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

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.

Introduction 1. Germanic Culture and Germanic Myth on the Far Right: Research to Date and Unanswered Questions 2. The Reception of Germanic Culture on the Far Right 3. The Far-Right Use of Norse-Germanic Mythology 4. Aims, Causes and Consequences of the Far-Right Appropriation of Germanic History and Culture 5. Far-Right Symbols Referring to Germanic Cultural History 6. Violent Messages on Far-Right Stickers and T-shirts with References to the Germanic Tribes Afterword

Georg Schuppener is Professor at the University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, Slovakia and at the University of Jan Evangelista Purkyne in Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic. He is an Honorary Professor at the Institute for Communication and Media Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of Leipzig, Germany. He is the winner of several academic prizes, including the Theodor Frings Prize of the Saxon Academy of Sciences in Leipzig, Germany, and he is author of numerous publications on the history of language, culture, and science.