Study of the origins of Freemasonic lore in ancient Norse sources. This is a somewhat unusual book. It is partly a translation of a contribution by Guido von List to the study of Freemasonry, partly a personal memoir, partly a call to action, but most of all it is a basic introductory study of a topic that would really require many volumes to treat completely. The topic is that of the Germanic roots of the Masonic tradition. In this study I do not want to suggest that all of Masonic imagery and symbolism, or that the entirety of Masonic ritual, are simply lifted from ancient Germanic customs. Obviously there have been centuries of intentional efforts to make Masonic customs appear to have their origins in the Holy Land and to be linked to Old Testament themes. However, the facts seem to point simply and directly to a more “home grown” well-spring for the most basic and most original levels of these customs and rituals. These facts were well-known over a hundred years ago, and were discussed in some detail in a book by the American Masonic scholar George Fort in his 1884 book Early History and Antiquities of Freemasonry, subtitled As Connected with Ancient Norse Guilds, and the Oriental and Mediceval Building Fraternities. Our little book begins with a personal memoir that details my own brush with the Masonic Order and how it ended badly, but predictably. This is followed by the main body of the work consisting of two chapters. The first details the historical aspects of the question while the next delves more into specific themes of myth and ritual which have definite Germanic roots. Appended to this is an article written in 1910 by Guido von List, which touches on the Germanic origin of Masonic symbolism. The book concludes with a call to action for all men possessed of the idea of tradition to make the effort to become a Mason and thereby revivify this dying institution
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