TikTok users are going to the mythical realms of Hyperborea and Agartha, but what are their ties to the alt-right community?
As we approach the US presidential election politics, one again, have become the main topic of contention on social media. TikTok in particular has become a hotbed of political advocacy with the upcoming elections.
The vast online presence of Generations Z and Alpha has changed the political landscape and how presidential campaigns operate. More specifically, campaigns have tried to appeal to the younger generation’s sense of humor, which has mostly fallen flat.
Yet there’s a new trend of users going to “Hyperborea” and “Agartha” that’s been surfing the undercurrents of TikTok. And if you’re not too careful, it may lead you down the far-right pipeline.
What is “Hyperborea” and “Agartha?”
The new trend on TikTok has seen white-skinned, blonde-haired, and blue-eyed users with 90s Euro music in the background saying that they are going to “Hyperborea” or “Agartha.” Like many TikTok jokes that seem harmless at first, like looksmaxxing, this one also has an edge to it.
As with looksmaxxing and male manipulator music, all roads lead straight to 4chan and its alt-right community. However, the lore in this trend is complex and requires an understanding of its details. To start off, what exactly is Hyperborea and Agartha?
“Hyperborea” is a mythical remote region of Greek mythology that was situated so far north that it was out of reach of the Greek god of the northern wind, Boreas. Hyperborea is now believed to be used in reference to the ancient frontier of roughly modern day Scandinavia or Britain.
It was represented as a land of paradise inhabited by a race called the “Hyperboreans.” This term is now thought to be used in reference to the people who inhabited the region at the time. The Nazis would go on to use this myth to support their racial ideology of the superiority of the Nordic and Germanic peoples.
Agartha, on the other hand, is a legendary kingdom populated by a race of superior beings. It is located underneath the Earth, and its entrance is nestled in the Himalayas. This hearing of a superior race of beings would pique Nazi interest as they hoped it’d align with their racial ideology.
Hyperborea and Agartha’s connection to the alt-right and Nazi racial ideology
Agartha became associated with the Nazis due to their belief in the “Aryan race.” The term Aryan was used by linguists to identify the people who spoke the Indo-European language thousands of years ago. It comes from the Indo-European language family tree.
Various languages descend from the tree and consequently share varying levels of similarity. The Nazis would go on to create their own pseudo-racial ideology based on these linguistic findings. They posited that the Aryans were a superior mythical race that declined by mixing with lower races on the Nazi racial hierarchy.
The races deemed to be the “purest” or possessing the most Aryan blood were of ethnic Nordic and Germanic blood. Phenotypically, they’d be white-skinned, blue-eyed, and blonde-haired. This superior race of the Aryans clearly links back to Agartha.
Hyperborea was loosely of interest to the Nazis at that time but has been more strongly associated with Nazi Esotericism on 4chan. In the late 2000s, Hyperborea became a running gag in the conversations about Nazi Esotericism on 4chan. The constant discussion of Hyperborea correlated with the general sentiment of white superiority.
From here, we can finally understand the trend of “Hyperborea” and “Agartha” and who’s accepted and who’s not. While most TikToks are satire, it’s important to understand that some are a dog whistle for the alt-right movement.
The alt-right movement and its dog whistles
Since Hyperborea hit TikTok in 2023, it became associated with the trend of “Aryan classic” TikToks, which reaffirm the superiority of the white race. TikToks such as the one below have surged in popularity due to the migrant crisis in Europe. Unresolved issues of the crisis, have led many to take isolationist stances while some have taken extremist stances.
This radicalization has led many to of adopted racial and xenophobic stances on migration which have intersected with the racial ideologies of the far right. Due to the censorship of these extremist beliefs, far right activists have taken to using dog whistles in order to recognize each other online.
In TikToks of this trend, you may see a multitude of dog whistles that alt-right supporters use to recognize each other. One of the most common is the misspelled “yuo” which was popularized on 4chan. The misspelling is used in the phrase “now yuo see” to show an example that may enlighten one to alt-right beliefs, as seen in the TikTok above.
Other common dog whistles that you may see are the “have a totally ___ day” comments. Examples may be “have a totally nice day” or “have a totally joyful day.”
While these phrases seem innocent at first, the phrases themselves are far from it. In actuality, they are wishing death to an ethnic group. If they’re saying “totally joyful day,” it means “total Jew death.” Another example of a “totally nice day” is “total n***** death.”
The mainstream implications of the alt-right community
Since the rise of looksmaxxing, which has its origins on 4chan, the alt-right and incel community has become increasingly mainstream. Other trends have also emerged due to growing support for these beliefs.
As with the aforementioned “Aryan classic” trends, there has been another adjacent trend called “save Europe.” This trend has spawned out of concern for the growing migrant crisis within Europe. While some are used to spread awareness of the crisis, others are used in support of the “Great Replacement Theory.”
Most of this surge in activity and growth in the alt-right movement is mainly due to the upcoming 2024 presidential election. Prior issues regarding migration policies within the US and Europe and issues concerning globalism have added further fuel to the flame.
It’s no surprise that nationalism and growing conservative sentiments have surged, with these issues remaining unresolved. As to how much intensity and prevalence they will gain, only time will tell as we near November.
