The runes are said to have “revealed themselves” to von List, uncovering a complete cosmology and esoteric understanding of the primeval Teutonic/Aryan peoples, and becoming the cornerstone of his ideology. No other work so clearly and simply sets forth the full spectrum of von List’s fantastic vision of a mystical philosophy based on Germanic principles.
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. . . serves as one of the major text on the meaning of the runes and their place in Teutonic cultures.
(
"If runes interest you at all, The Secret of the Runes is a historical and sociological document of great import. If you are a student of occult beliefs, you will recognize many of the newfangled new-age concepts we take for granted as vintage Armanen, perhaps very much to your dismay. Either way, this is an important book whose mysteries never fail to provoke thoughts and challenge beliefs."
(Thor the Barbarian, Nemeton, Jan 2006 )
(
New Dawn, May/June 2003
)"If runes interest you at all, The Secret of the Runes is a historical and sociological document of great import. If you are a student of occult beliefs, you will recognize many of the newfangled new-age concepts we take for granted as vintage Armanen, perhaps very much to your dismay. Either way, this is an important book whose mysteries never fail to provoke thoughts and challenge beliefs."
(Thor the Barbarian, Nemeton, Jan 2006 )
Language Notes
Text: English, German (translation)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating,
This review is from: The Secret of the Runes (Paperback)
This is an incredibly interesting piece of work written by a truly enigmatic and fascinating individual. Guido Von List was an expert in Indo-European linguistics, Norse mythology, German folklore and had a broad understanding of etymology, anthropology and archaeology. He obtained this knowledge during his life-long study of the esoteric roots of pre-Christian Germanic society. There have been many vocal detractors of List and his work, especially in the decades following the conclusion of World War Two. His writings have been described as "fascistic" and "fantastic". Perhaps List understood better than his critics did that documenting the racial/philosophical/religious/linguistic roots of the ancient Aryans was never meant to be a demonizing process. 'The Secret of the Runes' (first published in 1908) offers the reader a chance to explore many of List's basic themes in a very easy to read format. The translator and editor, Stephen Flowers, treats his subject matter objectively and fairly. Not once is there a hint of heavy handiness of politically correct whitewashing. The work is allowed to stand on it's own. 'The Secret of the Runes' is not a piece of work that will appeal to everyone. Modern practitioners of Wicca or "rune magik" will most likely find this work offensive for it's pro-Nordic, racial themes. However, anthropologists, mythologists and those who study language or the occult will undoubtedly find many interesting nuggets of information thanks to Lists' exhaustive research and insight.
39 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Armanen Futhork,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Secret of the Runes (Paperback)
Guido List was a visionary who lived in Vienna at the turn of the 19th-20th century. The most extroadinary thing he did was develope the Armanen Futhork. He also was deeply steeped in the local traditions of Lower Austria, and had much insight into the secret Norse-Germanic symbolism in the archetecture of the Middle Ages. Linking him with the Nazis is rather like putting the cart before the horse. His political intent was to champion pan-Germanic unity for which reason he won the enthusiastic support of many German and Austrian aristocrats and industrialists. The fact of the matter is that the ethos of the Norse-Germanic faith is 100% opposite that of National Socialism. The racist content of List's writings, as well as those of the rune writers of the generation that followed him, is certainly open to criticism. It certainly did color his understanding of the meanings of several of the Runes which, in the light of scholarship in Norse-Germanic etymology and mythology, makes his material less valuable than it first seemed. It is unfortunate that many of his followers still choose to be racists and bigots, none of which has any positive value in the field of magic or in Norse-Germanic cultural development. It must be pointed out that the 19th-20th century form of racism has nothing at all to do with the ancient Norse-Germanic people. It is entirely the evil fruit of church propaganda as well as the stupid blather of Mme. Blavatsky who had a big influence on what came to be known as the Ariosophist movement in Germany. The Ariosophists were just the apes of the Theosophists with a German bias. One needs to look at this ugly chapter of German history with the eyes of the historian. Germany, in the late 19th and earlier 20th centuries was struggling to free itself from foreign oppression. This book is of historical importance. It was had a big influence on later German rune book writers, the best of whom is Karl Spiesberger. Spiesberger wrote in the 1950s in Berlin. His work is excellent and entirely free of the foul stench of bigotry. If you read German, look for his books: Runenmagie and Runenpraxis der Eingeweiten - Runenexerzitien. In The Secret of the Runes, called Das Geheimnis der Runen, in the original, the translations of the Spells of Odin from the Havamal are interesting and poetic, if slightly incorrect. The translation from the German of Guido List to the English of Stephen Flowers is good, but loses some of the beauty of List's German translation. Since the time of List, and certainly since after the two wars, there has come about much good scholarly research into the Norse-Germanic faith in Germany. For the German reader, I very much recommend reading professor Rudolf Simek's Lexicon der germanischen Mythologie. The restoration of a viable Norse-Germanic magical praxis depends on scholarly research, deep contemplation into the meanings of the Runes and intelligent experimentation. Bombastic and heavy-handed spouting about the master race and all that sort of nonsense has nothing at all to do with this tradition. The sooner the students of the Norse-Germanic tradition stringently divorce themselves from this senseless evil and work toward elevating their intellect to the tremendous heights of the true Odinic genious, the sooner this tradition will revive in a positively meaningful way.
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Guido von List - Aryan Prophet and Rune Magician.,
By New Age of Barbarism "zosimos" (EVROPA.) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Secret of the Runes (Paperback)
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.
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