The Spear of Destiny, also known as the Holy Lance or the Lance of Longinus, is one of Christianity’s most enigmatic relics. Said to be the spear that pierced the side of Jesus Christ during the Crucifixion, it has long been entwined with legends of divine power, war, and prophecy. Over the centuries, it passed through the hands of emperors, conquerors, and—according to occult accounts—the most infamous dictator of the 20th century.
According to the Gospel of John, as Jesus hung on the cross, a Roman soldier pierced His side with a spear to confirm His death. That soldier is traditionally identified as Longinus, later venerated as a saint. The weapon used in this act came to be regarded as a sacred relic—the Spear of Destiny—believed to hold miraculous or supernatural power.
By the early Middle Ages, several relics claiming to be this holy weapon appeared across Christendom. The most famous version eventually became associated with the Holy Roman Empire. Known as the Vienna Lance, it was housed in the imperial regalia and came to symbolize divine authority granted by God to emperors and kings.
From Charlemagne to Frederick Barbarossa, rulers who possessed the lance were said to wield divine legitimacy. For centuries, it was displayed as part of the Imperial Treasury in Vienna, revered as both a relic of Christ and a symbol of world power.
Hitler and the Spear
The legend of the Spear of Destiny took a darker turn in the 20th century with the rise of Adolf Hitler. As a young man in Vienna, Hitler reportedly visited the Hofburg Museum, where the Imperial Regalia—including the lance—were displayed. Later writers and occult historians claimed that this encounter left a deep impression on him.
According to these accounts, Hitler came to believe that whoever possessed the Spear of Destiny would hold the power to determine the fate of the world. The story gained traction through works like Trevor Ravenscroft’s 1973 book The Spear of Destiny, which claimed that Hitler’s obsession with the relic shaped his worldview and even guided his quest for power.
When Nazi Germany annexed Austria in 1938, Hitler ordered the spear and other regalia seized and transported to Nuremberg—an act that some interpreted as both political and mystical. The relic was kept in a vault beneath St. Catherine’s Church, a symbolic resting place near the heart of the Nazi Party’s spiritual center.
The Fall of the Reich and the Mystery of the Spear
As the Third Reich collapsed in 1945, Allied forces entered Nuremberg and discovered the treasures of the Holy Roman Empire hidden in a bunker. Among them was the Holy Lance. The artifact was soon taken into custody by the U.S. Army and later returned to Vienna, where it remains on display today in the Hofburg Museum.
Yet conspiracy theories quickly emerged. Some claimed that the true Spear of Destiny had been secretly replaced with a replica long before the war’s end. Others suggested that the Nazis, or perhaps secret societies within the regime, had spirited the original away to use in occult rituals or to hide its power from falling into enemy hands.
Ravenscroft’s popular but controversial claims further fueled these theories, linking the spear to apocalyptic visions and mystical energy. Skeptics, however, point out that no verifiable evidence supports the idea that Hitler’s military conquests or ideology were influenced by such a relic. To historians, the Spear of Destiny’s connection to Nazi occultism is more myth than fact—but the myth itself has endured with remarkable power.
The Spear Today
The artifact currently displayed in Vienna is a metal spearhead with a thin nail or spike fixed inside it—believed in medieval tradition to be one of the nails from Christ’s cross. Scientific studies have dated parts of the spear to around the 7th century, far later than the time of the Crucifixion, suggesting that it is a symbolic relic rather than the literal weapon used on Calvary.
Still, for believers and mystery seekers, its aura persists. The idea that an object could bind together faith, empire, and supernatural destiny continues to fascinate both scholars and occult enthusiasts. Whether viewed as sacred history, legend, or cautionary myth, the Spear of Destiny remains a relic that refuses to fade quietly into the past.
Conspiracy