Tales from the Ironwood

Written on eve of the anniversary of Grandmaster List's passing away to his new arising-- 16/17 May 2025.  Conceived for many days, weeks, months, and years. List wrote of the rune MAN --"Be a Man!" We must ultimately reveal true self. Be true to thine self. If not now, then when? ********* To the vast majority, the terms “Armanism” and “Wuotanism” are unknown and obscure— words hardly a part of the popular vocabulary. For those familiar with contemporary Heathenism or occultism the terms may conjure up imprecise and inaccurate ideas supercharged with polemics and politics. While some might, and have, argued that these terms reach back into antiquity, their popularization and perhaps even origin date to the early 20th century and the ideas and works of the Austrian mystic, Guido von List (1848-1919).  Today, List is identified by his supporters and detractors alike as an early proponent of Heathenry or Odinism and the creator of an odd, if not discredited, rune-row or Fut...

This short essay was composed on 8 July 2022. It represents my initial thoughts after reading Stephen E. Flowers' translation of Guido von List's, The Transition from Wuotanism to Christianity . List has long been maligned by his detractors for the  völkisch writings of his youth. It is important to acknowledge that his most influential works were all published when he was aged 60 years or greater. These range from his 1908, Das Geheimnis Der Runes (The Secret of the Runes) to his final unpublished work, Armanismus und Kabbala (Armandom and Kabbalah). It is certainly noteworthy that at age 63 he identified the Armanen as the keepers of an esoteric world-religion - Wihinei . ********* One of the key concepts that Guido von List (1848-1919) uses throughout his writings is that of “Wihinei.” The recent translation by Stephen Flowers of List’s 1911 work, Die Übergang von Wuotanismus zum Christentum ( The Transition from Wuotanism to Christianity [1]) goes a long way in clarify...