In 1936, Carl Jung published a brief but haunting essay titled “Wotan,” where he reflected on the psychological forces stirring in Germany during the rise of the Nazi regime. Writing not as a political analyst but as a depth psychologist, Jung proposed that Hitler’s Germany had fallen under the sway of a powerful archetype: Wotan, the wild Germanic god of storm, frenzy, and fate.
Jung didn’t frame this possession as metaphor. He meant it quite literally in the psychological sense: that the Nazi movement was a kind of mass psychosis, an unconscious archetype returning from the shadows. The modern German, rational and scientific on the surface, had been overtaken by what Jung described as “der Gott hat das deutsche Volk ergriffen” (“the god has seized the German people”).¹
This wasn’t just about Hitler as an individual but about the psychological atmosphere from which he emerged. Jung emphasized that archetypes rise not from race or blood but from the collective unconscious—a shared layer of the psyche shaped by history, myth, and cultural memory. Crucially, Jung distinguished between the archetype—the universal, primordial psychic pattern shared by all humanity—and the archetypal images, the culturally specific symbols and myths through which those archetypes express themselves.
In this light, the Wotan archetype’s resurgence was not about a fixed German essence but about a particular archetypal image that activated within Germany’s cultural psyche during the 1930s, reflecting specific historical and social conditions.
It’s worth remembering that the “German people” Jung referred to are themselves a complex tapestry of migrations, cultures, and histories. The Wotan archetype, closely linked to Odin in Norse mythology, is ancient—far older than any modern national or ethnic identity.
Similar patterns have been observed elsewhere and at other times. The mass hysteria of the McCarthy era in the United States, the fervent nationalism seen in various countries, or the rise of populist movements fueled by world mythologies all echo Jung’s idea of archetypal forces stirring beneath the surface of modern rationality. Even in Canada, while not as extreme, certain social currents reveal how collective unconscious forces can shape political and cultural realities.
One example that often gets overlooked is the presence of corruption in contemporary society—entrenched networks of influence and control that operate in the shadows, quietly shaping social and economic realities. As we move further into the 21st century, these forces are becoming less hidden and more visible, demanding attention. Innocent bystanders are getting caught in the crossfire of gang violence. Until recently, many political and social analyses neglected these persistent undercurrents, but there are clear signs that deeper, often unconscious dynamics - some might say "evil powers" - continue to influence our world in complex and sometimes troubling ways.
Returning specifically to Germany in the 1930s, the supposed activation of the Wotan archetype occurred amid profound social upheaval—including the trauma of World War I, economic devastation, political instability, and widespread uncertainty—that created fertile ground for unconscious forces to rise in collective behavior.
Jung’s essay Wotan was published in 1936, at a time when much of Europe was fraught with tension and the Nazi regime was consolidating power. Although Jung worked in Switzerland—a country officially neutral but under considerable political and economic pressure from Nazi Germany—he was far from detached. His writing reveals a shrewd awareness of the dangers involved in addressing such a charged subject, carefully balancing psychological insight with the need to navigate a precarious political landscape.²
Taken together, these factors suggest that Wotan’s “possession” of Germany was less about any fixed racial or national essence and more about how historical and cultural conditions may have triggered deep psychological patterns already latent in humanity’s collective unconscious.
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| Ferdinand Leeke - Wotan and the Sleeping Brunhilde, 1890 |
To Jung, Wotan was not merely a mythological relic but a living psychic force buried deep within the collective unconscious of the German people. He believed this archetype had reawakened—erupting with irrational energy that overtook reason, morality, and individuality. Germany, in his words, was “bewitched,” possessed by something older than politics.
Jung didn’t frame this possession as metaphor. He meant it quite literally in the psychological sense: that the Nazi movement was a kind of mass psychosis, an unconscious archetype returning from the shadows. The modern German, rational and scientific on the surface, had been overtaken by what Jung described as “der Gott hat das deutsche Volk ergriffen” (“the god has seized the German people”).¹
This wasn’t just about Hitler as an individual but about the psychological atmosphere from which he emerged. Jung emphasized that archetypes rise not from race or blood but from the collective unconscious—a shared layer of the psyche shaped by history, myth, and cultural memory. Crucially, Jung distinguished between the archetype—the universal, primordial psychic pattern shared by all humanity—and the archetypal images, the culturally specific symbols and myths through which those archetypes express themselves.
In this light, the Wotan archetype’s resurgence was not about a fixed German essence but about a particular archetypal image that activated within Germany’s cultural psyche during the 1930s, reflecting specific historical and social conditions.
It’s worth remembering that the “German people” Jung referred to are themselves a complex tapestry of migrations, cultures, and histories. The Wotan archetype, closely linked to Odin in Norse mythology, is ancient—far older than any modern national or ethnic identity.
Similar patterns have been observed elsewhere and at other times. The mass hysteria of the McCarthy era in the United States, the fervent nationalism seen in various countries, or the rise of populist movements fueled by world mythologies all echo Jung’s idea of archetypal forces stirring beneath the surface of modern rationality. Even in Canada, while not as extreme, certain social currents reveal how collective unconscious forces can shape political and cultural realities.
One example that often gets overlooked is the presence of corruption in contemporary society—entrenched networks of influence and control that operate in the shadows, quietly shaping social and economic realities. As we move further into the 21st century, these forces are becoming less hidden and more visible, demanding attention. Innocent bystanders are getting caught in the crossfire of gang violence. Until recently, many political and social analyses neglected these persistent undercurrents, but there are clear signs that deeper, often unconscious dynamics - some might say "evil powers" - continue to influence our world in complex and sometimes troubling ways.
Returning specifically to Germany in the 1930s, the supposed activation of the Wotan archetype occurred amid profound social upheaval—including the trauma of World War I, economic devastation, political instability, and widespread uncertainty—that created fertile ground for unconscious forces to rise in collective behavior.
Jung’s essay Wotan was published in 1936, at a time when much of Europe was fraught with tension and the Nazi regime was consolidating power. Although Jung worked in Switzerland—a country officially neutral but under considerable political and economic pressure from Nazi Germany—he was far from detached. His writing reveals a shrewd awareness of the dangers involved in addressing such a charged subject, carefully balancing psychological insight with the need to navigate a precarious political landscape.²
Taken together, these factors suggest that Wotan’s “possession” of Germany was less about any fixed racial or national essence and more about how historical and cultural conditions may have triggered deep psychological patterns already latent in humanity’s collective unconscious.
Put differently, it could happen anywhere, anytime—especially if we let it take root and grow unnoticed, like an insidious weed.
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¹ Jung, Wotan, 1936.
² Jung also held the presidency of the International General Medical Society for Psychotherapy, which became subject to Nazi regulations in Germany in the 1930s. Some have critiqued Jung for this; Jung himself said in Memories, Dreams, Reflections that he chose to take up the challenging post to keep the new field of psychoanalysis alive.
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