DeepSummary
The episode discusses Savitri Devi, a woman who played a significant role in turning Nazism into a syncretistic religion that combined elements of Hinduism, ancient Egyptian mythology, and esoteric beliefs with Hitler as a central figure. She traveled throughout post-war Germany distributing pro-Nazi leaflets and built connections between various far-right and racist groups, helping to unite them under her esoteric Hitlerist philosophy.
Savitri Devi wrote several books expounding her beliefs, including 'The Lightning and the Sun' in which she portrayed Hitler as the 10th incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu, combining the wisdom of the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten and the strategic mind of Genghis Khan. Her ideas gained popularity among neo-Nazis and influenced accelerationist groups like Atomwaffen Division and The Base.
The episode explores how Devi's syncretic approach allowed Nazism to mutate and absorb elements from various subcultures like environmentalism, Norse mythology, and chan culture, creating bridges to attract disaffected young men. Her innovation turned a once-dead political ideology into a living religion capable of inspiring violence nearly a century after Hitler's defeat.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Savitri Devi played a pivotal role in transforming Nazism from a political ideology into a syncretic religious movement that venerated Hitler as an avatar or god-like figure.
- Devi's writings combined elements of Hinduism, ancient Egyptian mythology, and esoteric beliefs with Nazism, helping unite various far-right and racist groups under her 'esoteric Hitlerist' philosophy.
- Her approach allowed Nazism to mutate and absorb aspects from subcultures like environmentalism, Norse mythology, and chan culture, creating inroads to attract disaffected youth.
- Devi's innovations gave Nazism a new vitality, enabling it to persist and inspire violence among modern hate groups like Atomwaffen Division and The Base nearly a century after Hitler's defeat.
- Her syncretic approach built bridges between the environmental movement and neo-Nazism by portraying nature itself as fundamentally 'National Socialist'.
- By portraying Hitler as an avatar of ancient gods and mythological figures, Devi helped turn Nazism into a living religious movement rather than just a historical political ideology.
- Devi's prolific writings and connections to neo-Nazi groups in the post-war years allowed her esoteric Hitlerist philosophy to gain significant traction and influence among modern hate movements.
- The rise of the internet and online subcultures provided the final catalyst for Devi's syncretistic Nazi religious movement to spread more widely and attract a new generation of adherents.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “By the late 1970s, the historical experience of the Third Reich was quickly receding into the past. As popular literature and films ably demonstrated, Nazism was becoming something mythical, even fantastic, and also plastic that could be molded and combined with novel associations.“ by From the book 'Hitler's Priestess'
- “Savitri Devi is the greatest warrior after Adolf Hitler, Rudolf Hess, and Joseph Goebbels. Moreover, she was the first to discover the ancient and spiritual power behind Hitlerism.“ by Miguel Serrano
- “She took what was a dead political system that couldn't spread outside of Germany, not really, and turned it into a living syncretic religion. Something with vitality, something capable of mutating and absorbing and staying relevant, and something capable of inspiring young men to commit murder in the memory of Adolf Hitler nearly a century after his death.“ by Robert Evans
- “Creation and destruction are one to the eyes of one who can see beauty.“ by Savitri Devi
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Episode Information
Behind the Bastards
Cool Zone Media and iHeartPodcasts
5/2/24
Robert is joined again by Jamie Loftus to continue discussing Savitri Devi.
Jamie’s new Cool Zone Media show Sixteenth Minute launches on May 7th! Every week, she gets to know one of the internet’s most notorious main characters, and how the algorithm delivering them to you changes their brain and yours. Up first: Antoine Dodson, the dress, and Boston slide cop!
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