Austria between 1890 and 1930. The term 'Ariosophy', meaning wisdom concerning the Aryans, was first coined by Lanz von Liebenfels in 1915 and...
alleges a burnt out sun that was the source of power of the Aryan
Aryan
Aryan is an English language loanword derived from Sanskrit ārya and denoting variously*In scholarly usage:**Indo-Iranian languages *in dated usage:**the Indo-European languages more generally and their speakers...
s in some mystical past (see also Karl Maria Wiligut
Karl Maria Wiligut
Karl Maria Wiligut was an Austrian Ariosophist- Biography :...
). Others regard the Black Sun as a black hole; before the term black hole
Black hole
A black hole is a region of spacetime from which nothing, not even light, can escape. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will deform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematically defined surface called an event horizon that...
was coined in 1967, black holes (then still theoretical) were sometimes called black stars or dark stars. Still others, such as Miguel Serrano
Miguel Serrano
Miguel Serrano was a Chilean diplomat, explorer and author of poetry, books on spiritual questing and Esoteric Nazism...
, think of the Black Sun as a wormhole
Wormhole
In physics, a wormhole is a hypothetical topological feature of spacetime that would be, fundamentally, a "shortcut" through spacetime. For a simple visual explanation of a wormhole, consider spacetime visualized as a two-dimensional surface. If this surface is folded along a third dimension, it...
. Uses of the term in science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
and fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
literature are influenced by a combination of the esoteric and the astronomical meaning. See Black Sun (disambiguation)
Black Sun (disambiguation)
Black Sun may refer to:* Black Sun , used to refer to the sun in hermetic and alchemic study* Black Sun , a symbol of esoteric or occult significance* Black Sun , Mesoamerican mythology...
for examples of the term as used in popular culture.
Alternative design
Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke
Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke B.A. , D.Phil. is a professor of Western Esotericism at University of Exeter and author of several books on esoteric traditions....
states that "In the early 1990s, the Austrians Norbert Jürgen Ratthofer and Ralf Ettl and developed new nazi UFO myths involving ancient Babylon, Vril energy and extraterrestrial civilisation in the solar system of Aldebaran
Aldebaran
Aldebaran is a red giant star located about 65 light years away in the zodiac constellation of Taurus. With an average apparent magnitude of 0.87 it is the brightest star in the constellation and is one of the brightest stars in the nighttime sky...
. These colourful ideas are integral elements of a dualist Marcionite
Marcionism
Marcionism was an Early Christian dualist belief system that originated in the teachings of Marcion of Sinope at Rome around the year 144; see also Christianity in the 2nd century....
religion propagated by Ralf Ettl through his Tempelhofgesellschaft (Temple Sociey) in Vienna, identified as a secret successor to the historic Templars, who had absorbed Gnostic and heretical ideas in the Levant" Ratthofer and Ettl state in "UFO - Geheimnisse des Dritten Reichs (1990) (UFO - Secrets of the Third Reich)" that "Within the SS the Thule Society created a separate secret organisation called the "Black Sun"" with the "Geheimnis Schwarze Sonne" as its logo.
In 1997 author Peter Moon (real name: Vince Barbarick), wrote a book entitled 'The Black Sun: Montauk's Nazi-Tibetan Connection' in which he refers to an image (pictured) as the 'Signet of the Black Sun' (a secret order in Germany, also referred to as the 'Order of the Black Sun') and that it is "the symbol of the innermost secret society of Nazi Germany: the Black Sun. It is illegal to print or display this symbol in Germany today." This image and information was, according to Moon, originally provided to him by van Helsing around 1996, along with additional information on Nazi flying discs. Moon alleges that Helsing allegedly got it from Templar groups who emerged from East Germany after the Berlin Wall fell and Germany reunited. The German edition of Moon's book on the Black Sun had to have the image removed.
Van Helsing, however, did not write specifically on this symbol and mentioned the Black Sun just in a few phrases. But, from what Moon states, van Helsing could be talking about Ralf Ettl and his Tempelhofgesellschaft (Temple Sociey) in Vienna, identified as a secret successor to the historic Templars.
In 2005 American Scholar Dr. Joseph P. Farrell
Joseph P. Farrell
Joseph Patrick Farrell, born and raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is a theologian, scholar on the East–West Schism and the author of a number of books on alternative history, Pseudohistory, historical revisionism, Pseudoarchaeology, physics, and science....
, in his book 'Reich of the Black Sun', also states that the symbol was adopted by the Thule Society but also adopted as an emblem for von Liebenfels
Lanz von Liebenfels
Adolf Josef Lanz aka Jörg Lanz, who called himself Lanz von Liebenfels was an Austrian publicist and journalist...
' New Templars. Farrell also states that in contemporary German Federal Law it is forbidden to be displayed. Farrell doesn't cite any sources, not referring to Norbert Jürgen Ratthofer and Ralf Ettl, Jan van Helsing or Peter Moon. Additionally, he states it was adopted by the Thule Society and the New Templars, without citation, and in contradiction to the information supplied by van Helsing and Moon. Farrell has stated that as for primary sources, he does not have one other than Ralf Ettl and Juergen Ratthofer for the Black Sun concept.
In 2007 author Ron McVan published written works within a Wotanist context utilising the Alternative Black Sun Symbol.
British Professor Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke
Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke
Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke B.A. , D.Phil. is a professor of Western Esotericism at University of Exeter and author of several books on esoteric traditions....
B.A. doesn't mention this image in either of his books on the history of occultism in Nazi Germany but shows the Thule Society emblem to have been this image and Liebenfels' New Templars logo to be this image.
Popular culture
Scottish comics writer Grant MorrisonGrant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
, in his 2000AD series Zenith
Zenith (comics)
Zenith is a British superhero, who appeared in the science fiction comic 2000 AD. Created by writer Grant Morrison and artist Steve Yeowell, with original character designs by Brendan McCarthy, he first appeared in 2000 AD #536 .Shallow and sarcastic, Zenith was a distinctly Generation X superhero...
, makes repeated references to a Black Sun cult, which is a combination of Nazi and Lovecraftian ideas. They are the main agents in this world for the extradimensional running villains of the series, the Lloigor, and are the ones at the start of the series who engineer the resurrection of Master Man, the vessel of Iok-Sotot.
In Peter Hogan and Chris Sprouse
Chris Sprouse
Chris Sprouse is an American comic book artist.-Biography:Chris Sprouse was born in Charlottesville, Virginia. At the age of 3 he moved with his family to New Delhi, India where he first discovered comics as he was unable to play outside due to the dangerous amount of snakes in the house yard...
's America's Best Comics limited series, Tom Strong & the Robots of Doom, Albrecht Strong, the Nazi son of Tom Strong, uses the symbol as his own when he overwrites the timestream with his own worldwide neo-Nazi empire.
The symbol is used on the cover of the novel "The Black Sun
The Black Sun (James Twining)
The Black Sun is a 2005 historical novel by British author James Twining dealing with Nazism and occultism, Die Glocke and stolen Jewish art....
" by James Twining
James Twining
James Twining is a British thriller writer.- Life :Although born in London, Twining spent most of his childhood in France after his family moved to Paris when he was four...
and is mentioned extensively, although the cover image is not strictly the same - it faces in the wrong direction. The symbol is also used on the cover of the fiction novel "Black Order
Black Order (James Rollins)
Black Order is a 2006 novel by James Rollins. The novel centers on Nazi mysticism and features the Schwarze Sonne and Wewelsburg.-Plot summary:...
" by James Rollins
James Rollins
* For the American baseball pitcher, see Jim Czajkowski* For the American baseball shortstop, see Jimmy Rollins* For the 19th century American politician from Missouri, see James S. Rollins...
and is mentioned extensively therein.
In the Outlanders
Outlanders
Outlanders is a long-running series of science-fiction novels created by Mark Ellis and published by Gold Eagle, an imprint of Harlequin Enterprises.- Plot :...
novel, Satan's Seed by Mark Ellis
Mark Ellis (writer)
Mark Ellis is an American novelist and comic-book writer who under the pen name James Axler has written scores of books for the Outlanders paperback novel series and other books, as well as numerous independent comics series....
, the Brotherhood of the Black Sun and Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley , born Edward Alexander Crowley, and also known as both Frater Perdurabo and The Great Beast, was an influential English occultist, astrologer, mystic and ceremonial magician, responsible for founding the religious philosophy of Thelema. He was also successful in various other...
use geomancy to travel through time. It features in the novel Swastika by Michael Slade
Michael Slade
Michael Slade is the pen name of Canadian novelist Jay Clarke, a lawyer who has participated in more than 100 criminal cases and who specializes in criminal insanity. Before Clarke entered law school, his undergraduate studies focused on history...
.
In the occult-Nazi thriller Die Schwarze Sonne von Tashi Lhunpo (The Black Sun of Tashi Lhunpo) by Russell McCloud (Stephan Mögle-Stadel
Stephan Mögle-Stadel
Stephan Mögle-Stadel, born 21st December 1965, is a German educator, journalist and book writer.Together with Troy Davis, he is the chairman of a world citizenship group, of which he is the Founder and President and the author of the 'Dag Hammarskjöld: Vision einer Menschheitsethik' .- Background...
) http://welt-buerger.org/bio_sms.php in 1991, the assassinations of the president of the European Bank and a leading member of the UN Security Council are linked by a brand mark of the symbol of the Black Sun on the foreheads of the victims. McCloud is the first writer to identify the Wewelsburg sun wheel with the Black Sun myth (of Wilhelm Landig), thereby indicating the esoteric influence of Wiligut and the SS heritage and Aryan-theosophical lore at the heart of Himmler's imaginative world. Arun-Verlag in Engerda (in the former German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
) have published further editions and a film script of the book.
The book Unheilige Allianzen by Christian Dornbusch and Hans-Peter Killguss discusses the symbol. The symbol is also used on the book cover for the 2011 novel Order of the Black Sun by Jack Follett, which features a secret nazi base in New Swabia
New Swabia
New Swabia is a cartographic name sometimes given to an area of Antarctica between 20°E and 10°W in Queen Maud Land, which within Norway is administered as a Norwegian dependent territory under the Antarctic Treaty System...
in Antarctica as one of the settings in the occult tech-thriller.
The Wewelsburg design is used in the artwork of musical groups from the Neo-Nazi subculture and other bands using Nazi aesthetics. It is used as well as in the in lyrics of the experimental music
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
groups Coil
Coil (band)
Coil were an English cross-genre, experimental music group formed in 1982 by John Balance—later credited as "Jhonn Balance"—and his partner Peter Christopherson, aka "Sleazy". The duo worked together on a series of releases before Balance chose the name Coil, which he claimed to be...
who released a song called Solar Lodge
Solar Lodge
Solar Lodge was a secret society that was established in 1965 and withdrew into initiatory inactivity in 1972. It was loosely based on ideas from Ordo Templi Orientis and used the curriculum of the Astrum Argenteum established by Aleister Crowley....
, found on the album Scatology
Scatology (album)
Scatology is the first LP and a second album produced by Coil.Scatology was released in three different formats with two different covers...
, containing the lyrics "See the black sun rise from the Solar Lodge", Death In June
Death in June
Death in June are a neofolk group led by English folk musician Douglas Pearce, better known as Douglas P. The band was originally formed in Britain in 1981 as a trio, but after the other members left in 1984 and 1985 to work on other projects, the group became the work of Douglas P. and various...
, Von Thronstahl
Von Thronstahl
Von Thronstahl is a German Electronic, Martial-industrial, Neoclassical and Neofolk band founded in 1995 by Josef Maria Klumb.-Albums and EPs:* 1998 Sturmzeit * 2000 Imperium Internum * 2001 E Pluribus Unum ...
and as the title of a song by Dead Can Dance
Dead Can Dance
Dead Can Dance are an ethereal neoclassical duo formed in Melbourne, Australia, in August 1981, by Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry. The band relocated to London in May 1982 and disbanded in 1998. Their 1996 album Spiritchaser reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top World Music Albums Chart...
and E Nomine
E Nomine
E Nomine is a German musical project, formed in 1999, by producers Christian Weller and Friedrich "Fritz" Graner. Their music, which they call monumental dance, is an unusual combination of trance, techno, and vocals which closely resemble Gregorian singing and chanting...
Gotos=Kalanda (1995) by Allerseelen
Allerseelen
Allerseelen are the experimental, post-industrial and military pop music works of Austrian musician Gerhard Petak, aka Kadmon. The German name is translated into English as All Souls' Day. Their music is inspired by nature and has a strong philosophical/alchemical context inspired by the writings...
is adapted from Wiliguts pagan calendar cycle of poems presented to Himmler in 1937. The Wewelsburg Black Sun is prominent on Petak's letterhead and the Allerseelen label.
See also
- Black Sun (mythology)Black Sun (mythology)The Black Sun in Mesoamerican mythology has many mystical meanings, among them it is connected to the god Quetzalcoatl and his penetration in the Underworld through the west door after his diurnal passage on the sky. Amidst the Mexicas there were two suns, the young day sun and the ancient sun,...
- Five Suns (mythology)Five SunsFive Suns is an album by progressive rock group Guapo released in 2003.- Track listing :#Five Suns, Pt. 1 #Five Suns, Pt. 2 #Five Suns, Pt. 3 #Five Suns, Pt. 4 #Five Suns, Pt...
- Esoteric NazismEsoteric NazismThe term Esoteric Nazism refers to semi-religious developments of Nazism in the post-World War II period. After 1945, esoteric elements of the Third Reich were developed into new völkisch religions of white identity. Examples of post-war Nazi mystical philosophies include Esoteric Hitlerism and...
- Esotericism in Germany and AustriaEsotericism in Germany and AustriaThis article gives an overview of esoteric movements in Germany and Austria between 1880 and 1945, presenting Theosophy, Anthroposophy and Ariosophy, among others, against the influences of earlier European esotericism.-Knights Templar and occultism:...
- Fascist symbolismFascist symbolismAs there were many different manifestations of fascism, especially during the interwar years, there were also many different symbols of Fascist movements...
- Karl Maria WiligutKarl Maria WiligutKarl Maria Wiligut was an Austrian Ariosophist- Biography :...
- Nazi occultism
- Neo-völkisch movementsNeo-völkisch movementsNeo-völkisch movements, as defined by the historian Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke, cover a wide variety of mutually influencing groups of a radically ethnocentric character which have emerged, especially in the English-speaking world, since World War II...
- Rahu (mythology)RahuIn Hindu mythology, Rahu is a cut-off head of an asura, that swallows the sun or the moon causing eclipses. He is depicted in art as a serpent with no body riding a chariot drawn by eight black horses. Rahu is one of the navagrahas in Vedic astrology...
- Solar symbols
- Sun crossSun crossThe sun cross, also known as the wheel cross, Odin's cross, or Woden's cross, a cross inside a circle, is a common symbol in artifacts of the Americas and Prehistoric Europe, particularly during the Neolithic to Bronze Age periods.-Stone Age:...
- Suns in alchemySuns in alchemyThere is a persistent belief in alchemic and hermetic tradition in the existence of two suns: a hidden one of pure "philosophical gold," consisting of the essential Fire conjoined with aether, and the apparent one of profane "material gold." The "dark, consuming fire" of the material sun leads to...
- Thule-SeminarThule-SeminarThe Thule-Seminar is an elitist German New-Right organization based in Kassel. They self-describe as a "research society for Indo-European culture". On its homepage, it deplores the formation of a "multiracial, i.e...
Further study
Scholarly- Rüdiger Sünner: Schwarze Sonne. Entfesselung und Missbrauch der Mythen in Nationalsozialismus und rechter Esoterik. Freiburg i. Br. Verlag Herder/Spektrum, 1999, ISBN 3-451-27186-9. Sünner also produced the DVD documentary of the same name to accompany his book.
- Goodrick-Clarke, NicholasNicholas Goodrick-ClarkeNicholas Goodrick-Clarke B.A. , D.Phil. is a professor of Western Esotericism at University of Exeter and author of several books on esoteric traditions....
: Black Sun: Aryan Cults, Esoteric Nazism and the Politics of Identity. New York University Press, New York 2003. - Goodrick-Clarke, Nicholas: The Occult Roots of NazismThe Occult Roots of Nazismthumb|right|Cover of the 1992 editionThe Occult Roots of Nazism: Secret Aryan Cults and Their Influence on Nazi Ideology: The Ariosophists of Austria and Germany, 1890-1935 is a book by Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke. It is the "seminal work" on Nazi occultism and Ariosophy. The book also includes some...
- Friedrich Paul Heller, Anton MaegerleAnton MaegerleAnton Maegerle is the nom de plume of a left-wing German journalist and author books on far-right politics and the Neue Rechte.-Personal life:...
: Die Sprache des Hasses. Rechtsextremismus und völkische Esoterik. Schmetterling-Verlag, Stuttgart 2001 - Friedrich Paul Heller, Anton Maegerle: Thule. Vom völkischen Okkultismus bis zur Neuen Rechten. 2. Aufl. Stuttgart, Schmetterling-Verlag 1998
- Cook, Stephen, Heinrich Himmler's Camelot: Pictorial/documentary: The Wewelsburg Ideological Center of the SS, 1934-1945 (Kressmann-Backmeyer, 1999)
Occult
- M. B. Hasler, Die Schwarze Sonne. Göttliches Licht der Erkenntnis, ISBN 3-9808794-0-2
- Rudolf J. Mund, Mythos Schwarze Sonne, ISBN 3-8334-1122-8
Documentary
- Schwarze Sonne documentary by Rüdiger SünnerRüdiger SünnerRüdiger Sünner, born 1953 in Köln on the Rhine, is a German author and documentary film maker, most notable for his book and his documentary on the Schwarze Sonne.-Biography:1970 Abitur...
. Sünner also produced a book to accompany this documentary. - Nazis: The Occult ConspiracyNazis: The Occult ConspiracyNazis: The Occult Conspiracy, directed by Tracy Atkinson and Joan Baran, narrated by Malcolm McDowell, is an English language 1998 Discovery Channel documentary regarding Nazi occultism.-Soundtrack:...
(1998), directed by Tracy Atkinson and Joan Baran, narrated by Malcolm McDowellMalcolm McDowellMalcolm McDowell is an English actor with a career spanning over forty years.McDowell is principally known for his roles in the controversial films If...., O Lucky Man!, A Clockwork Orange and Caligula...
. - The Occult History of the Third ReichThe Occult History of the Third ReichThe Occult History of the Third Reich, narrated by Patrick Allen and directed by Dave Flitton, is a 1991 four-part History Channel documentary regarding the occult influences and history of Nazi Germany and early 20th century Germany.-Contents:...
, Starring: Patrick AllenPatrick AllenJohn Keith Patrick Allen was a British film, television and voice actor.-Life and career:Allen was born in Nyasaland , where his father was a tobacco farmer. After his parents returned to Britain, he was evacuated to Canada during World War II where he remained to finish his education at McGill...
, Director: Dave Flitton- Adolf Hitler - Occult History Of The Third Reich
- The SS: Blood And Soil - Occult History Of The Third Reich
- Himmler The Mystic - Occult History Of The Third Reich
- The Enigma Of The Swastika - Occult History Of The Third Reich
- "Decoding the PastDecoding the PastDecoding the Past is a History Channel paranormal television series that "decodes" the past by looking for unusual, and mysterious things written about throughout history that may give clues as to what will happen in the future.-Episodes:...
" Episode: The Nazi Prophecies" by the History Channel http://www.thehistorychannel.co.uk/site/tv_guide/full_details/Conflict/programme_3089.php http://store.aetv.com/html/product/index.jhtml?id=74536&browseCategoryId=&location=&parentcatid=&subcatid= - Hitler and the OccultHitler and the OccultFor the book by the same name by Ken Anderson see Hitler and the Occult Hitler and the Occult, produced by Bram Roos and Phyllis Cannon and narrated by David Ackroyd, is a 50-minute History Channel documentary regarding Nazi occultism....
by the History Channel http://store.aetv.com/html/product/index.jhtml?id=72289 - The Riddle Of Rudolph Hess/Himmler's Castle: Wewelsburg
- In 1994, Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
ran a Michael Wood documentary entitled Hitler's Search for the Holy Grail, as part of its "Secret HistorySecret historyA secret history is a revisionist interpretation of either fictional or real history which is claimed to have been deliberately suppressed, forgotten, or ignored by established scholars.-Secret histories of the real world:...
" series. http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/n-s/nazimyths.html - Unsolved Mysteries of World War II: Occult & Secrets, also known as Volume 3 in the series.
- Rudolf Hess (Occult)
- Hitler's Secret Weapons
- Enigma of the Swastika (Occult)
- Himmler's Castle: Wewelsburg (Occult)
- The Last Days of Hitler
- Decision At Dunkirk/Stalin's Secret Armies
(Different editions have different episodes) http://www.amazon.ca/dp/6305202885 http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:OKxPi3EdqgwJ:www.bestprices.com/cgi-bin/vlink/056775007195.html+%22Unsolved+Mysteries+of+World+War+II%22+VOLUME+3&hl=en&gl=uk&ct=clnk&cd=5 http://www.amazon.com/dp/6305202958 http://web.singnet.com.sg/~jollyroger/GM2/books/dvd1.htm