Karl Maria Wiligut (alias Weisthor, Jarl Widar, Lobesam; 10 December 1866 – 3 January 1946) was an Austrian Völkisch occultist and soldier. He served in the Austro-Hungarian Army during World War I and was a leading figure in the Armanism movement, eventually joining the SS after being recruited by Heinrich Himmler.

Karl Maria Wiligut was born in Vienna on December 10, 1866, into a Catholic military family. Both his father and grandfather had served in the military and at the age of 14, he was enrolled in Breitensee Imperial Cadet Academy After graduating, he was conscripted to the k.u.k. infantry regiment of Milan I King of Serbia. On 17 December 1883 he was appointed to infantry, four days later he became a Gefreiter (private). In 1888, he was promoted to lieutenant.

Karl showed interest in the Völkisch movement early on in his life. In 1889, he joined the quasi-masonic "Schlaraffia-Loge" and in 1903, he published his first book, Seyfrieds Runen, a collection of poems and stories concerning ancient Germanic runes. 1908, he published his second book Neun Gebote Gôts, on the subject Irminism. Wiligut claimed to be a "Magus-King", the descendant of an ancient line of god-kings dating back to 228,000 B.C., and that he was able to see into the past lives of his ancestors.

During World War I, Wiligut served on both the Italian and Eastern front. He served with 30th Infantry Regiment in the Carpathian Mountains before commanding a training unit near Salzburg in Austria-Hungary. He was decorated for gallantry and on 1 August 1917, he was promoted to colonel. In May 1918, he was retired from the front and commanded a convalescence camp near Lviv. After almost 40 years in military service, he retired on 1 January 1919 with an impeccable record, and moved to Morzg near Salzburg where he dedicated his time to occult studies. He renewed his acquaintance with Theodor Czepl of the Ordo Novi Templi, who in winter 1920-21 spent seven weeks in Wiligut's house. Czepl compiled a report for the archive of the O.N.T., where he describes Wiligut as "a man martial in aspect, who revealed himself as bearer of a secret line of German kingship".

Wiligut was a freemason in his youth.

In 1906, he married Malwine Leurs von Treuenringen of Bozen, with whom he had two daughters, Gertrud and Lotte. A twin brother of one of the girls died as an infant, a devastating tragedy for Wiligut, who was desperate for a male heir to which he could pass on his "secret knowledge", which estranged him from his wife.

Wiligut's wife remained unimpressed by her husband's claim to kingship; blaming him for their destitution, she pushed for his committal to a mental hospital. On 29 November 1924, while he was at a cafe with friends, police arrested Wiligut and he was sent to the local mental institution, where he was confined for several years.

Wiligut's medical records reflect violence at home, including threats to kill his wife, grandiose projects, eccentric behavior and occult interests. Following this arrest in 1924, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and megalomania. He was declared legally incompetent by a Salzburg court and committed to a Salzburg asylum, where he remained until 1927. In 1932, he abandoned his wife and family, and emigrated from Austria to Germany, residing in Munich. He is known to have corresponded with many admirers and disciples, including Ernst Rüdiger Starhemberg and members of the Order of the New Templars.