Introduction
Ultima Thule was described in ancient Greek and Roman texts as the northernmost place in the known world, a land beyond the edge of maps and imagination. Over centuries, it evolved from poetic geography into a symbol of lost civilizations, mystical origins, and even Nazi occultism. Where—and what—was Thule?
Origins
The Greek explorer Pytheas claimed to reach “Thule” around 330 BCE, describing it as a frozen land of endless daylight. Later, the name became associated with Arctic islands, Atlantis-like civilizations, and, in the 20th century, Nazi racial mythology. The Thule Society, a proto-Nazi occult group, claimed descent from Thule’s mythical Aryan supermen.
Theories and Legacy
- Lost Civilization: Some esoteric writers link Thule to Atlantis, Lemuria, or Hyperborea—a vanished polar culture with advanced technology or mystical knowledge.
- Occult Politics: The Nazi Thule Society blended occultism, Aryan supremacy, and world domination fantasies.
- Modern Myth: Thule remains a touchstone in alternative history, conspiracy circles, and science fiction.
Key Examples
- Pytheas’s lost voyage, Nazi occult symbolism, and Thule-themed literature.
- Arctic expeditions and pseudoscientific “evidence” for a polar homeland.
- Popular culture: from Lovecraft to Marvel Comics and the New Horizons probe’s flyby of a “Thule” object in 2019.
Critical Analysis
Ultima Thule is the archetypal “edge of the map”—part lost world, part political hallucination, and part cosmic metaphor for the unknown. Its persistence reveals how we mythologize geography to encode hope, fear, and power.
Influential Literature: Pro & Contra
- Joscelyn Godwin – “Arktos: The Polar Myth in Science, Symbolism, and Nazi Survival” – Adventures Unlimited, 1996.
- Nicolas Goodrick-Clarke – “The Occult Roots of Nazism” – NYU Press, 1992.
- Robert M. Schoch – “Lost Civilizations: Thule, Antarctica, and the Ancient Polar Myth” – Inner Traditions, 2012.