Wilhelm Mannhardt

Wilhelm Mannhardt (March 26, 1831, Friedrichstadt – December 25, 1880, Danzig) was a German scholar and folklorist. He is known for his work on Baltic mythology, as a collector, and for his championing of the solar theory.

He carried out field work despite poor health. He was a forerunner of James Frazer's, and like Frazer, his theories have subsequently been heavily criticized.^[1]

Works

• Letto-Preussische Götterlehre (1870)
• Wald- und Feldkulte. Band 1: Der Baumkultus der Germanen und ihrer Nachbarstämme: mythologische Untersuchungen (reprint)
• Wald- und Feldkulte. Band 2: Antike Wald- und Feldkulte aus nordeuropäischer Überlieferung erläutert (reprint)

References

1. For example, von Sydow, C. W. (Dec 1934). "The Mannhardtian Theories about the Last Sheaf and the Fertility Demons from a Modern Critical Point of View". Folklore 45 (4): 291–309. doi:10.2307/1257855. Retrieved 25 April 2015.