The creation of Ariosophy/Armanism and “Wotanism”

The Austrian occultist Guido Von List was a critical figure in the Völkisch Movement and laid the groundwork for future Odinist movements. He was a self-described “Wotanist” who pioneered a form of “Aryan Esotericism” called Ariosophy or Armanism with his constituent Adolf Joseph Lanz. This branch of esotericism, which promotes racialist ideologies under the guise of “Germanic paganism,” was designed to glorify the Aryan race. List created the ahistorical Armanen Runes for this esotericism. Needless to say, List’s Odinism doesn’t resemble the animistic Heathen practices of the past or present, but it continues to complicate Heathen spaces to this day.

List’s work greatly influenced the Germanenorden, an antisemitic occult society. This society later became the Thule Society, which allegedly influenced the beliefs and motivations of what would eventually become the Nazi Party.