Behind the Bastards

Part Six: How Heinrich Himmler Went From Nerdy Boy To Master of the SS

September 18, 2025

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  • Heinrich Himmler's embrace of occultism and pagan revivalism, influenced by figures like Carl Maria Willigut, led to the SS developing its own pseudo-religious ideology and practices, including the establishment of Wewelsburg Castle as a spiritual center. 
  • The Nazi regime, particularly through Himmler and the SS, actively sought to undermine and replace Christianity with a new ideology centered on the supposed superiority of the Aryan race and a fabricated Germanic mythology, viewing Christianity's tolerance and universalism as a threat. 
  • The SS's adoption of pagan symbols, rituals, and a rejection of traditional Christian holidays like Christmas, alongside the creation of a 'Friends of Heinrich Himmler' group funded by wealthy industrialists, demonstrates the organization's transformation into a quasi-religious order driven by esoteric beliefs and a desire for power. 
  • The SS's discomfort with the Catholic Church and attempts to supplant its influence with allegiance to Hitler were not new but an extension of historical German authoritarianism dating back to Bismarck. 
  • Himmler envisioned the SS as a quasi-religious organization, attempting to foster a new SS religion through symbols like the Death's Head ring and publications like 'Das Schwarzkorps', though actual conversion varied greatly among members. 
  • Himmler's anti-Christian crusade extended to marriage, where he sought to de-Christianize the institution by restricting church weddings and promoting alternative ceremonies, ultimately aiming to increase birth rates for the 'race' through policies that implicitly encouraged extramarital relations with soldiers. 

Segments

Himmler’s Occult Influences
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(00:00:01)
  • Key Takeaway: Heinrich Himmler’s interest in occultism and esoteric beliefs was significantly shaped by figures like Carl Maria Willigut, leading to the SS’s adoption of a pseudo-religious ideology.
  • Summary: This segment details how Himmler, influenced by Willigut’s fabricated history of the ‘Ehrmanen’ and ‘Ice Kings,’ began to believe in his own royal ancestry and the mystical significance of ancient Germanic sites, setting the stage for the SS’s occult pursuits.
Wewelsburg Castle as SS Spiritual Center
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(00:30:54)
  • Key Takeaway: Wewelsburg Castle was acquired and extensively renovated by Himmler to serve as the SS’s spiritual headquarters and a center for pagan rituals, funded by a group of wealthy industrialists known as the ‘Friends of Heinrich Himmler.’
  • Summary: The discussion focuses on Himmler’s acquisition of Wewelsburg Castle and its transformation into a pagan temple, complete with a ‘Round Table’ for SS officers and the establishment of a non-profit to fund these activities, highlighting the SS’s move away from traditional religious practices.
Replacing Christianity with Nazism
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(00:41:57)
  • Key Takeaway: The SS actively sought to replace Christianity with Nazism as the new state religion, promoting pagan celebrations like Yuletide and reinterpreting figures like Santa Claus as originally Germanic deities stolen by Christians.
  • Summary: This segment explores the SS’s efforts to supplant Christian holidays and beliefs with Nazi ideology, including the promotion of a ‘SS tree’ instead of a Christmas tree and the redefinition of figures like Wotan as the true origin of Santa Claus, aiming to instill loyalty to the Aryan race above all else.
SS Religious Conversion and Symbols
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(00:51:07)
  • Key Takeaway: Joining the SS was framed by some, like Bill Yen, as an act of religious conversion, with Himmler aiming to create a new SS religion, evidenced by the Death’s Head ring and its symbolic significance.
  • Summary: This segment discusses the SS’s requirement for members to pledge allegiance to Hitler above religious institutions, the historical German authoritarian distrust of the Catholic Church, and how Himmler attempted to cultivate a unique SS ideology and religious identity, exemplified by the Death’s Head ring and its associated rituals.
De-Christianizing Marriage
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(00:57:34)
  • Key Takeaway: Himmler waged a personal war against the traditional, Judeo-Christian concept of marriage, implementing SS decrees to restrict church weddings and promote alternative ceremonies to align with Nazi ideology.
  • Summary: The discussion focuses on Himmler’s efforts to de-Christianize marriage within the SS, starting in 1931 by restricting church weddings and requiring SS approval. It details the introduction of the ‘Sippenbuch’ for tracking genealogy to promote ‘ideal Aryan’ breeding, and the challenges faced in shifting away from traditional church ceremonies.
Pro-Natalism and Polygamy
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(01:08:15)
  • Key Takeaway: Facing high casualties in the early stages of WWII, Himmler pushed for pro-natalist policies, including a controversial decree that implicitly encouraged SS men to have children outside of marriage with German women to ensure the continuation of the ‘Aryan race’.
  • Summary: This segment explores the Nazi pro-natalist agenda, Hitler’s incentives for procreation, and Himmler’s growing concern over declining birth rates due to war casualties. It details Himmler’s decree in 1939 that normalized extramarital relations between soldiers and women for the sake of racial continuity, and his personal involvement with his secretary, Hedwig Potas, which coincided with these policy shifts.
Wartime Expansion and the Holocaust
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(01:23:14)
  • Key Takeaway: The early successes of WWII, particularly the swift defeat of France, fueled a sense of invincibility within the Nazi leadership, coinciding with the escalating persecution of Jews and the initial planning stages for the Holocaust.
  • Summary: This part of the conversation covers the initial exuberance and perceived invincibility within the Nazi leadership following early war victories. It touches upon Himmler’s prior statements about driving out Jews and the increasing scale of the problem as territories were annexed, leading to the planning for the ‘Final Solution’ and the impact of Rudolf Hess’s failed peace mission to Scotland on Hitler’s view of occultism.