Herman Wirth

Herman Wirth ( born May 6, 1885 in Utrecht, † February 16, 1981 in Kusel, and Herman Wirth Roeper Bosch, Herman Felix Wirth or Hermann Wirth ) was a predominantly acting in Germany Dutch scholars and important Nazi functionary and co-founder of the Research Foundation Deutsches Ahnenerbe the SS

Life

Wirth studied Dutch Philology, German, history and musicology and received his PhD in 1910 with the work of The Fall of the Dutch folk song. He taught thereafter Dutch Philology at the University of Bern. During the First World War Wirth supported Flemish separatists in German occupied Belgium and volunteered for the front. He was appointed in 1916 by the German Emperor Wilhelm II the title of Professor. After he had founded in 1919 in the Netherlands, a nationalist organization, Wirth settled in 1923 in Marburg down and joined the Nazi Party in 1925, which he initially left again next year, without distancing itself from the content of National Socialism; so he propagated the swastika as " arteigenes sign of salvation ."

Its written in this time work on " Prehistory of Atlantic- Nordic race " found in nationalist circles lively appeal, the National Socialist state government of Mecklenburg -Schwerin taught 1932 Wirth Research Institute of spirit surge layer in Bad Doberan one which, in the professional world as well as under Nazi intellectuals was extremely controversial. After the takeover of the Nazi Party, he joined this (as well as the SS, member number 258 776 ) 1934 again, he was awarded by Adolf Hitler his old membership number ( 20,151 ) again.

In the early days of the Nazi regime 1933-1935 the major churches of both denominations were working intensively with an ideological confrontation with neo-paganism. The relevant statements were still able to appear in book form. Trends for German - nationalist neo-paganism were to be found among others in the German Church, a predecessor organization of the German Christians, as well as in a radical form of the Tannenberg covenant of the couple Ludendorff. Hermann Wirth was one of those who tried to reinterpret Christianity in the ethnic sense and propagated a Nordic origin of the original monotheism. A collection of movement represented the German Faith Movement, which included many Neopagan and free religious groups which founded in 1933, endeavored to the corporate status. Among the leading members belonged to Jakob Wilhelm Hauer also next to Wirth and until 1934 Ernst Bergmann. The group was composed of numerous (formerly communist ) freethinker. ( Künneth / Schreiner 1933, cited by )

In 1935, he co-founded the protégé of Heinrich Himmler and Richard Walther Darré project " Research Foundation Deutsches Ahnenerbe " the SS from which he retired in 1938 due to ideological differences with Himmler, who did not share Wirths Matriarchatsvorstellungen. Since Wirths not only academically hardly recognized himself researches the still quite heterogeneous Nazi organizations not pasted it in 1938 was forced out of the Ahnenerbe, but received until 1944/45, research grants. This gave Wirth after the end of National Socialism partly as persecution.

1945 interned by the U.S. troops for two years, he moved to Sweden for a few years and returned back to Marburg in 1954, where he lived as a private scholar. Although he continues to Nazi Germany defended ideologically, Wirths found teachings about " primitive cultures " in the 1970's resonance in the emerging alternative scene and in support groups for Native Americans. Through the mediation of Wirth 's pupil and SPD member Roland Häke Willy Brandt visited 1979 Wirth in Marburg, and the Rhineland-Palatinate state government involved partly a project to set up a museum with ethnographic collection Wirths in the tithe barn of Burg Lichtenberg. Moreover tried Wirth- followers to establish an institute for Urgemeinschaftskunde. Wirth's ideas still finds supporters.

In addition to the cultural philosopher Otfried Eberz, the race watchers Ludwig Ferdinand Clauss and Bernhard Kummer Herman Wirth became an important reference authors for the mother 's rights issues in the writings of women, particularly folkish women of the 20s and 30s, but also to parts of the spiritual women's movement today.

Teaching

Herman Wirth took the view that in the Neolithic Age, the Germanic peoples in the state of matriarchy lived in harmony with nature. At this condition, which presupposes the " racial purity " of the Aryans, it is true, according to Wirth return. By enforcing the patriarchal king's army and the priesthood, and reinforced with the occurrence of ( Wirth for Jewish and " dissimilar " ) Christianity, this paradisiacal original state had been destroyed. Nazism was an attempt to produce " macro-and species-specific, down- time tradition " again. In his theories Wirth argued openly racist, anti-Semitic and antisocial, as a rule. So he called for the destruction of him as "unworthy of life " and " erbrassig inferior" respected people.

In Ahnenerbe Himmler and Wirth joined by Michael Kater " making conscious and re-creation of supposed values ​​from the bygone world of the Germanic ancestors and utilization of the so- obtained ' heritage ' on the practical and ideological level of National Socialism. "

Wirths historical and ethnographic theses have been and are unanimously rejected by the scientific community and can be substantiated by any sources. When Wirth for his thesis as evidence relied, first published in 1872 Ura - Linda -Chronik - a supposedly written in altfriesischer Language Chronicle - is it not an ancient text, but a contemporary forgery.

Ludwig Roselius - the nationalist- Nordic ideas related parties - was inspired by Wirth's book rising of the human race to a building in the Bremer Böttcherstrasse, the 1930/31 designed by Bernhard Hoetger Haus Atlantis.

Reception: Ur - Europe and Neopaganism

The association " Ur - Europe " emerged from the 1954 Wirths Contribute founded " Society for European Urgemeinschaftskunde / Herman Wirth Society" out. Ideologically, he refers to Wirth and his construction of a high order, Nordic-Germanic race. Wirth's ideas are rezipiert in much of the neo-pagan scene, some dismissed as " ethnic esotericism ".

Writings (selection )

• The emergence of humanity: Studies on the history of religion, symbolism and writing of the Atlantic- Nordic race. E. Diederichs, Jena 1928. Has been placed on the list of proscribed literature after the war in the Soviet occupation zone.
• The Ura - Linda -Chronik. Translated and edited with an introductory historical investigation. Koehler & Amelang, Leipzig 1933.
• What's German? A urgeistesgeschichtlicher retrospective self- reflection and self-determination. E. Diederichs, Jena 1931; 2nd edition 1934.