Bruno Schweizer
Encyclopedia
Bruno Schweizer was a German
linguist, best known for his work with the Nazi
Ahnenerbe
division.
Schweizer was a personal believer in the theory that a Germanic Langobard
stronghold in northeastern Italy
gave rise to the Cimbrians, during the Middle Ages
before and after its alleged end in 774.
On March 10, 1938, Schweizer organized an Ahnenerbe-sponsored expedition to Iceland
, hoping to discover shrines to the Norse gods Odin
or Thor
. During the expedition later that year, he sent back correspondence to Heinrich Himmler
complaining that the Icelandic people had abandoned traditional crafts such as forging
, wood-carving, spinning
, weaving
and dyeing
; and that they had also forgotten their traditional myths and legends, thus losing belief in the ‘transcendent nature’ that the Ahnenerbe held dearly to. The mission was eventually aborted, citing uncooperative Icelandic government officials who restricted access to certain locations.
While Schweizer's tight commitment to Germanic racism is indisputable and surely unacceptable, his linguistic works are fully acknowledged and appreciated by former and present linguists.
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...
linguist, best known for his work with the Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
Ahnenerbe
Ahnenerbe
The Ahnenerbe was a Nazi German think tank that promoted itself as a "study society for Intellectual Ancient History." Founded on July 1, 1935, by Heinrich Himmler, Herman Wirth, and Richard Walther Darré, the Ahnenerbe's goal was to research the anthropological and cultural history of the Aryan...
division.
Schweizer was a personal believer in the theory that a Germanic Langobard
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
stronghold in northeastern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
gave rise to the Cimbrians, during the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
before and after its alleged end in 774.
On March 10, 1938, Schweizer organized an Ahnenerbe-sponsored expedition to Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, hoping to discover shrines to the Norse gods Odin
Odin
Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
or Thor
Thor
In Norse mythology, Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing, and fertility...
. During the expedition later that year, he sent back correspondence to Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
complaining that the Icelandic people had abandoned traditional crafts such as forging
Forge
A forge is a hearth used for forging. The term "forge" can also refer to the workplace of a smith or a blacksmith, although the term smithy is then more commonly used.The basic smithy contains a forge, also known as a hearth, for heating metals...
, wood-carving, spinning
Spinning (textiles)
Spinning is a major industry. It is part of the textile manufacturing process where three types of fibre are converted into yarn, then fabric, then textiles. The textiles are then fabricated into clothes or other artifacts. There are three industrial processes available to spin yarn, and a...
, weaving
Weaving
Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. The other methods are knitting, lace making and felting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling...
and dyeing
Dyeing
Dyeing is the process of adding color to textile products like fibers, yarns, and fabrics. Dyeing is normally done in a special solution containing dyes and particular chemical material. After dyeing, dye molecules have uncut Chemical bond with fiber molecules. The temperature and time controlling...
; and that they had also forgotten their traditional myths and legends, thus losing belief in the ‘transcendent nature’ that the Ahnenerbe held dearly to. The mission was eventually aborted, citing uncooperative Icelandic government officials who restricted access to certain locations.
While Schweizer's tight commitment to Germanic racism is indisputable and surely unacceptable, his linguistic works are fully acknowledged and appreciated by former and present linguists.
Literature
SCHWEIZER, BRUNO (2008): Zimbrische Gesamtgrammatik. Vergleichende Darstellung der zimbrischen Dialekte. Herausgegeben von James R. Dow. – Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart. ISBN 978-3-515-09053-7External links
- SCHWEIZER, BRUNO (1948): Die Herkunft der Zimbern
- Gerd Simon: Bruno Schweizer und die Island-Expedition des >Ahnenerbes< der SS critical report about Bruno Schweizer by Dr. Gerd Simon from Universität Tübingen (in German)