"Probably one of the most outlandish - yet somehow oddly grand, strangely cosmic - endeavors of the Third Reich in general, and of the SS in particular, was Himmler's search for the Holy Grail.
In order to understand what Himmler was up to, we will have to look at the climate surrounding the Ahnenerbe and at what many readers probably think of as being a purely Christian symbol: the Holy Grail.
As we do so, we will come across a fascinating individual whom history has treated rather shabbily, the young SS officer and historian, Otto Rahn (1904-1939).
It was, after all, Otto Rahn who helped popularize the notion that the Grail was not the special property of the Catholic Church (should it actually exist, and should it ever be found).
For Rahn, the Grail was an emblem set up in opposition to the established Church for, if Rahn's conclusion was correct, it gave them a philosophical and historical edge over organized Christianity." (source)
In order to understand what Himmler was up to, we will have to look at the climate surrounding the Ahnenerbe and at what many readers probably think of as being a purely Christian symbol: the Holy Grail.
As we do so, we will come across a fascinating individual whom history has treated rather shabbily, the young SS officer and historian, Otto Rahn (1904-1939).
It was, after all, Otto Rahn who helped popularize the notion that the Grail was not the special property of the Catholic Church (should it actually exist, and should it ever be found).
For Rahn, the Grail was an emblem set up in opposition to the established Church for, if Rahn's conclusion was correct, it gave them a philosophical and historical edge over organized Christianity." (source)