Eugen Mogk (19 July 1854 – 4 May 1939) was a German academic specialising in
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...
literature and
Germanic mythology
Germanic mythology consists of the body of myths native to the Germanic peoples, including Norse mythology, Anglo-Saxon mythology, and Continental Germanic mythology. It was a key element of Germanic paganism.
Origins
As the Germanic language ...
. He held a professorship at the
University of Leipzig
Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...
.
Life and career
Mogk was born in
Döbeln
Döbeln ( hsb, Doblin) is a town in Saxony, Germany, part of the Mittelsachsen district, on both banks of the river Freiberger Mulde.
History
* 981: First written mention of Döbeln (Margravate of Meissen).
* Around 1220: Döbeln is described ...
. He studied
Germanic studies
Germanic philology is the philological study of the Germanic languages, particularly from a comparative or historical perspective.
The beginnings of research into the Germanic languages began in the 16th century, with the discovery of literary tex ...
and history at the University of Leipzig from 1875 to 1883, earning his doctorate in 1878 with a dissertation on the ''
Gylfaginning
''Gylfaginning'' (Old Norse: 'The Beguiling of Gylfi' or 'The Deluding of Gylfi'; c. 20,000 words; 13th century Old Norse pronunciation ) is the first part of the 13th century ''Prose Edda'' after the Prologue. The ''Gylfaginning'' deals with th ...
'' section of the ''
Prose Edda
The ''Prose Edda'', also known as the ''Younger Edda'', ''Snorri's Edda'' ( is, Snorra Edda) or, historically, simply as ''Edda'', is an Old Norse textbook written in Iceland during the early 13th century. The work is often assumed to have been t ...
''. In 1889 he earned his
habilitation
Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in many European countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellence in research, teaching and further education, usually including a ...
in Scandinavian philology with an edition and translation of "The So-Called Second Grammatical Tractate of the ''Snorra Edda''".
["Prof. Dr. phil. Eugen Mogk"]
Catalogue of professors of the University of Leipzig . He taught Scandinavian philology at the university from 1888 until his retirement in 1925: until 1893 as a ''
privatdozent
''Privatdozent'' (for men) or ''Privatdozentin'' (for women), abbreviated PD, P.D. or Priv.-Doz., is an academic title conferred at some European universities, especially in German-speaking countries, to someone who holds certain formal qualific ...
'', from 1893 to 1901 as professor (''nichtplanmäßiger
außerordentlicher Professor
Academic ranks in Germany are the titles, relative importance and power of professors, researchers, and administrative personnel held in academia.
Overview
Appointment grades
* (Pay grade: ''W3'' or ''W2'')
* (''W3'')
* (''W2'')
* (''W2'', ...
''), from 1901 to 1923 as full professor (''planmäßiger außerordentlicher Professor'') and from 1923 to 1925 as
chair
A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. They may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...
(''
ordentlicher Professor
Academic ranks in Germany are the titles, relative importance and power of professors, researchers, and administrative personnel held in academia.
Overview
Appointment grades
* (Pay grade: ''W3'' or ''W2'')
* (''W3'')
* (''W2'')
* (''W2'', ...
'').
[ Among his students were ]Bernhard Kummer
Bernhard Kummer (21 January 1897, Leipzig – 1 December 1962, Bad Segeberg) was a Germanist who was appointed to a professorship in the Nazi Germany, Nazi era and whose writings have been influential among postwar Neo-Nazism, neo-Nazis. He wa ...
and Konstantin Reichardt. In November 1933 he was a signatory to the statement of college and university faculty in support of Hitler and the Nazi regime
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
. He died in Leipzig.
Mogk married Margarete Scheer; they had three sons. His son Helmut Mogk became head of the University of Leipzig library.
Memberships and honours
Mogk was a member of the Royal Danish Society of Antiquaries, the Finno-Ugrian Society, the Saxonian Academy of Sciences
The Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Leipzig (german: Sächsische Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Leipzig) is an institute which was founded in 1846 under the name ''Royal Saxon Society for the Sciences'' (german: Königlich Sächsische G ...
and the Association for Saxon Folklore,[ whose ''Publications'' he edited from 1897 on.]Adolf Noreen
Adolf Gotthard Noreen (13 March 1854, in Östra Ämtervik, Sunne Municipality – 13 June 1925, in Uppsala) was a Swedish linguist who served as a member of the Swedish Academy from 1919 until his death.
Noreen studied at Uppsala University and ...
, "Eugen Mogk", ''Nordisk familjebok
''Nordisk familjebok'' (, "Nordic Family Book") is a Swedish encyclopedia that was published in print from between 1876 and 1993, and that is now fully available in digital form via Project Runeberg at Linköping University. Despite their consi ...
'' Volume 18, ''Mekaniker – Mykale'', 2nd ed. (1913) pp.&nbs
800
ndas
. He also belonged to the Leoniden, an association of artists and intellectuals in Leipzig founded in 1909.
In 1924 he was honoured with a festschrift
In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...
.
Publications and views
For the reference series ''Pauls Grundriß der germanischen Philologie'', Mogk wrote both the survey of Old Norse literature (''Norwegisch-isländische Literatur'', 1889) and that of Norse mythology (''Mythologie'', 1891).[ The latter was replaced in 1935–37 by Jan de Vries' ''Altgermanische Religionsgeschichte''.][A. D. Kylstra, "Jan de Vries und die erste Auflage seiner 'Altgermanischen Religionsgeschichte'" in ''Palaeogermanica et Onomastica: Festschrift für J.A. Huisman zum 70. Geburtstag'', ed. Arend Quak and Florus van der Rhee, Amsterdamer Beiträge zur älteren Germanistik 29, Amsterdam/Atlanta: Rodopi, 1989, , pp. 97–108]
p. 97
He also edited a three-volume collection called ''Altnordische Textbibliothek'' and was one of the editors of the ''Altnordische Sagabibliothek'' collection of the Icelandic saga
is a series of science fantasy role-playing video games by Square Enix. The series originated on the Game Boy in 1989 as the creation of Akitoshi Kawazu at Square (video game company), Square. It has since continued across multiple platforms, ...
s that began publication in 1891.[
Mogk focussed on the Old Norse texts as literature,][ and in a number of publications argued that ]Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of the ...
was a mythographer
Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...
, who composed stories of the Germanic gods to explain poetic allusions rather than reporting pre-existing myths. For example, he argued that in the passage in the Eddic poem "Völuspá
''Vǫluspá'' (also ''Völuspá'', ''Vǫlospá'' or ''Vǫluspǫ́''; Old Norse: 'Prophecy of the völva, a seeress'; reconstructed Old Norse: ) is the best known poem of the ''Poetic Edda''. It tells the story of the creation of the world and ...
" usually taken as referring to the Æsir–Vanir War
In Norse mythology, the Æsir–Vanir War was a conflict between two groups of deities that ultimately resulted in the unification of the Æsir and the Vanir into a single pantheon. The war is an important event in Norse mythology, and the implica ...
, the Vanir
In Norse mythology, the Vanir (; Old Norse: , singular Vanr ) are a group of gods associated with fertility, wisdom, and the ability to see the future. The Vanir are one of two groups of gods (the other being the Æsir) and are the namesake of the ...
were initially within the stronghold with the Æsir
The Æsir (Old Norse: ) are the gods of the principal pantheon in Norse religion. They include Odin, Frigg, Höðr, Thor, and Baldr. The second Norse pantheon is the Vanir. In Norse mythology, the two pantheons wage war against each other, res ...
and that after the wall was breached, they fought against not the Æsir but the gods' common enemy, the giants
A giant is a being of human appearance, sometimes of prodigious size and strength, common in folklore.
Giant(s) or The Giant(s) may also refer to:
Mythology and religion
*Giants (Greek mythology)
*Jötunn, a Germanic term often translated as 'gi ...
; he interpreted Gullveig
Gullveig (Old Norse: ) is a female figure in Norse mythology associated with the legendary conflict between the Æsir and Vanir. In the poem ''Völuspá'', she came to the hall of Odin ( Hár) where she is speared by the Æsir, burnt three time ...
as a giantess, not one of the Vanir. Georges Dumézil
Georges Edmond Raoul Dumézil (4 March 189811 October 1986) was a French philologist, linguist, and religious studies scholar who specialized in comparative linguistics and mythology. He was a professor at Istanbul University, École pratique d ...
argued forcefully against Mogk's viewpoint, accusing him of character assassination and a "war" and "sterilisation" of the traditional sources in the field.[Wouter W. Belier, ''Decayed Gods: Origin and Development of Georges Dumézil's "Idéologie Tripartie"'', Studies in Greek and Roman Religion 7, Leiden / New York: Brill, 1991, ]
p. 182
quoting from ''Tarpeia'', p. 253 : "un jeu de massacre, d'où la documentation traditionelle sort meurtrie et stérilisée ... un des épisodes les plus remarquables de cette autre guerre." Mogk's view on Snorri can be seen as the culmination of the evolutionary view that stages of development can be discerned in Old Norse religion
Old Norse religion, also known as Norse paganism, is the most common name for a branch of Germanic religion which developed during the Proto-Norse period, when the North Germanic peoples separated into a distinct branch of the Germanic peop ...
, and that some of the gods, such as Thor
Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred groves ...
and Odin
Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered Æsir, god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, v ...
, were later developments than agricultural deities such as Freyr
Freyr (Old Norse: 'Lord'), sometimes anglicized as Frey, is a widely attested god in Norse mythology, associated with kingship, fertility, peace, and weather. Freyr, sometimes referred to as Yngvi-Freyr, was especially associated with Sweden an ...
.
Mogk also wrote about folklore, for example a 1929 study of the medieval conciliation cross
A conciliation cross, also known as a roadside cross, is a stone cross, which was set up in a place where a murder or accident had happened.
Purpose
In medieval times, they were sometimes handmade by the murderer as a symbol of conciliation with ...
es, and exerted influence on the development of the field of folklore studies in Germany; he argued for an emphasis on authenticity in studying folklore and that folk materials were characterised by unthinking reflex, rather than conscious invention.[Regina Bendix, ''In Search of Authenticity: The Formation of Folklore Studies'', Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin, 1997, ]
p. 112
Selected works
* ''Untersuchungen über die Gylfaginning: 1. Teil. Das Handschriftenverhältnis der Gylfaginning'', 1879
* (Publisher) ''Altnordische Texte. 1: Gunnlaugssaga Ormstungn'', 1886
* (Publisher) ''Gunlaugssaga ormstungu'', 1886
* ''Kelten und Nordgermanen im 9. und 10. Jahrhundert'', 1896
* ''Die Menschenopfer bei den Germanen'', 1909
* ''Der Ursprung der mittelalterlichen Sühnekreuze'', 1929
* ''Zur Bewertung der Snorra-Edda als religionsgeschichtliche und mythologische Quelle des nordgermanischen Heidentums'', 1932
See also
* Hugo Gering
Hugo Gering (21 September 1847 – 3 February 1925) was a German philologist who specialized in Germanic studies.
Biography
Hugo Gering was born in Lipienica, Prussia on 21 September 1847. His father was a landowner. He was educated at Toruń an ...
* Rudolf Much
Rudolf Much (7 September 1862 – 8 March 1936) was an Austrian philologist and historian who specialized in Germanic studies. Much was Professor and Chair of Germanic Linguistic History and Germanic Antiquity at the University of Vienna, du ...
* Andreas Heusler
Andreas Heusler (10 August 1865 – 28 February 1940) was a Swiss philologist who specialized in Germanic studies. He was a Professor of Germanic Philology at the University of Berlin and a renowned authority on early Germanic literature.
Life
...
* Gustav Neckel
Gustav Neckel (born 17 January 1878 in Wismar, died 24 November 1940 in Dresden) was a German philologist who specialized in Germanic studies.
Life and career
His parents were Gustav Neckel (1844–1923), an industrialist and businessman, and Ama ...
* Jan de Vries (philologist)
Jan Pieter Marie Laurens de Vries (11 February 1890 – 23 July 1964) was a Dutch philologist, linguist, religious studies scholar, folklorist, educator, writer, editor and public official who specialized in Germanic studies.
A polyglot, de Vri ...
References
Further reading
* Elisabeth Karg-Gasterstädt. "Eugen Mogk und die Volkskunde". ''Mitteldeutsche Blätter für Volkskunde'' 16 (1941) 96–104
* Gustaf Cederschiöld: ''Briefe an Hugo Gering und Eugen Mogk''. Unter Mitarbeit v. Birgit Hoffmann hrsg. v. Hans Fix (Saarbrücken, AQ-Verlag, 2016, 630 S. )
External links
*
Eugen Mogk
in the OPAC
The online public access catalog (OPAC), now frequently synonymous with '' library catalog'', is an online database of materials held by a library or group of libraries. Online catalogs have largely replaced the analog card catalogs previously ...
of Regesta Imperii
Papal regesta are the copies, generally entered in special registry volumes, of the papal letters and official documents that are kept in the papal archives. The name is also used to indicate subsequent publications containing such documents, in c ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mogk, Eugen
1854 births
1939 deaths
Germanic studies scholars
Old Norse studies scholars
Leipzig University alumni
Leipzig University faculty
People from Döbeln
Writers on Germanic paganism