Before the Golden Dawn
A neo-Nazi party called the Golden Dawn won 7 per cent of the vote in the Greek elections. The party denies being inspired by the Nazis, even though its flag bears a resemblance to the Swastika. Its name, however, may be inspired by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, an occultist society founded by William Wynn Westcott, a coroner from Leamington Spa.
— The society was founded upon rituals and teachings which Westcott claimed to have obtained by deciphering letters from Anne Sprengel, an imaginary illegitimate child of Ludwig I of Bavaria. In 1888 the society opened a temple in London, followed by others in Weston-super-Mare, Bradford and Edinburgh, where members taught astral projection and alchemy.
— The movement’s following included W.B. Yeats and Aleister Crowley plus a smattering of actresses, but it broke up in the early 20th century.
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