Rasp
Senior Editor
[From: The Odinist, no. 35 (1978)]
'FAUSTIAN'
From time to time we have referred to what we call our 'Faustian' soul; maybe a clarification of what we mean is in order.
In the early 16th century a certain magician and charlatan known as Dr. Faust became rather famous. He obtained a post as schoolmaster at Kreuznach in Germany but soon had to flee the area because of a 'dastardly form of lewdness' with the boys in his care. A few years later again a Dr. Faust appeared, procuring a B.A. from the university of Heidelberg. Soon after the name Faust was connected with all forms for mysticism and sorcery; as for his abilities to perform magic, the opinions were divided, but his eventful life gave rise to much discussion and a number of books, mostly denouncing him as being in pact with the devil.
From ancient times sages and magis were believed to be divine and highly revered; by the same token, they were greatly feared because of their mysterious powers. But whereas some of these Venerables had great insight and knowledge, on the whole 'magic' was more often than not in the hands of evil-intentioned practitioners. When Christianity claimed its monopoly on miracles, and at the same time a widespread belief in diabolatry became general in which almost unlimited powers of the devil were entertained, all magicians were persecuted as devil worshippers and, of course, doomed to eternal damnation, including our 'Chief Necromancer' all the more because he was thought to have had recourse to magic in order to satisfy his cravings for knowledge.
There were other, maybe even more accomplished, magicians through the centuries, but for one reason or another, the person of Dr. Faust took the fancy of many writers, and he became the representative Black Magician of his age. Contributing to his fame was the fact that his first biographer, Johann Spies, collected a large number of magic feats attributing them all to Dr. Faust; undoubtedly stretching truth somewhat, they nevertheless were the source of most stories about the famous sorcerer and necromancer.
Other books followed, each adding a 1ittle to the skills of the original Dr. Faust, and soon a host of Faust literature sprang up, of which the best known is Marlowe's 'The Tragical History of D. Faust.' Eventually elements of farce crept in and plays performed in which some rather coarse clowning was a part.
One of the characteristics of the original Dr. Faust, but one which seems to have been forgotten in the course of his degradation to demon, was his apparent thirst for knowledge. To the German dramatist Lessing (1729-1781) this seemed one of the noblest instincts of the human mind and he therefore sought to reconcile the person of Dr. Faust with God and thus 'save' our famous magician. Goethe was inspired by this aspect and used it as part of his famous classic, of which the second part appeared in 1833. The dramatist here not only 'saves' Faust but, disregarding most of the historical facts, makes our original 'Chief Necromancer' into the embodiment of the highest strivings of man, representing the knowledge-seeking characteristics, immanent in our folk, which although subject to human failings, always actively will pursue truth.
It is Goethe's version of Dr. Faust we are thinking of when we use the term 'Faustian.' We do not mean to infer any use of Black Magic or other sorcery, but to point to our eternal quest for truth, wherever that may lead us. And especially Odinists; Father Odin himself knew a trick or two but much more important — in all of mythology he is the only knowledge-seeking god; he also willingly paid the price for the privilege of drinking from the Well of Wisdom. Therefore, and with full right, we speak of our Faustian Soul.
[C.]
'FAUSTIAN'
From time to time we have referred to what we call our 'Faustian' soul; maybe a clarification of what we mean is in order.
In the early 16th century a certain magician and charlatan known as Dr. Faust became rather famous. He obtained a post as schoolmaster at Kreuznach in Germany but soon had to flee the area because of a 'dastardly form of lewdness' with the boys in his care. A few years later again a Dr. Faust appeared, procuring a B.A. from the university of Heidelberg. Soon after the name Faust was connected with all forms for mysticism and sorcery; as for his abilities to perform magic, the opinions were divided, but his eventful life gave rise to much discussion and a number of books, mostly denouncing him as being in pact with the devil.
From ancient times sages and magis were believed to be divine and highly revered; by the same token, they were greatly feared because of their mysterious powers. But whereas some of these Venerables had great insight and knowledge, on the whole 'magic' was more often than not in the hands of evil-intentioned practitioners. When Christianity claimed its monopoly on miracles, and at the same time a widespread belief in diabolatry became general in which almost unlimited powers of the devil were entertained, all magicians were persecuted as devil worshippers and, of course, doomed to eternal damnation, including our 'Chief Necromancer' all the more because he was thought to have had recourse to magic in order to satisfy his cravings for knowledge.
There were other, maybe even more accomplished, magicians through the centuries, but for one reason or another, the person of Dr. Faust took the fancy of many writers, and he became the representative Black Magician of his age. Contributing to his fame was the fact that his first biographer, Johann Spies, collected a large number of magic feats attributing them all to Dr. Faust; undoubtedly stretching truth somewhat, they nevertheless were the source of most stories about the famous sorcerer and necromancer.
Other books followed, each adding a 1ittle to the skills of the original Dr. Faust, and soon a host of Faust literature sprang up, of which the best known is Marlowe's 'The Tragical History of D. Faust.' Eventually elements of farce crept in and plays performed in which some rather coarse clowning was a part.
One of the characteristics of the original Dr. Faust, but one which seems to have been forgotten in the course of his degradation to demon, was his apparent thirst for knowledge. To the German dramatist Lessing (1729-1781) this seemed one of the noblest instincts of the human mind and he therefore sought to reconcile the person of Dr. Faust with God and thus 'save' our famous magician. Goethe was inspired by this aspect and used it as part of his famous classic, of which the second part appeared in 1833. The dramatist here not only 'saves' Faust but, disregarding most of the historical facts, makes our original 'Chief Necromancer' into the embodiment of the highest strivings of man, representing the knowledge-seeking characteristics, immanent in our folk, which although subject to human failings, always actively will pursue truth.
It is Goethe's version of Dr. Faust we are thinking of when we use the term 'Faustian.' We do not mean to infer any use of Black Magic or other sorcery, but to point to our eternal quest for truth, wherever that may lead us. And especially Odinists; Father Odin himself knew a trick or two but much more important — in all of mythology he is the only knowledge-seeking god; he also willingly paid the price for the privilege of drinking from the Well of Wisdom. Therefore, and with full right, we speak of our Faustian Soul.
[C.]