Deutsche Heidnische Front (DHF or ''German Heathens' Front'') was a

far right Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and Nativism (politics), nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on ...

Neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

group created in 1998 as the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

section of the

Heathen Front The Allgermanische Heidnische Front (AHF) was an international neo-Nazi organisation, active during the late 1990s and early 2000s, that espoused a form of racial Germanic Neopaganism. It grew from the Norsk Hedensk Front (NHF), which was claimed ...

. It was formed by avowed

neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

Hendrik Möbus. It has been inactive since 2005.

Development

The group was established in 1998 in an attempt to forge close links between the Pagan and

nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...

scenes in Germany. It was the German branch of the ''Allgermanische Heidnische Front'', an international Odalist movement. The group, which recruited widely in the skinhead and heavy metal scenes, set up groups across Germany, although its main area of activity was

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

. Followers of Germany's

black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with tr ...

scene were the main target group for recruitment.Stefan von Hoyningen-Huene, ''Religiosität bei rechtsextrem orientierten Jugendlichen'', LIT Verlag Münster, 2003, p. 233 In 2001 the group had a change of leadership and, alongside this, sought to publicly redefine its ideological stance. Although continuing to express nationalistic views and extol the virtues of the

Aryan race The Aryan race is a pseudoscientific historical race concepts, historical race concept that emerged in the late-19th century to describe people who descend from the Proto-Indo-Europeans as a Race (human categorization), racial grouping. The ter ...

they used more moderate language and moved away from expressions of neo-Nazism.

Self-description and ideology

The group seeks to restore an ancient Germanic religion, although it breaks from those other pagan groups who do not include a strong ''völkisch'' core to this. The members believe that their actions are driven by

Norse mythology Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology, is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia as the Nordic folklore of the modern period. The ...

and as such it belongs to the same tradition as the

Völkisch movement The ''Völkisch'' movement ( , , also called Völkism) was a Pan-Germanism, Pan-German Ethnic nationalism, ethno-nationalist movement active from the late 19th century through the dissolution of the Nazi Germany, Third Reich in 1945, with remn ...

s, the

Thule Society The Thule Society (; ), originally the ('Study Group for Germanic Antiquity'), was a German occultist and group founded in Munich shortly after World War I, named after a mythical northern country in Greek legend. The society is notable chie ...

and elements within the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

. Strongly

anti-Semitic Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

, the DHF has been driven by the

Fourteen Words "The Fourteen Words" (also abbreviated 14 or 1488) is a reference to two slogans originated by the American domestic terrorist David Eden Lane, one of nine founding members of the defunct white supremacist terrorist organization The Order (white ...

of David Lane.

Structure

The DHF structure is based around freely associated ''Gaue'' or districts. Within these districts celebrations are organized at traditional sites, particularly at

solstice A solstice is the time when the Sun reaches its most northerly or southerly sun path, excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. Two solstices occur annually, around 20–22 June and 20–22 December. In many countries ...

time. A summer solstice festival held in

Kyffhäuserkreis The Kyffhäuserkreis is a district in the northern part of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are the districts Mansfeld-Südharz, Saalekreis and Burgenlandkreis in Saxony-Anhalt, and the districts Sömmerda, Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis and E ...

in 2002 was mentioned in a report by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution as the site was used for similar festivities by the SS.II. Rechtsextremismus
/ref> The group publishes a magazine, ''Tuisto'', which deals with pagan, cultural and historical themes.

References

{{Authority control Modern pagan organizations established in 1998 Religious organizations disestablished in 2005 Neo-Nazi organizations in Germany Modern pagan organisations based in Germany Defunct modern pagan organizations Far-right modern pagan organizations

Development

Self-description and ideology

Structure

See also

References