The Secret of the Runes

Guido von List – Aryan Prophet and Rune Magician.
Made available through the efforts of translator Stephen E. Flowers, _The Secret of the Runes_ is a unique work by the German Ariosophist and Volkish rune magician Guido (von) List. Guido von List was an important figure among occultists and Pan Germanic nationalists who borrowed from the Theosophy of Madame H. P. Blavatsky as well as ancient Aryan (Teutonic and Indian) legend to create a unique system of rune magic. From his childhood days, Guido List was prone to mystical fantasy, and at a young age visited the catacombs under the Saint Stephen’s Cathedral in his native Vienna and declared that he would build a Temple to Wotan there. Taking his inspiration from early Germanic religion (Wotanism, or Wuotanism) including references from Tacitus and the Eddas, neoromanticism, and later incorporating elements from Theosophy, Guido List developed a system of Armanenism which was supposedly the earliest belief system of the Germanic (Aryan) tribes. In this book, Guido List explains the role of the runes in uncovering early Germanic belief. An important substructure underlying von List’s conceptions is his baptism into Roman Catholicism, which he believes serves as a cover for more ancient pagan beliefs which have been subsumed by Christianity. List shows the importance of the runes and the unique meaning of each of the runic elements. Subsequently he shows how the runes were incorporated into such systems as heraldry, freemasonry, folk tradition and belief, and even into baked goods and pastries, as well as holidays. List notes that early Germanic (Aryan) society consisted of individuals who served as farmers with three principal classes (castes), that of the peasantry, the military, and the nobility/intellegentsia (Armanen). List defines an occult doctrine in which he outlines what Flowers translates as the “biune-bifidic-dyad”, the “triune-trifidic-triad”, and the “multifidic multiune-multiplicity”. List shows how each of these relates to God and the need for man to conform his will (his ego) to that of God. List also presents a system of reincarnation in which Aryan individuals fallen in battle are taken up into Walhalla. In fact, List himself was to write another important novel named _Carnuntum_ dealing with the Germans under the Roman empire as well as encounter an individual named Tarnhari who was a supposed reincarnation of an Aryan chieftain. List incorporated racial notions of Aryan supremacy into his writings and of course was politically aligned with Pan German nationalists who wanted to see Austria united with the other Germanies. List’s ideas were used to found a masonic society, which later was to embrace National Socialism. Subsequently, many indidividuals associated with National Socialism and the NSDAP were to examine List’s ideas and writings and find them interesting in furthering their own agenda. Hopefully, further materials of List’s will be made available in English one day; however, currently this remains one of the few available items for those interested in studying this individual, Volkish prophet and Ariosophist in the late Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries.

Fascinating Read
This is a fun book. More so when placed in historical contexts. The basis is this, in Germany, at this time, there was a revival in occult interest. To legitimise this, there were many self-styled seers who arose. Among them, List. According to his story, he underwent a temporary blindness through which he was granted visions, revelations, of the Runes. What follows is a handbook that explains his Runic beliefs. Included are many interesting anecdotes and cultural analyses. The book encapsulates a basic worldview, and pertains to a specific, essentially henotheistic version of God, an Aryanised Christianity and a glorification of classically Teutonic virtues.In short, it seeks to mesh all that he considered to be good of Germany, into a singular text, a weltanschauung.

Interesting!
This book was my first more in-depth study of Armanen. It’s a very small book, but there is definitely a slew of magical information, just not so obvious to the untrained eye. Buy it also for the sake of supporting the sharing and preservation of knowledge.

Next
I haven’t read this one yet but it is in my pile. It comes very highly recommended and I can’t wait to dig into another perspective. There is so much history…