The Germanic Tribes, the Gods and the German Far Right Today

Description

The Germanic Tribes, the Gods and the German Far Right Today deals with the question of how right-wing extremists in German-speaking countries adapt and adopt elements from the history, culture, and mythology of the Germanic tribes. It provides the first in-depth study of the adoption of these historical motifs by right-wing extremists. Using linguistic and historical perspectives, and drawing on both publicly accessible material and sources gathered by the intelligence services, the book delineates the influence and impact of Germanic tribal history and culture within extremist subcultures. The author demonstrates that references to the Germanic peoples, their history, culture, and mythology, are even more widespread among contemporary right-wing extremists than they were in the interwar National Socialist era. This book will be of interest to researchers of right-wing extremism, German politics, and social movements. Cover Half Title Series Title Copyright Contents List of figures Introduction 1 Germanic culture and Germanic myth on the far right: Research to date and unanswered questions 1.1 General introduction 1.2 A critical review of the research to date 1.3 Organisational forms of the far right 2 The reception of Germanic culture on the far right 2.1 A short history of the reception of Germanic culture in the German-speaking world 2.2 Far-right uses of Germanic history and culture 2.3 Evaluation and the consequences of the far-right use of Germanic history and culture 2.4 A note on the use of archaic language 3 The far-right use of Norse-Germanic mythology 3.1 Background 3.2 Findings 3.2.1 References to the world of the Germanic gods 3.2.2 References to mythological material in the wider sense 3.3 The adoption of myths as a source of transcendence 3.4 Myth as response to a lack of meaning 4 Aims, causes and consequences of the far-right appropriation of Germanic history and culture 4.1 Functions of the far-right appropriation 4.2 Summary and societal consequences 5 Far-right symbols referring to Germanic cultural history 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Symbols related to mythology 5.3 Runes 5.4 The Black Sun 5.5 Combinations of symbols 5.6 The symbolism of numbers 5.7 Summary 6 Violent messages on far-right stickers and T-shirts with references to the Germanic tribes 6.1 Background 6.2 Methodology and material evidence 6.3 Colours and text 6.4 Norse-Germanic mythology as a religion of violence 6.5 The Germanic tribes as warriors 6.6 Summary/conclusion Afterword Bibliography Index