Otto Wilhelm Rahn (18 February 1904—13 March 1939) was a German medievalist and an Obersturmführer (First Lieutenant) of the SS, born in Michelstadt, Germany. Speculation still surrounds Otto Rahn and his research. From an early age, he became interested in the legends of Parsifal, the Holy Grail, Lohengrin and the Nibelungenlied. While attending the University of Giessen he was inspired by his professor, the Baron von Gall, to study the Albigensian (Catharism) movement, and the massacre that occurred at Montségur. Rahn is quoted as saying that "It was a subject that completely captivated me".