Ernst Kurtzahn
Ernst Tristan Kurtzahn (1879 – 1939) was a German architect, teacher, author and esoteric researcher. Despite being relatively unknown today, Kurtzahn was an influential figure in the Armanen school of esotericism, and played an important role in its development.
In 1915, inspired by Gustav Meyrink’s novel The Golem, Kurtzahn became interested in the Tarot. After studying the works of Etteilla, Papus and Éliphas Lévi, Kurtzahn published The Tarot in 1920. It was the first German-language book on the Tarot and includes a set of cards designed by the author, which was also the first esoteric Tarot in German.
This edition includes Kurtzahn’s Armanist work “The Runes as Symbols of Salvation and Fate.” One of the first books on interpreting Rune divination using the modern 18-Futhork grouping, it features a set of plates with runes that may be cut out and used in a similar manner to tarot cards for divination.