History's Mysteries Season 5 Episode 5 The Occult and the Third Reich
During the 1930s and 1940s, the Third Reich led by Adolf Hitler scoured Europe for ancient mystical artifacts and books to help bring about a thousand-year reign for the Nazi Party. This episode of History's Mysteries explores the fascinating and terrifying landscape of occult beliefs and practitioners at the heart of the Nazi regime.
The episode begins by exploring the origins of the occult beliefs that captivated the Nazis, including the writings of Helena Blavatsky and Aleister Crowley, as well as ancient Norse and Celtic mythology. The Nazi belief in a pure, mystical Aryan race also fed into their obsession with the occult, as they sought to use ancient knowledge to dominate others.
Next, the episode delves into some of the most infamous figures in Nazi occultism, including Heinrich Himmler, who founded the SS and used its resources to gather ancient artifacts and conduct mystical rituals. Himmler was convinced that he could use the power of the occult to shape the future of the Third Reich, and he assembled a team of experts to investigate everything from folklore to ancient scripture in search of the key to ultimate power.
The episode also looks at some of the most notorious experiments conducted by Nazi occultists, including attempts to create a zombie army, harness the power of psychic mediums, and even communicate with extraterrestrial beings. Through interviews with historians and experts in fields from neuroscience to anthropology, the episode traces the origins of these experiments and their often-gruesome results.
As the episode reaches its climax, viewers are taken inside some of the most secretive and arcane locations in the Nazi regime, including the infamous Wewelsburg castle, which Himmler converted into a center for the occult. Here, rituals and ceremonies were conducted in hopes of unlocking the secrets of the universe and creating a new, all-powerful order.
This episode of History's Mysteries is a chilling and insightful look at a little-known aspect of the Third Reich. Through interviews with experts, archival footage, and dramatic reenactments, viewers are transported to a time and place where the line between science and mysticism was blurred, and the legacy of these beliefs remains controversial to this day.