Jan de Vries penetrates to the essence of the Germanic human being. Avoiding the pitfalls of linguistic false friends, the author uncovers the spirit of the pagan Germanic peoples as they expressed it through their blood ties, poetry, and magic.

The conception of personal freedom that could not be reduced to slavish submissiveness even within a strictly organized state is characteristic of the Germanic sensibility. It is not without justification that one has spoken of the Faustian man who, in his innate urge toward creative action, threatens to burst the limits of his ability through the force of his will. The Germanic spirit rebels against any norm imposed upon it and strives for a meaningful revelation of its own essence.