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Guido Karl Anton List, better known as Guido von List (5 October 1848 – 17 May 1919), was an
Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...
occultist, journalist, playwright, and novelist. He expounded a
modern Pagan Modern paganism, also known as contemporary paganism and neopaganism, is a term for a religion or family of religions influenced by the various Paganism, historical pre-Christian beliefs of pre-modern peoples in Europe and adjacent areas of No ...
new religious movement known as Wotanism, which he claimed was the revival of the religion of the ancient German race, and which included an inner set of Ariosophical teachings that he termed Armanism. Born to a wealthy middle-class family in Vienna, List claimed that he abandoned his family's Roman Catholic faith in childhood, instead devoting himself to the pre-Christian god
Wotan (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the ''Nibelun ...
. Spending much time in the Austrian countryside, he engaged in rowing, hiking, and sketching the landscape. From 1877 he began a career as a journalist, primarily authoring articles on the Austrian countryside for nationalist newspapers and magazines. In these he placed a '' völkisch'' emphasis on the folk culture and customs of rural people, believing that many of them were survivals of pre-Christian,
pagan Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. ...
religion. He published three novels, ''Carnuntum'' (1888), ''Jung Diethers Heimkehr'' (1894), and ''Pipara'' (1895), each set among the German tribes of the Iron Age, as well as authoring several plays. During the 1890s he continued writing ''völkisch'' articles, now largely for the nationalist ''Ostdeutsche Rundschau'' newspaper, with his works taking on an
anti-semitic Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...
dimension halfway through that decade. In 1893, he co-founded the Literarische Donaugesellschaft literary society, and involved himself in Austria's Pan-German nationalist movement, a milieu which sought the integration of Austria into the
German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
. During an 11-month period of blindness in 1902, List became increasingly interested in occultism, in particular coming under the influence of the Theosophical Society, resulting in an expansion of his Wotanic beliefs to incorporate Runology and the Armanen Futharkh. The popularity of his work among the ''völkisch'' and nationalist communities resulted in the establishment of a List Society in 1908; attracting significant middle and upper-class support, the Society published List's writings and included an Ariosophist inner group, the High Armanen Order, over whom List presided as Grand Master. Through these ventures he promoted the millenarian view that modern society was degenerate, but that it would be cleansed through an apocalyptic event resulting in the establishment of a new Pan-German Empire that would embrace Wotanism. Having erroneously prophesied that this empire would be established by victory for the Central Powers in World War I, List died on a visit to Berlin in 1919. During his lifetime, List became a well-known figure among the nationalist and ''völkisch'' subcultures of Austria and Germany, influencing the work of many others operating in this milieu. His work, propagated through the List Society, influenced later ''völkisch'' groups such as the Reichshammerbund and Germanenorden, and through those exerted an influence on both the burgeoning Nazi Party and the SS. After World War II his work continued to influence an array of Ariosophic and
Heathen __NOTOC__ Heathen or Heathens may refer to: Religion *Heathen, another name for a pagan *Heathen, an adherent of Heathenry Music *Band of Heathens, a North American rock and roll band *Heathen (band), a North American thrash metal band *The Hea ...
practitioners in Europe, Australia, and North America.


Biography


Early life: 1848–77

Guido Karl Anton List was born on 5 October 1848 in Vienna, then part of the Austrian Empire. Born to a prosperous middle-class family, he was the eldest son of Karl Anton List, a leather goods dealer who was the son of Karl List, a publican and vintner. Guido's mother, Marian List, was the daughter of builder's merchant Franz Anton Killian. List was raised in the city's second '' bezirk'', on the eastern side of the Danube canal. Like most Austrians at the time, his family were members of the Roman Catholic denomination of Christianity, with List being christened into this faith at St Peter's Church in Vienna. Reflecting the family's wealth and
bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...
status, in 1851 a watercolour portrait of List was painted by the artist Anton von Anreiter. Accounts suggest that List had a happy childhood. Developing a preference for rural areas rather than urban ones, he enjoyed family visits to the countryside of Lower Austria and Moravia, and – encouraged by his father – he began to sketch and paint the castles, prehistoric monuments, and natural scenery of these areas. According to his later account, he developed an early interest in the pre-Christian religions of Austria, coming to believe that the catacombs beneath St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna had once been a shrine devoted to a
pagan Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. ...
deity. He claimed that on an 1862 visit to the catacombs with his father, he knelt before a ruined altar and swore that when an adult he would construct a temple to the ancient god
Wotan (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the ''Nibelun ...
. Although List wanted to become an artist and scholar, he reluctantly agreed to his father's insistence that he enter the family's leather goods business. During his leisure time he devoted himself to writing and sketching as well as rambling, riding, or rowing in the countryside, becoming both a member of the Viennese rowing club Donauhort and the secretary of the Austrian Alpine Association (Österreichischer Alpenverein). He was involved in both solitary and group expeditions into the Austrian Alps, and it was on one of the latter journeys that he left his mountaineering group to spend Midsummer night alone atop the
Geiselberg Geiselberg ( pfl, Geiseberg) is a municipality in Südwestpfalz district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous ...
hillfort. On 24 June 1875 he and four friends rowed down the Danube before camping for the night at the site of the ancient Roman fortification of Carnuntum to commemorate the 1500th anniversary of the
Battle of Carnuntum The Battle of Carnuntum took place in 170 AD during the Marcomannic Wars. In the spring of 170 AD swarms of Germanic warrior bands attacked Roman provinces along the Danube River. In furtherance of this endeavor, and for mutual protection, the kin ...
, in which Germanic tribes defeated the Roman Army. List later claimed that while his friends caroused, he celebrated the event with a fire and by burying eight bottles of wine in the shape of a
swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍) is an ancient religious and cultural symbol, predominantly in various Eurasian, as well as some African and American cultures, now also widely recognized for its appropriation by the Nazi Party and by neo-Nazis. It ...
beneath the arch of the monument's Pagan Gate.


Early literary endeavours: 1877–1902

In 1877, List's father died. List soon abandoned the leather goods business that he inherited, intent on devoting himself to literary endeavours as a journalist, even if this meant a significant reduction in his income. On 26 September 1878 he married his first wife, Helene Förster-Peters. From 1877 to 1887 he wrote for the nationalist magazines '' Neue Welt'' ("New World"), ''
Heimat ''Heimat'' () is a German word translating to 'home' or 'homeland'. The word has connotations specific to German culture, German society and specifically German Romanticism, German nationalism, German statehood and regionalism so that it ha ...
'' ("Homeland"), ''
Deutsche Zeitung Deutsch or Deutsche may refer to: *''Deutsch'' or ''(das) Deutsche'': the German language, in Germany and other places *''Deutsche'': Germans, as a weak masculine, feminine or plural demonym *Deutsch (word), originally referring to the Germanic ve ...
'' ("German Newspaper"), and the ''Neue Deutsche Alpenzeitung'' ("New German Alpine Newspaper"), with his articles being devoted to the Austrian countryside and the folk customs of its inhabitants. His interpretations emphasised what he believed were the pagan origins of Austrian place-names, customs, and legends, describing the landscape as being embodied by ''
genius loci In classical Roman religion, a ''genius loci'' (plural ''genii locorum'') was the protective spirit of a place. It was often depicted in religious iconography as a figure holding attributes such as a cornucopia, patera (libation bowl) or snake. ...
'', and expressing clear German nationalist and '' völkisch'' sentiment. In 1888, he published his first novel, ''Carnuntum'', in two volumes. Set in the late fourth century CE, the narrative focused on a romance set against the background of the conflict between Germanic tribes and the Roman Empire around the area of the eponymous Roman fort. The novel established List as a recognised figure within Austria's Pan-German community, a movement of individuals unified in their belief that the majority German-speaking areas of the multi-linguistic and multi-ethnic Austro-Hungarian state should cede and join with the newly established
German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
. The book also brought him to the attention of
Friedrich Wannieck Friedrich Wannieck (1838 in Brno, Austrian Empire –1919) was a prominent and wealthy Austrian/German industrialist most notable for his successful business ventures and his enthusiastic support for the '' völkisch'' author, pioneer of Germanic ...
, a wealthy industrialist who was the chairman of both the Prague Iron Company and the First Brno Engineering Company. Wannieck was also president of the Verein 'Deutsches Haus' ("'German House' Association"), a nationalist organisation of linguistically German inhabitants of
Brno Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...
who felt encircled by the largely Czech population of South Moravia. List and Wannieck began corresponding, resulting in a lifelong friendship between the two men. The Verein 'Deutsches Haus' subsequently published three of List's works in its series on German nationalist studies of history and literature. List began regularly writing for a weekly newspaper, the '' Ostdeutsche Rundschau'' ("East German Review"), which had been established in 1890 by the Austrian Pan-German parliamentary deputy Karl Wolf. In 1891, List anthologised many of the magazine articles that he had written over the previous decades in his book ''
Deutsch-Mythologische Landschaftsbilder ''Deutsch-Mythologische Landschaftsbilder'' is a two-volume book by Guido von List published in 1891. Its English translation is ''German Mythological Landscape Scenes''. During 1877 and 1887, List had published various journalistic works on his ...
'' ("German Mythological Landscape Scenes"), extracts of which were then published in the ''Ostdeutsche Rundschau''. Further ''völkisch'' articles on various topics pertaining to Austria's folk culture and to its ancient Germanic tribes followed during the 1890s, although midway through that decade his work took on an explicitly
anti-semitic Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...
nature with articles such as "Die Juden als Staat und Nation" ("The Jews as a State and Nation"). Other Austrian German nationalist newspapers which published his articles during this period included the ''Bote aus dem Waldviertel'' ("The Waldviertel Herald") and ''Kyffhäuser''. List began lecturing on these subjects; for instance, in February 1893 he spoke to the nationalist Verein 'Deutsches Geschichte' ("'German History' Association) on the ancient priesthood of Wotan. He also worked as a playwright, and in December 1894 his play ''Der Wala Erweckung'' ("The Wala's Awakening") was premiered at an event organised by the Bund der Germanen (Germanic League) which was devoted to the German nationalist cause, with Jews being explicitly banned from attending the event. Alongside his affiliation with the Bund, List was also a member of the Deutscher Turnverein (Germanic Gymnastic League), a strongly nationalistic group to whom he contributed literary works for their events. In 1893, List and Fanny Wschiansky founded a belletristic society devoted to encouraging German nationalist and neo-romantic literature in Vienna, the Literarische Donaugesellschaft ("Danubian Literary Society"). The group was partly based upon the 15th-century Litteraria Sodalita Danubiana created by the Viennese humanist
Conrad Celtes Conrad Celtes (german: Konrad Celtes; la, Conradus Celtis (Protucius); 1 February 1459 – 4 February 1508) was a German Renaissance humanist scholar and poet of the German Renaissance born in Franconia (nowadays part of Bavaria). He led the ...
, about whom List authored a brief biography in 1893. He also authored two further novels during the 1890s, both of which were historical romances set in Iron Age Germany. The first appeared in 1894 as ''Jung Diethers Heimkehr'' ("Young Diether's Homecoming"), which told the story of a young Teuton living in the fifth century who has been forcefully converted to Christianity but who returns to his original solar cult. The second was ''Pipara'', a two-volume story published in 1895 which told the story of an eponymous
Quadi The Quadi were a Germanic * * * people who lived approximately in the area of modern Moravia in the time of the Roman Empire. The only surviving contemporary reports about the Germanic tribe are those of the Romans, whose empire had its bord ...
maiden who escaped captivity from the Romans to become an empress. In 1898, he then authored a
catechism A catechism (; from grc, κατηχέω, "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult c ...
exhibiting a form of pagan
deism Deism ( or ; derived from the Latin ''deus'', meaning "god") is the Philosophy, philosophical position and Rationalism, rationalistic theology that generally rejects revelation as a source of divine knowledge, and asserts that Empirical evi ...
titled ''Der Unbesiegbare'' ("The Invincible"). List's activities had made him a celebrity within the Austrian Pan-German movement, with the editors of the ''Ostdeutsche Rundschau'' convening a Guido List evening in April 1895 and South Vienna's Wieden Singers' Club holding a List festival in April 1897. Having divorced his previous wife, in August 1899 List married Anna Wittek, who was from Stecky in
Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
. Despite List's modern Pagan faith, the wedding was held in an evangelical Protestant church, reflecting the growing popularity of Protestantism among Austria's Pan-German community, who perceived it as a more authentically German form of Christianity than the Catholicism that was popular among Austria-Hungary's other ethnic and linguistic communities. Wittek had previously appeared in a performance of List's ''Der Wala Erweckung'' and had publicly recited some of his poetry. Following their marriage, List devoted himself fully to drama, authoring the plays ''König Vannius'' ("King Vannius") in 1899, ''Sommer-Sonnwend-Feuerzauber'' ("Summer Solstice Fire Magic") in 1901 and ''Das Goldstück'' ("The Gold Coin") in 1903. He also authored a pamphlet titled ''Der Wiederaufbau von Carnuntum'' ("The Reconstruction of Carnuntum") in 1900, in which he called for the reconstruction of the ancient Roman amphitheatre at Carnuntum as an open-air stage through which Wotanism could be promoted.


Later life: 1902–19

According to the historian Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke, 1902 marked "a fundamental change in the character of ist'sideas: occult ideas now entered his fantasy of the ancient Germanic faith." This began when he received an operation to remove a cataract from his eye, after which he was left blind for eleven months. During this period of rest and recuperation, he contemplated questions surrounding the origins of the German language and the use of
runes Runes are the letter (alphabet), letters in a set of related alphabets known as runic alphabets native to the Germanic peoples. Runes were used to write various Germanic languages (with some exceptions) before they adopted the Latin alphabet, a ...
. He subsequently produced a manuscript detailing what he deemed to be a proto-language of the Aryan race, in which he claimed that occult insight had enabled him to interpret the letters and sounds of both runes and emblems and glyphs found on ancient inscriptions. Terming it "a monumental pseudo-science", Goodrick-Clarke also noted that it constituted "the masterpiece of his occult-nationalist researches". List sent a copy to the Imperial Academy of Sciences in Vienna, but they declined to publish it. In 1903 List published an article in ''Die Gnosis'' magazine, which reflected a clear influence from the ideas of the Theosophical Society. List had occasionally used the title of ''
von The term ''von'' () is used in German language surnames either as a nobiliary particle indicating a noble patrilineality, or as a simple preposition used by commoners that means ''of'' or ''from''. Nobility directories like the ''Almanach de Go ...
'' in his name from 1903 onward, but began using it permanently in 1907. The term was used to denote that an individual was a member of the nobility, and when the nobility archive ordered an official enquiry into List's use of the term, he was called before magistrates in October 1907. He defended his usage of the term with the claim that he was the descendant of aristocrats from Lower Austria and
Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...
, and that his great-grandfather had abandoned the title to become an inn keeper. Goodrick-Clarke noted that whatever the legitimacy of List's unproven claims, claiming the title of ''von'' was "an integral part of ist'sreligious fantasy" because in his mind it connected him to the ancient Wotanist priesthood, from whom he believed Austria's aristocrats were descended. It is possible that List decided to adopt the usage of the term after his friend, the fellow prominent Ariosophist
Lanz von Liebenfels Lanz may refer to: Places * Lanz, Brandenburg, a municipality in Brandenburg, Germany * a village in the municipality Störnstein in Bavaria, Germany * Lanz, German name from Lomnice, a village in Sokolov District, Czech Republic * Lanz Peak ...
, had done so in 1903. List's popularity among the Pan-Germanist movement resulted in suggestions that a society devoted to the promotion of List's work be established. This materialised as the Guido-von-List-Gesellschaft in March 1908, which was largely funded by the Wannieck family but which also included many prominent figures from middle and upper-class Austrian and German society. At Midsummer 1911, List founded the High Armanen Order (Hoher Armanen-Ordem), or HAO, as an inner group of Armanist practitioners within the List Society with whom he went on pilgrimages to various places that he believed had been ancient cultic sites associated with the worship of Wotan. He operated as leader of this group, using the title of Grand Master. The List Society also produced six booklets authored by List himself between 1908 and 1911. Titled "Ario-Germanic research reports", they covered List's opinions on the meaning and magical power of runes, the ancient Wotanic priesthood, Austrian folklore and place-names, and the secret messages within heraldic devices. In 1914, the Society then published List's work on runes and language that the Imperial Academy had turned down. The first three of these publications furthered List's reputation across both the ''völkisch'' and nationalist subcultures within both Austria and Germany. Many other writers were inspired by List, with a number of works being specifically dedicated to him. The editor of ''Prana'',
Johannes Balzli Johannes Hans Balzli, more commonly known as Johannes Balzli, was an Austrian/German author, newspaper editor, Theosophist and Armanist, most notable for his biography of Guido von List, entitled, ''"Guido v. List: Der Wiederentdecker Uralter Ar ...
, authored a biography of List that was published in 1917. During World War I, List erroneously proclaimed that there would be victory for the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary, claiming to have learned this information from a vision that he experienced in 1917. By 1918, List was in declining health, furthered by the food shortages experienced in Vienna as a result of the war. In the spring of 1919, at the age of 71, List and his wife set off to recuperate and meet followers at the manor house of Eberhard von Brockhusen, a List Society patron who lived at Langen in Brandenburg, Germany. On arrival at the
Anhalter Station The Anhalter Bahnhof is a former railway terminus in Berlin, Germany, approximately southeast of Potsdamer Platz. Once one of Berlin's most important railway stations, it was severely damaged in World War II, and finally closed for traffic in 19 ...
at Berlin, List felt too exhausted to continue the journey. After a doctor had diagnosed a lung inflammation his health deteriorated quickly, and he died in a Berlin guesthouse on the morning of 17 May 1919. He was cremated in Leipzig and his ashes laid in an urn and then buried at the Vienna Central Cemetery, Zentralfriedhof. An obituary of List authored by Berlin journalist Philipp Stauff then appeared in the ''
Münchener Beobachter The ''Münchener Beobachter'' was a völkisch newspaper edited by Rudolf von Sebottendorf. In the course of 1920 it became the official Nazi organ, becoming the ''Völkischer Beobachter'' (People's Observer), and remained the leading Nazi party new ...
''.


Ideology

List promoted a religion termed "Wotanism", which he saw as the
exoteric Exoteric refers to knowledge that is outside and independent from a person's experience and can be ascertained by anyone (related to common sense). The word is derived from the comparative form of Greek ἔξω ''eksô'', "from, out of, outside". ...
, outer form of pre-Christian Germanic religion, while "Armanism" was the term he applied to what he believed were the esoteric, secret teachings of this ancient belief system. He believed that while Wotanism expounded polytheism for the wider population, those who were members of the Armanist elite were aware of the reality of monotheism. List's Armanism would later be classified as a form of " Ariosophy", a term which was coined by Lanz von Liebenfels in 1915. Goodrick-Clarke considered List's ideas to be a "unique amalgam of nationalist mythology and esotericism". Religious studies scholar Olav Hammer noted that List's Wotanism "increasingly came to consist of an original synthesis of his reading of Germanic mythology with Theosophy". List's early Theosophical influence came largely from the writings of German Theosophist Max Ferdinand Sebaldt von Werth, who had combined Theosophical ideas with his own interpretations of Germanic mythology and emphasis on racial doctrines, thus anticipating Ariosophy. In later work, this Theosophical influence over List's thinking grew, and he began referencing works such as Helena Blavatsky's ''Die Geheimlehre'' (" The Secret Doctrine") and
William Scott-Elliot William Scott-Elliot (sometimes incorrectly spelled Scott-Elliott) (1849–1919) was a theosophist who elaborated Helena Blavatsky's concept of root races in several publications, most notably ''The Story of Atlantis'' (1896) and ''The Lost Lemuria ...
's ''The Lost Lemuria'' in his publications. He expressed the view that Norse mythology accorded with – and thus proved – the
cosmogonical Cosmogony is any model concerning the origin of the cosmos or the universe. Overview Scientific theories In astronomy, cosmogony refers to the study of the origin of particular astrophysical objects or systems, and is most commonly used i ...
teachings of Theosophy. Much of List's understanding of the ancient past was based not on empirical research into historical, archaeological, and folkloric sources, but rather on ideas that he claimed to have received as a result of clairvoyant illumination. Later writer
Richard Rudgley Richard Rudgley (born 1961) is a British author and television presenter. He specialises on the topics of the usage of hallucinogens and intoxicants in society. He has also written about the Stone Age and about Paganism. Rudgley completed a BA in ...
thus characterised List's understanding of the "pagan past" as an "imaginative reconstruction". List's Wotanism was constructed largely on the '' Prose Edda'' and the '' Poetic Edda'', two Old Norse textual sources which had been composed in Iceland during the late Middle Ages; he nevertheless believed that they accurately reflected the belief systems of Germany, having been authored by "Wotanist" refugees fleeing Christianity. He believed that prior to the spread of Christianity into Northern Europe, there had once been a culturally unified German civilisation that had been spread across much of Europe, which came to be degraded and divided under the impact of Christianity. He believed that the Danubian region of modern Austria had thus been part of this unified German civilisation before the growth of the Roman Empire, an idea in contrast to the view accepted by historians of the time that linguistically German communities only settled in the area during the reign of the Frankish king Charlemagne in the ninth century CE, pushing out the pre-existing linguistically Celtic groups.


Runes and the Armanenschaft

List believed that the basic teachings of Wotanism were found in the runic alphabet, believing that they could be deciphered by linking these letters with particular runic spells which appear in the Old Norse '' Havamal''. He claimed to have deciphered these secret meanings himself, translating them as statements such as "Know yourself, then you know everything", "Do not fear death, he cannot kill you", "Marriage is the root of the Aryan race!", and "Man is one with God!" List emphasised the importance of a mystical union between humans and the universe, viewing divinity as being
immanent The doctrine or theory of immanence holds that the divine encompasses or is manifested in the material world. It is held by some philosophical and metaphysical theories of divine presence. Immanence is usually applied in monotheistic, pantheis ...
in nature, with all life being an emanation of it. Connected to this, he believed in a close identification between the racial group – the '' volk'' or folk – and the natural world. List believed that human beings had an immortal soul, and that it would be reincarnated according to the laws of karma until eventually uniting with divinity. In the 1890s, List initially devised the idea that ancient German society had been led by a hierarchical system of initiates, the ''Armanenschaft'', an idea which had developed into a key part of his thinking by 1908. List's image of the Armanenschaft's structure was based largely on his knowledge of Freemasonry. He claimed that the ancient brotherhood had consisted of three degrees, each with their own secret signs, grips, and passwords. He believed that the Armanenschaft had societal control over the ancient German people, acting as teachers, priests, and judges. In List's interpretation of history, the Christian missionaries persecuted the Armanenschaft, resulting in many fleeing northward into Scandinavia and Iceland. He believed that they developed a secretive language for transmitting their teachings, known as ''kala''. List claimed that after the Christianisation of Northern Europe, the Armanist teachings were passed down in secret, thus resulting in their transmission through later esoteric traditions such as Freemasonry and
Rosicrucianism Rosicrucianism is a spiritual and cultural movement that arose in Europe in the early 17th century after the publication of several texts purported to announce the existence of a hitherto unknown esoteric order to the world and made seeking its ...
. He also claimed that the Medieval
Knights Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...
had been keepers of these Armanist secrets, and that they had been persecuted by the Christian establishment as a result of this; he believed that the deity they were accused of worshiping, Baphomet, was actually a sigil of the
Maltese Cross The Maltese cross is a cross symbol, consisting of four " V" or arrowhead shaped concave quadrilaterals converging at a central vertex at right angles, two tips pointing outward symmetrically. It is a heraldic cross variant which developed f ...
representing Armanist teachings. According to List, a number of prominent Renaissance humanists – including Giovanni Pico della Mirandola,
Giordano Bruno Giordano Bruno (; ; la, Iordanus Brunus Nolanus; born Filippo Bruno, January or February 1548 – 17 February 1600) was an Italian philosopher, mathematician, poet, cosmological theorist, and Hermetic occultist. He is known for his cosmologic ...
,
Johannes Trithemius Johannes Trithemius (; 1 February 1462 – 13 December 1516), born Johann Heidenberg, was a German Benedictine abbot and a polymath who was active in the German Renaissance as a lexicographer, chronicler, cryptographer, and occultist. He is consi ...
, Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, and Johann Reuchlin – were also aware of this ancient Armanist teaching, with List claiming that he was actually the reincarnation of Reuchlin. In addition, List claimed that in the eighth century, Armanists had imparted their secret teachings to the Jewish
rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...
s of Cologne in the hope of preserving them from Christian persecution; he believed that these teachings became the Kabbalah, which he therefore reasoned was an ancient German and not Jewish innovation, thus legitimising its usage in his own teachings. Rudgley stated that this "tortuous argument" was used to support List's anti-semitic agenda.


Millenarian views

List generally saw the world in which he was living as one of degeneration, comparing it with the societies of the Late Roman and Byzantine Empires. He bemoaned the decline of the rural peasantry through urbanisation, having witnessed how Vienna's population tripled between 1870 and 1890, resulting in overcrowding, a growth in diseases like tuberculosis, and a severe strain on the city's resources. A staunch monarchist, he opposed all forms of democracy, feminism, and modern trends in the arts, such as those of the Vienna Secessionists. Influenced by the Pan-Germanist politician Georg Ritter von Schönerer and his
Away from Rome! ''Away from Rome!'' (german: Los-von-Rom-Bewegung) was a religious movement founded in Austria by the Pan-German politician Georg Ritter von Schönerer aimed at conversion of all the Roman Catholic German-speaking population of Austria to Lutheran ...
movement, List decried the growing influence of linguistically Slavic communities within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He was opposed to '' laissez-faire'' capitalism and large-scale enterprise, instead favouring an economic system based on small-scale artisans and craftsmen, being particularly unhappy with the decline in tradesmen's
guilds A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...
. He was similarly opposed to the modern banking sector and financial institutions, deeming it to be dominated by Jews; in criticising these institutions, he expressed anti-semitic sentiments. Such views of the country's economic situation were not uncommon in Austria at the time, having become particularly widespread following the Panic of 1873. The later Heathen and runologist
Edred Thorsson Eadred (c. 923 – 23 November 955) was King of the English from 26 May 946 until his death. He was the younger son of Edward the Elder and his third wife Eadgifu, and a grandson of Alfred the Great. His elder brother, Edmund, was killed try ...
noted that List's "theories were to some degree based on the anti-semitic dogmas of the day", while Hammer stated that the Ariosophic tradition promulgated by List and others was "unambiguously racist and anti-semitic". List believed that the degradation of modern Western society was as a result of a conspiracy orchestrated by a secret organisation known as the Great International Party, an idea influenced by anti-semitic conspiracy theories. Adopting a
millenarianist Millenarianism or millenarism (from Latin , "containing a thousand") is the belief by a religious, social, or political group or movement in a coming fundamental transformation of society, after which "all things will be changed". Millenaria ...
perspective, he believed in the imminent defeat of this enemy and the establishment of a better future for the Ario-German race. In April 1915 he welcomed the start of World War I as a conflict that would bring about the defeat of Germany's enemies and the establishment of a golden age for the new Ario-German Empire. Toward the war's end, he believed that the German war dead would be reincarnated as a generation who would push through with a national revolution and establish this new, better society. For List, this better future would be intricately connected to the ancient past, reflecting his belief in the cyclical nature of time, something which he had adopted both from a reading of Norse mythology and from Theosophy. Reflecting his monarchist beliefs, he envisioned this future state as being governed by the House of Habsburg, with a revived
feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a wa ...
system of land ownership being introduced through which land would be inherited by a man's eldest son. In List's opinion, this new empire would be highly hierarchical, with non-Aryans being subjugated under the Aryan population and opportunities for education and jobs in public service being restricted to those deemed racially pure. He envisioned this Empire following the Wotanic religion which he promoted.


Influence and legacy

Writing in 2003, the historian of religion
Mattias Gardell Hans Bertil Mattias Gardell (born 10 August 1959) is a Swedish historian and scholar of comparative religion. He is the current holder of the Nathan Söderblom Chair of Comparative Religion at Uppsala University, Sweden. He was the first Leni ...
believed that List had become the "revered guru of Ariosophic paganism". Gardell considered the Austrian esotericist to have been "a legend in his lifetime", with List's ideas being embraced by many ''völkisch'' groups in Germany. German members of the List Society included Philipp Stauff, Eberhard von Brockhusen, Karl Hellwig, Georg Hauerstein, and Bernhard Koerner, who were founding members of the Reichshammerbund and Germanenorden; through the Germanenorden's Munich offshoot, the Thule Society, a vague lineage can be drawn between the List Society and the early Nazi Party as it was established after World War I. Goodrick-Clarke opined that "this channel of influence certainly carries most weight in any assessment of List's historical importance." Rudgley claimed that List's vision of a future German Empire constituted "a blueprint for the Nazi regime". Other German ''völkisch'' figures promoted Listian ideas to the wider public during and after the First World War. Further individuals — notably Rudolf John Gorsleben, Werner von Bülow, Friedrich Bernhard Marby, Herbert Reichstein, and Frodi Ingolfson Werhmann — took List's Ariosophical ideas alongside those of Liebenfels and built upon them further, resulting in a flourishing Ariosophical movement in the late 1920s and 1930s, with some of these individuals being within the coterie of prominent Nazi Heinrich Himmler and influencing the symbolism and rituals of the SS. He has also exerted an influence on the Australian Odinist and Ariosophist
Alexander Rud Mills Alexander Rud Mills (1885 – 8 April 1964) was an Australian barrister and author, interned in 1942 for his Nazi sympathies and fascist beliefs. He was also a prominent Odinist, one of the earliest proponents of the rebirth of Germanic Neopagan ...
. Both Goodrick-Clarke and later the religious studies scholar Stefanie von Schnurbein described List as "the pioneer of ''völkisch'' rune occultism", with the latter adding that "the roots of modern esoteric runology are found in Guido List's visions." In 1984, Thorsson expressed the view that List's impact was such that he was "able to shape the runic theories of German magicians (although not necessarily their ''political'' ones) from that time to the present day." In 1976, two longstanding activists in the ''völkisch'' and far-right milieu, Adolf and Sigrun Schleipfer, established the Armanen-Order in order to revive List's ideas, adopting a strong anti-modernist stance and a desire to revive pre-Christian religion. It was through the Armanen-Order that Thorsson, who joined it, learned about List's work. Thorsson then spearheaded "the post-war runic revival", founding an initiatory organisation known as the Rune Gild in 1980. Thorsson was responsible for translating a number of List's works into English, alongside those of other ''völkisch'' mystics like Siegfried Adolf Kummer. These publications brought awareness of List to an English-speaking readership, with his 1988 translation of List's ''The Secret of the Runes'' initiating a surge of interest in Ariosophy among the Heathen community of the United States. List's runology also made an appearance in
Stephan Grundy Stephan Scott Grundy (June 28, 1967 – September 29, 2021),
''The Wild Hunt'', October 5, 20 ...
's 1990 book ''Teutonic Magic''. List's Armanist ideas have been cited as an inspiration for the American Odinist militant David Lane, with
Wotansvolk Wotansvolk (English: "Odin's Volk, Folk") promulgates a White nationalism, white nationalist variant of modern paganism, Neo-Paganism—founded in the early 1990s by Ron McVan, Katja Lane and David Lane (white supremacist), David Lane (1938– ...
, a group that List was involved in establishing, viewing their own activism as a continuation of that begun by List. List was also of interest to the Heathen Michael Moynihan, who spent time visiting the places in Austria that are associated with List's life.


Bibliography

A bibliography of List's published books is provided in Goodrick-Clarke's study ''The Occult Roots of Nazism''.


References


Footnotes


Sources

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:List, Guido Von 1848 births 1919 deaths Adherents of Germanic neopaganism Austrian modern pagans Austrian astrologers 20th-century astrologers Austrian occultists Journalists from Vienna 19th-century Austrian dramatists and playwrights Austrian expatriates in Germany Writers from Vienna People from Leopoldstadt Pseudohistorians Burials at the Vienna Central Cemetery Deaths from pneumonia in Germany Austrian male dramatists and playwrights Former Roman Catholics Modern pagan novelists Founders of modern pagan movements 19th-century occultists 20th-century occultists