Anna Sprengel
Encyclopedia
Anna Sprengel countess of Landsfeldt, love-child of Ludwig I of Bavaria
and Lola Montez
, is a person whose existence was never proven, and whom it now seems was invented by William Wynn Westcott
to confer legitimacy on the Golden Dawn
.
and was responsible for the foundation of the Golden Dawn around 1886. She is supposed to have held a Rosicrucian
ritual and to have nominated Westcott as the head of the Golden Dawn in Britain
.
One of Westcott
's friends had decoded a series of manuscripts
which the occultist Fred Hockley had brought from Germany
which were given to him by a German Rosicrucian
secret society. The address which was encoded there was that of a certain Anna Sprengel, countesse of Landsfeldt, near Nuremberg. It was thus that Westcott is supposed to have been put into contact with Anna Sprengel.
By 1886, Anna Sprengel is supposed to have already established contact with the person who would become the main leader of the Golden Dawn in Britain, Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers
(1854-1918). Anna Sprengel is supposed to have given Mathers a charter authorising him to found lodges of the Golden Dawn in Britain. Westcott and Mathers henceforth collaborated to develop the Golden Dawn, notably in France
and in the United States
.
Ludwig I of Bavaria
Ludwig I was a German king of Bavaria from 1825 until the 1848 revolutions in the German states.-Crown prince:...
and Lola Montez
Lola Montez
Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, Countess of Landsfeld , better known by the stage name Lola Montez, was an Irish dancer and actress who became famous as a "Spanish dancer", courtesan and mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, who made her Countess of Landsfeld. She used her influence to institute liberal...
, is a person whose existence was never proven, and whom it now seems was invented by William Wynn Westcott
William Wynn Westcott
William Wynn Westcott was a coroner, ceremonial magician, and Freemason born in Leamington, Warwickshire, England...
to confer legitimacy on the Golden Dawn
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was a magical order active in Great Britain during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which practiced theurgy and spiritual development...
.
Westcott's anecdote
According to William Wynn Westcott, with whom he claimed she entered into voluminous correspondence, Anna Sprengel was born in NurembergNuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
and was responsible for the foundation of the Golden Dawn around 1886. She is supposed to have held a Rosicrucian
Rosicrucian
Rosicrucianism is a philosophical secret society, said to have been founded in late medieval Germany by Christian Rosenkreuz. It holds a doctrine or theology "built on esoteric truths of the ancient past", which, "concealed from the average man, provide insight into nature, the physical universe...
ritual and to have nominated Westcott as the head of the Golden Dawn in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
One of Westcott
Westcott
-Places:Westcott is the name of more than one place. The name means west cottage.In the United Kingdom:*Westcott, Buckinghamshire*Westcott, Devon*Westcott, Surrey*Westcott Barton, Oxfordshire...
's friends had decoded a series of manuscripts
Cipher Manuscripts
The Cipher Manuscripts are a collection of 60 folios containing the structural outline of a series of magical initiation rituals corresponding to the spiritual elements of Earth, Air, Water and Fire...
which the occultist Fred Hockley had brought from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
which were given to him by a German Rosicrucian
Rosicrucian
Rosicrucianism is a philosophical secret society, said to have been founded in late medieval Germany by Christian Rosenkreuz. It holds a doctrine or theology "built on esoteric truths of the ancient past", which, "concealed from the average man, provide insight into nature, the physical universe...
secret society. The address which was encoded there was that of a certain Anna Sprengel, countesse of Landsfeldt, near Nuremberg. It was thus that Westcott is supposed to have been put into contact with Anna Sprengel.
By 1886, Anna Sprengel is supposed to have already established contact with the person who would become the main leader of the Golden Dawn in Britain, Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers
Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers
Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers , born Samuel Liddell Mathers, was one of the most influential figures in modern Occultism...
(1854-1918). Anna Sprengel is supposed to have given Mathers a charter authorising him to found lodges of the Golden Dawn in Britain. Westcott and Mathers henceforth collaborated to develop the Golden Dawn, notably in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.