Martin Barrett
As a frequent visitor to France, I had read about the Cathar treasure at Montsegur and decided to visit the site. With further reading and research, it was clear that here was story that needed to be told. A second visit to Montsegur for research and to talk to locals led to The Heretics' Revenge being written as probably the most comprehensive story of both the Cathar heretics and Otto Rahn ever told.
However, what motivated me most was the possibility that the Cathar relic might actually be found today. And if it could just what exactly would it turn out to be? Otto Rahn was convinced in the 1930s that it was the true Holy Grail. Could he have been right? The background history was always going to be extraordinary, but the real nub and kernel of the story was always going to be the prospect of locating that long-forgotten Cathar cache. That was the driver for the book.
However, what motivated me most was the possibility that the Cathar relic might actually be found today. And if it could just what exactly would it turn out to be? Otto Rahn was convinced in the 1930s that it was the true Holy Grail. Could he have been right? The background history was always going to be extraordinary, but the real nub and kernel of the story was always going to be the prospect of locating that long-forgotten Cathar cache. That was the driver for the book.
More Answered Questions
Warren Markham
asked
Martin Barrett:
A fascinating story. I found the background on the Nazi Grail hunter Otto Rahn particularly interesting. I read somewhere that you interviewed someone who had actually met Rahn. If that's true can you tell us a bit about that? (Also, is it true that he was the inspiration for Indiana Jones?)
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