Indiana Jones

WHITE LIE – THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE

Belvianes, France, August 15, 2012 -- The truth is out there and it is much more unbelievable than fiction. Thirty years ago, ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ exploded at the box office. The adventures of Indiana Jones were pure fantasy but the man he was based on was very real. His name was Otto Rahn.
Indiana Jones is a pop-culture phenomenon - Spielberg saw to that - making the charismatic relic hunter, who was willing to risk life and limb to outsmart the Nazi’s and beat them to discovering the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail, impossible to forget. Was Indy pure fiction? Not quite.
'White Lie’ is a story about forbidden history, hidden relics and the adventures of a group of people who get involved in something much bigger than themselves. It combines the mission of the Knights Templar - the warrior monks who legends claim discovered a sacred treasure beneath Solomon’s Temple - with Nazi relic hunter Otto Rahn.

Hi, Jeanne! 
I congratulate you on the release of your book White Lie. This is a great event for all who are familiar with the work, searching and life of Otto Wilhelm Rahn. When did you first hear of him?

Jeanne:
The first time I heard of Otto Rahn was probably during my research of the history of Montségur and the Cathars in connection with Grail lore. I never studied the man himself and only knew what most people know; that he researched Grail lore, visited Montségur and was working for Himmler as a relic hunter in a pre-war Germany. It wasn't until 2008 that a friend sent me "Crusade against the Grail" in English, followed by "Lucifer's Court" and Nigel Graddon's "Otto Rahn, Quest for the Holy Grail". I was thinking of writing a thriller book at that time about the 1st century, and the mysteries of the Languedoc. I had already done a lot of research for the book, but didn't get around to actually writing it, because the financial crisis had made me and my husband work 7 days a week to make a living. In 2011 I first had the chance to sit down properly and started writing in January. I would write almost 18 to 20 hours a day for several months and Otto slowly became one of the key players in the book.

Sie sind mystisch und geheimnisvoll – die Kristallschädel der indianischen Hochkulturen. Jetzt wurde einer dieser angeblichen „Götterschädel" in Bayern gefunden. Und der befand sich früher vermutlich im Besitz von SS-Führer Heinrich Himmler! 09.03.2011 — 10:20 Uhr, Bild.de

Wie das Magazin „Mysteries“ berichtet, fand der Schweizer Journalist Luc Bürgin den Schädel (12 Kilogramm schwer, 17,5 Zentimeter hoch, 21 Zentimeter tief) auf dem Dachboden seines bayerischen Informanten – versteckt in einem alten Holzkasten. „Eine Spezialanfertigung, die sich wiederum in einem alten, abgeschabten Tornister aus Leder befand.“

Dieser Fund versetzt Historiker in Aufruhr! Denn seit Jahrhunderten geben die geheimnisvollen Totenschädel Rätsel auf.

1 июля Генри «Индиане» Джонсу исполняется 110 лет. У его прототипа тоже юбилей. Только реальному персонажу, чья судьба отразилась в приключениях Индианы, 105 лет. В отличие от своего бравого американского двойника реальный человек был немецким археологом. Звали его Отто Ран. Оказывается, Отто служил в СС и даже получил звание обершарфюрера.

Очки главы СС Генриха Гиммлера поблескивали.

– Абсолютные сила и власть? –переспросил он.

– Все верно, – ответил археолог Отто Ран. – Вообще я склоняюсь к мысли, что Грааль – это скорее идея. Но источники указывают, что Граалем назывался магический предмет, который дарил владельцу безграничные возможности.

– И его можно найти?