Thule (myth)
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Thule is in classic sources a place, usually an island, in the far north, often Scandinavia.
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Pytheas
It was first mentioned by the Greek geographer and explorer Pytheas of Massalía (present-day Marseille) in the 4th century BC. Pytheas claimed that Thule was six days north of Britain, and that the midsummer sun never set there. Thule is sometimes seen to have some commonality with Atlantis.
The most likely locale for Thule is nowadays considered to be the coast of Norway; other historians think it was the Shetland Islands, Faroe Islands or Iceland, however.
Procopius
In Procopius, it was a large island in the north inhabited by 25 tribes. It is clearly Scandinavia since several tribes are easily identified, such as the Geats (Gautoi) and the Saami (Scrithiphini). He also wrote that when the Heruls returned, they passed the Varni and the Danes and then crossed the sea to Thule, where they settled beside the Geats.
Middle Ages
In the Middle Ages, the name was sometimes used to denote Iceland, such as by Bremen's Deeds of Bishops of the Hamburg Church, where he probably cites old writers' usage of Thule.
Modern use
Some Occult groups, most notably the German Thule Gesellschaft (ca. 1920) thought that it was the original source of the secret wisdom of the Aryan race.
Thule was also mentioned by Traditionalist author Julius Evola in connection with Hyperborea (literally, far north) and Atlantis.
Literature
In Thea Beckman's triology The Children of Thule, Thule is the name used for Greenland, which has received an enjoyable climate after the poles shifted due to a nuclear war.
Ultima Thule
The Romans used the generic phrase Ultima Thule to denote any distant place located beyond the "borders of the known world".
Ultima Thule is also:
- The name of a Swedish Nationalist rock group.
- The name of a short story by Vladimir Nabokov.
- The name of an album by the band Ostara.