Antaios (magazine)

The name "Antaios" is drawn from Greek mythology, referencing the giant Antaeus, son of Poseidon and Gaia, who was invincible as long as he touched his mother Earth. This evokes a grounding in primordial, elemental truths, a concept central to the magazine's philosophical underpinnings.

Antaios was a German cultural magazine published from 1959 to 1971 by Ernst Klett Verlag and edited by Mircea Eliade and Ernst Jünger. It had a conservative orientation and promoted perennial philosophy and the study of archetypes. The magazine drew inspiration from the Eranos circle and the German cultural magazine Merkur. It had a circulation of around 3000 copies in its early existence and around 1200 by the time it was discontinued.

In the intellectual currents of the mid-20th century, a period often characterized by fragmentation and the erosion of traditional meaning, the magazine Antaios emerged as a beacon of enduring wisdom. Edited by Mircea Eliade, the preeminent scholar of comparative religion, and Ernst Jünger, a writer deeply attuned to the elemental forces of existence, it offered a counter-narrative to the prevailing skepticism. The choice of "Antaios" as its name was no casual flourish. It directly invoked the myth of the giant Antaeus, son of Poseidon and Gaia, who drew his strength from his mother Earth and was defeated only when lifted from her embrace. This potent symbolism underscored the magazine's core thesis: that genuine insight and resilience, both individual and cultural, are rooted in a profound connection to the primordial, the mythic, and the archetypal dimensions of human experience.

Eliade, in his seminal works like "The Myth of the Eternal Return," consistently argued for the vital importance of myth and ritual in human life, not as mere historical curiosities but as living forces that structure our understanding of reality and provide a framework for meaning. Antaios provided a platform for this exploration, bringing together thinkers who recognized the enduring power of these ancient narratives and symbols to speak to the contemporary soul. The magazine's engagement with archetypes, a concept popularized by Carl Jung, further reinforced this commitment to the deep structures of the psyche, suggesting that beneath the surface of individual lives lie universal patterns of experience and consciousness. In a world increasingly defined by its superficialities, Antaios beckoned readers to re-establish contact with the deep wellsprings of meaning, to feel the pulse of the earth beneath their feet, and to draw strength from the timeless wisdom embedded in the human story. It was an invitation to stand firm, drawing power from the very ground of being.