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A MYSTERIOUS crystal skull thought to have belonged to Hitler’s SS chief Heinrich Himmler has been discovered in Germany.

The artefact, found resting on a beam beneath the roof of a house in a Bavarian village, has excited treasure hunters.

They believe it may be part of a larger trove of bounty once owned by the most sinister man in Nazi Germany.

Indications are that it was part of a series worshipped by ancient Mayan cultures in what is now Mexico – where, legend has it, the skulls are vital to stop the world ending next year.

Himmler, who oversaw the extermination of Jews, was spellbound by myths and legends until his suicide after being captured by the British.

He financed expeditions all over the world by Indiana Jones-type SS men seeking proof of the “supremacy” of Aryan man.

The skull, which weighs nearly 20lbs, is of the same design as the death’s head on the uniforms of Himmler’s henchmen.

It was found in the home of an old lady once married to a high-ranking SS officer and is now in the hands of Swiss journalist Luc Burgin, who said: “I am 99% sure that this is one of the skulls of the Mayans, but we need clarity and all available tests will be carried out to ascertain authenticity.”

It is believed a list of 35 other missing Nazi treasures was found with it.

The Mayans shaped 13 crystal skulls, of which nine were coloured and represented the races of men and four were as clear as glass to represent “the beasts that walk, crawl, slide and fly”.

They were sent to their places of “birth” until such time when all were needed to avert the catastrophe man would wreak on the planet.

The Mayans, gifted astronomers and mathematicians, calculated a date for this “end of days” - the winter solstice, December 21, 2012.