Nordic Ideology between Religion and Scholarship (Zivilisationen und Geschichte / Civilizations and History / Civilisations et Histoire)

The articles of this volume treat the expansion of the Nordic ideology in the first half of the twentieth century. They concentrate on the amalgamation of scientific, religious and political features, which transformed the idea of the North into a mainstay of extreme nationalism. Lacking positive norms and values, the Nordic idea depended on the opposition against everything deemed un-Nordic. Völkisch Nordicism shared with conventional forms of nationalism the enmity with Judaism and Bolshevism and – to a lesser extent – with Anglo-Americanism and Catholicism. Beyond that, it constituted a mythological counter narrative that combined the idea of spiritual kinship with biological lineage, on Pagan as well as on Christian grounds. Cover 1 Zusammenfassung 6 Contents 8 Introduction: Nordic Ideology, Religion and Scholarship (Horst Junginger and Andreas Åkerlund) 10 Notion and Concept of the Nordic Idea 28 The Notions Völkisch and Nordic: A Conceptual Approximation (Uwe Puschner) 30 Nordic Ideology in the SS and the SS Ahnenerbe (Horst Junginger) 48 Religion, Science and Ideology in Germany and Sweden 80 The Eddic Myth between Academic and Religious Interpretations (Debora Dusse) 82 Charisma, Authority and Heil: Walter Baetke and the Chasm of 1945 (Bernard Mees) 96 The Great God’s Oldest Runes (Luitgard Löw) 116 “Luthers Kampf gegen die Juden”: A völkisch Reception of Luther’s View of the Jews (Anders Gerdmar) 142 Völkisch Thought in Sweden: The Manhem Society and the Quest for National Enlightenment 1934–44 (Lena Berggren) 162 Nordic Studies in National Socialist Germany: A Possible Career Path for Swedish Academics (Andreas Åkerlund) 178 The Migration of the Nordic Idea 200 Sven Hedin and German Scholars: The Cases of Wilhelm A. Unkrig and Ferdinand Lessing (Hartmut Walravens) 202 The Holy City of Lhasa: Dream and Destination for Sven Hedin and Ernst Schäfer (Isrun Engelhardt) 216 The Use of Theories of Religion in Contemporary Asatru (Stefanie v. Schnurbein) 234 A Völkisch Addendum 254 Photographs of Wirth’s Excursions to Sweden 256 Summary of “The Great God’s Oldest Runes” “Fimbultý’s Prehistoric Runes” (Voluspá 60) by Herman Wirth 260 About the authors 290 Contents: Uwe Puschner: The Notions Voelkisch and Nordic: A Conceptual Approximation - Horst Junginger: Nordic Ideology in the SS and the SS Ahnenerbe - Debora Dusse: The Eddic Myth between Academic and Religious Interpretations - Bernard Mees: Charisma, Authority and Heil: Walter Baetke and the Chasm of 1945 - Luitgard Loew: The Great God's Oldest Runes - Anders Gerdmar: "Luthers Kampf gegen die Juden": A Voelkisch Reception of Luther's View of the Jews - Lena Berggren: Voelkisch Thought in Sweden: The Manhem Society and the Quest for National Enlightenment 1934-44 - Andreas Akerlund: Nordic Studies in National Socialist Germany: A Possible Career Path for Swedish Academics - Hartmut Walravens: Sven Hedin and German Scholars: The Cases of Wilhelm A. Unkrig and Ferdinand Lessing - Isrun Engelhardt: The Holy City of Lhasa: Dreams and Destination for Sven Hedin and Ernst Schafer - Stefanie v. Schnurbein: The Use of Theories of Religion in Contemporary Asatru - Herman Wirth: Summary of "The Great God's Oldest Runes". Fimbulty's Prehistoric Runes (Voluspa 60). The present volume deals with the expansion of the Nordic ideology in the first half of the twentieth century. Common features of voelkisch Nordicism derived from the field of conventional nationalism. Beyond that, it constituted a mythological counter narrative that combined the idea of spiritual kinship with biological lineage. The present volume deals with the expansion of the Nordic ideology in the first half of the twentieth century. Common features of völkisch Nordicism derived from the field of conventional nationalism. Beyond that, it constituted a mythological counter narrative that combined the idea of spiritual kinship with biological lineage.