Thule Society

German occult society founded in Munich in 1918 by Adam Glauer (1875-1945) who styled himself Rudolf, Freiherr von Sebottendorf. This was an anti-Semitic society that had links with Adolf Hitler through the German Workers' Party (later National Socialist German Workers Party). The activities of the Thule Group were as much political as occult, and their sphere of influence included judges, police chiefs, professors, and industrialists.

Dietrich Eckart, a central figure in the Thule Group, also played a prominent part in the committee of the German Workers' Party and became one of the seven founder members of the Nazi Party. When he died in December 1923, he is reported to have said: "Follow Hitler! He will dance, but it is I who have called the tune! I have initiated him into the 'Secret Doctrine,' opened his centers in vision and given him the means to communicate with the Powers. Do not mourn for me: I shall have influenced history more than any other German."

Sources:

Howe, Ellic. Urania's Children: The Strange World of the Astrologers. London, 1967. Reprinted as Astrology: A Recent History Including the Untold Story of its Role in World War II. Walker, 1968.

King, Francis. Satan and Swastika: The Occult and the Nazi Party. London: Mayflower, 1976.

Ravenscroft, Trevor. The Spear of Destiny. London, 1973.

Webb, James. The Occult Establishment. LaSalle, Ill.: Open Court Publishing, 1976.