Although it's somehow vague, the expression National mysticism or occultism can be used to delimit a whole series of claims, misbeliefs or fallacies regarding a specific or various ethnic groups.

It could be said that "National Mysticism" delimits all those actions and ideas which by deliberately or inconciously interpreting official historical, archaeological, literary and scientific research and facts in a subtle,deceptive or superficial manner, imply or force wrong or highly contested ideas, beliefs or exaggerations about a nation's or ethnic group's origins, history and language, achievements, traditions, etc.

Contents

1 Connection with occultism and mysticism 2 Connection with nationalism 3 Historical reasons 3.1 Historical overconfidence 3.2 Historical underconfidence 4 Scientific or logical foundation 4.1 An example case: the "Greek Origin" of American Indians 5 National mysticism in movies and literature

Connection with occultism and mysticism

The connection with occultism and mysticism becomes evident when noticed that those ideas and claims are usually developed,propagated and promoted by people and organizations whose research, interests or work are related to the (usually highly criticized) areas of mysticism, occultism ,ufology ,astrology and so on. Means of such promotion include dedicated press, books, documentaries, spoken word etc.

Connection with nationalism

The connection with nationalism arises when those ideas and beliefs are adopted and promoted connected with nationalist organizations, political parties, patriotism and so on.

The reasons for becoming interested and adopting such points of view by part of a nationalism activists, parties, or even a great part of a nation can vary.

One can be sheer political propaganda and need of strengthening the national feeling of a nation and creating a "passable" historical and cultural background for a particular ideology .

A well known as well as extreme example of this is the mysticism-based propaganda promoted by the Third Reich. In that specific case, a great deal of time and resources was spent for researching or creating a popularly accepted "historical", "cultural" and "scientific" background so the ideas about a "superior" Aryan race could prosper in German society of the time. Mystical organizations such as Thule Society, Schwarze Sonne , Vrill organization and others were created, usually connected with elite SS corps, and adopting specific rituals, initiations, beliefs ,etc.

Expeditions in Nepal and (according to some sources) also in Greece, and Antarctica were organized in the search for the mythical "Aryan" nation of Hyperborea, whose capital, Thule was supposedly built by the extraterrestrial anchestors of all "Aryan races" who came from the Aldebaran star, according to some of the "Aryan" theories. Similar, but less spectacular expeditions were organized in the pursuit of semi-mythical objects believed to bring power or granting special powers to their owner, such as the Holy Grail and the Spear of Destiny.

Historical reasons

Another reason for adopting "national-mystic" positions is either an exaggerated pride and admiration for one nation's history, or, on the opposite side, the lack of a "globally interesting" history.

Historical overconfidence

The first case can be noticed, for example, when considering some ideas and statements promoted by some ethnic Greeks or people studying Greek culture, Greek language and history. Such ideas include for example:

• the Ancient Greek heritage of American Indians (!) and other ethnic groups.
• Several claims about the Greek language such as:
  • Its age, even downing to an absurd 40000 years.
  • The total number of Greek words and derivatives.
  • The neuron-synapsis level importance of olive oil in the development of Ancient Greek culture.
  • The statement that Ancient Greek is the only natural language directly understood (sic) by computers.

and other things along these lines. Of course, similar claims can be discovered regarding other cultures and ethnic groups with a globally "important" historical and cultural influence.

Historical underconfidence

The second case can be noticed instead when dwelling into nationalistic theories regarding countries or people which have had a troubled or greatly obfuscated history, not very globally influent or "interesting" and somehow wish to "make up for it" by creating of forcing ideas of past and forgotten greatness, unknown or covered up origins of important personalities etc.

Scientific or logical foundation

Most of these ideas however have little or no scientific foundation, and as said before are usually "concretized" by forced and deceptious reasoning, deliberate misinterpretation of "real" data,if not by entirely ridicolous puns and wordplay who are hilarious at best.

An example case: the "Greek Origin" of American Indians

For example,the previously mentioned "Greek origins" or American Indians are "based" on the fact that the word "Navajos " looks and sounds alike the Greek word "Ναυαγός" (=one who shipwrecked, who has been cast away) and so according to that particular theory's supporters, this fact should lead to the "conclusion" that the Navajo Indians were Ancient Greek seamen who shipwrecked millenia ago on the coasts of today's America! As a "complement" to this theory, an "explanation" is provided for the origins of the Apache Indians too: from the (very forced) similarity between the greek word "Άπαχοι" (= Those Without Fat, the Skinny ones) and the word "Apache", the "obvious" conclusion should be that those Indians were originally Ancient Greeks who also "shipwrecked" like the "Navajos" did, and since at it seems the "Apache" were unable in finding food and sustain from the land they became very skinny (hence,without fat) and so exclaimed "How skinny (Άπαχοι) we became!".

National mysticism in movies and literature

A similar wordplay example of "national mysticism" can be seen in the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, where for the first time perhaps some light is shed over the culture of American Greeks . Apart from satire over the perseverant and focused way that immigrant and first generation American Greeks adhere to Greek tradition , in several scenes the father of the main character, a stereotyped immigrant Greek pater-familia "forces" his opinions into demonstrating, for example, the "Greek" origins of the Japanese word "Kimono", by pairing it with the Greek word "Χειμώνας" (=Winter) through a highly improbable association of the Kimono with a garment suitable for the winter cold and a very forced sound-alikeness!

There are surely a lot of other such ideas and beliefs regarding many of the worlds nations and people, which, as those few examples can probably illustrate, are usually the result of extremized, deceptive and superficial interpretation of "official" knowledge or "acceptable" facts and ideas about various nations and people.