Otto Wilhelm Rahn (18 February 1904 – 13 March 1939) was a German writer,

medievalist The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...

, Ariosophist, and an officer of the SS and researcher into the

Grail The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) was an American lunar science mission in NASA's Discovery Program which used high-quality gravitational field mapping of the Moon to determine its interior structure. The two small spacecraf ...

myths. He was born in

Michelstadt Michelstadt () in the Odenwald is a town in the Odenwaldkreis (district) in southern Hesse, Germany between Darmstadt and Heidelberg. It has a population of 28,629 people. Geography Location Michelstadt is the biggest town in the Odenwaldkre ...

, Germany, and died in

Söll Söll is a municipality in the district of Kufstein in the Austrian region of Sölllandl. It is located 9 km south of Kufstein and 9 km east of Wörgl. The village consists of 25 subdivisions. The main sources of income are agriculture ...

(

Kufstein Kufstein (; Central Bavarian: ''Kufstoa'') is a town in the Austrian state of Tyrol, the administrative seat of Kufstein District. With a population of about 19,600 it is the second largest Tyrolean town after the state capital Innsbruck. The great ...

Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...

) in Austria.

Early life and work

From an early age, Rahn became interested in the legends of

Parzival ''Parzival'' is a medieval romance (heroic literature), romance by the knight-poet Wolfram von Eschenbach in Middle High German. The poem, commonly dated to the first quarter of the 13th century, centers on the Arthurian hero Percival, Parziva ...

, the

Holy Grail The Holy Grail (french: Saint Graal, br, Graal Santel, cy, Greal Sanctaidd, kw, Gral) is a treasure that serves as an important motif in Arthurian literature. Various traditions describe the Holy Grail as a cup, dish, or stone with miracul ...

Lohengrin Lohengrin () is a character in Germany, German Arthurian literature. The son of Percival, Parzival (Percival), he is a knight of the Holy Grail sent in a boat pulled by swans to rescue a maiden who can never ask his identity. His story, which fi ...

and the

Nibelungenlied The ( gmh, Der Nibelunge liet or ), translated as ''The Song of the Nibelungs'', is an epic poetry, epic poem written around 1200 in Middle High German. Its anonymous poet was likely from the region of Passau. The is based on an oral tradition ...

. While attending the

University of Giessen University of Giessen, official name Justus Liebig University Giessen (german: Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen), is a large public research university in Giessen, Hesse, Germany. It is named after its most famous faculty member, Justus von L ...

, he was inspired by his professor, Baron von Gall, to study the

Albigensian Catharism (; from the grc, καθαροί, katharoi, "the pure ones") was a Christian dualist or Gnostic movement between the 12th and 14th centuries which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern Italy and southern France. Follo ...

(

Catharism Catharism (; from the grc, καθαροί, katharoi, "the pure ones") was a Christian dualist or Gnostic movement between the 12th and 14th centuries which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern Italy and southern France. Follow ...

) movement and the massacre that occurred at

Montségur Montségur (; Languedocien: ''Montsegur'') is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France. It is famous for its fortification, the Château de Montségur, that was built on the "pog" (mountain) on the ruins of one of the las ...

. In 1931, he travelled to the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...

region of southern France where he conducted most of his research. Aided by the French mystic and historian

Antonin Gadal Antonin Gadal (15.3.1877 – 15.6.1962) was a French mystic and historian who dedicated his life to study of the Cathars in the south of France, their spirituality, beliefs and ideology. Life Gadal was born in 1877 in the Pyrenean town of Tar ...

, Rahn argued that there was a direct link between

Wolfram von Eschenbach Wolfram von Eschenbach (; – ) was a German knight, poet and composer, regarded as one of the greatest epic poets of medieval German literature. As a Minnesinger, he also wrote lyric poetry. Life Little is known of Wolfram's life. There are ...

's ''

'' and the

Cathar Catharism (; from the grc, καθαροί, katharoi, "the pure ones") was a Christian dualist or Gnostic movement between the 12th and 14th centuries which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern Italy and southern France. Follow ...

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 peak where the fortress of Montségur remains, the last

fortress to fall during the

Albigensian Crusade The Albigensian Crusade or the Cathar Crusade (; 1209–1229) was a military and ideological campaign initiated by Pope Innocent III to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc, southern France. The Crusade was prosecuted primarily by the French crown ...

SS service and death

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 Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was of the (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and a main architect of th ...

, 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, achieving the rank of

Obersturmführer __NOTOC__ (, ; short: ''Ostuf'') was a Nazi Germany paramilitary rank that was used in several Nazi organisations, such as the SA, SS, NSKK and the NSFK. The rank of ''Obersturmführer'' was first created in 1932 as the result of an expa ...

. Journeys for his second book led Rahn to places in

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

, France,

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to ...

and the

Kingdom of Iceland The Kingdom of Iceland ( is, Konungsríkið Ísland; da, Kongeriget Island) was a sovereign and independent country under a constitutional monarchy, constitutional and hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarchy that was established by the Danish ...

. Openly homosexual, frequenting anti-Nazi circles, and having fallen out of favour with the Nazi leadership, Rahn was assigned guard duty at the

Dachau concentration camp , , commandant = List of commandants , known for = , location = Upper Bavaria, Southern Germany , built by = Germany , operated by = ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) , original use = Political prison , construction ...

in 1937 as punishment for a drunken homosexual scrape. He resigned from the SS in 1939. The SS would not allow anyone to resign without consequences. Soon, Rahn learned the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...

was after him, and he was even offered the option of committing suicide. He vanished. On 13 March 1939, nearly on the anniversary of the fall of Montségur, Rahn was found frozen to death on a mountainside near

(

) in Austria. His death was officially ruled a suicide.John Preston
The original Indiana Jones: Otto Rahn and the temple of doom
''The Telegraph'', 22 May 2008.

Rahn in popular culture

Rahn has been the object of many rumours and strange stories, including that his death had been faked, although all such speculation has failed to be substantiated. * Richard Stanley made a documentary about Rahn and his fixation on the Holy Grail titled ''The Secret Glory'' in 2001. *''Sorcerer's Feud'' (2014) by

Katharine Kerr Katharine Kerr (born 1944) is an American science fiction and fantasy novelist, best known for her series of Celtic-influenced high fantasy novels set in the fictional land of Deverry. Biography Katharine Kerr was born in Cleveland, Ohio; her ...

is another novel that has Rahn as a character. *'' The Pale Criminal'' (1990), part II of

Philip Kerr Philip Ballantyne Kerr (22 February 1956 – 23 March 2018) was a British author, best known for his Bernie Gunther series of historical detective thrillers. Early life Kerr was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, where his father was an enginee ...

's ''Berlin Noir'' trilogy, has Rahn as a secondary character. *In the Italian comic book ''

Martin Mystère ''Martin Mystère'' is both the title and protagonist of an Italian comics, Italian comic book. Created by writer Alfredo Castelli and artist Giancarlo Alessandrini, it was first published in Italy by Sergio Bonelli Editore in 1982. Dark Horse C ...

'', Rahn fakes his death and joins the

United States Secret Service The United States Secret Service (USSS or Secret Service) is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security charged with conducting criminal investigations and protecting U.S. political leaders, their families, and ...

"Elsewhere". *The 2013 Snog album ''Babes in Consumerland'' features the song "Otto Rahn". *The band

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, in the album "Killer Angels", features the song "Lucifer's Court" about Rahn.

Works

* ''Kreuzzug gegen den Gral. Die Geschichte der Albigenser (Broschiert)'' (in German), 1934, ; . * ''Croisade contre le Graal: Grandeur et Chute des Albigeois (Broché)'' (French translation), 1934, ; . * ''Crusade Against the Grail: The Struggle between the Cathars, the Templars, and the Church of Rome'' (First English Translation by Christopher Jones), 1934–2006, ; . * ''Luzifers Hofgesind, eine Reise zu den guten Geistern Europas'' (in German), 1937, ; . * ''Lucifer's Court: A Heretic's Journey in Search of the Light Bringers'' (English translation), 1937–2008, ; .

References

Sources

Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke (15 January 195329 August 2012) was a British historian and professor of Western esotericism at the University of Exeter, best known for his authorship of several scholarly books on the history of Germany between the W ...

. 1985. ''

The Occult Roots of Nazism ''The Occult Roots of Nazism: The Ariosophists of Austria and Germany, 1890–1935'' is a book about Nazi occultism and Ariosophy by historian Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke, who traces some of its roots back to Esotericism in Germany and Austria betwe ...

: Secret Aryan Cults and Their Influence on Nazi Ideology: The Ariosophists of Austria and Germany, 1890-1935''; p. 188-189
Otto Rahn and the Quest for the Holy Grail
*

External links

Website dedicated to Otto Rahn, otto-rahn.com

an article by Richard Stanley *
Crusade Against the Grail by Otto Rahn
the full text of the book at the Internet Archive {{DEFAULTSORT:Rahn, Otto 1904 births 1939 suicides Catharism Dachau concentration camp personnel Archaeologists from Hesse Nazi Party politicians Holy Grail LGBT people in the Nazi Party Nazi Party officials Nazis who committed suicide in Austria People from Michelstadt SS-Obersturmführer Suicides by freezing University of Giessen alumni 1939 deaths