René Lodewijk Maurits Derolez (7 September 1921 – 24 March 2005) was a Belgian philologist who was Professor of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and

Germanic Philology 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 ...

Ghent University Ghent University ( nl, Universiteit Gent, abbreviated as UGent) is a public research university located in Ghent, Belgium. Established before the state of Belgium itself, the university was founded by the Dutch King William I in 1817, when the ...

. He specialized in

runology Runology is the study of the Runic alphabets, Runic inscriptions and their history. Runology forms a specialized branch of Germanic linguistics. History Runology was initiated by Johannes Bureus (1568–1652), who was very interested in the lingu ...

and the study of

Old English literature Old English literature refers to poetry and prose written in Old English in early medieval England, from the 7th century to the decades after the Norman conquest of England, Norman Conquest of 1066, a period often termed Anglo-Saxon England. Th ...

and

Germanic religion Germanic religion may refer to: * Germanic paganism * Germanic Christianity * Heathenry (new religious movement) * Neopaganism in German-speaking Europe Since its emergence in the 1970s, Neopaganism (') in German-speaking Europe has diversified ...

Biography

René Lodewijk Maurits Derolez was born in

Aalst, Belgium Aalst (; french: Alost, ; Brabantian dialect, Brabantian: ''Oilsjt'') is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality on the Dender River, northwest from Brussels in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, ...

on 7 September 1921. During the

German occupation of Belgium during World War II The German occupation of Belgium (french: link=no, Occupation allemande, nl, Duitse bezetting) during World War II began on 28 May 1940, when the Belgian army surrendered to German forces, and lasted until Belgium's liberation by the Western ...

, Derolez studies

Germanic philology 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 ...

at the

. He served in the Allied forces during the

liberation of Belgium The Liberation of Belgium from German occupation was completed on 4 February 1945 when the entire country was reportedly free of German troops with the liberation of the village of Krewinkel. The operation began when Allied forces entered on 2 ...

. Derolez subsequently received a scholarship from the Belgian American Educational Foundation, and studied at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

from 1946 to 1948. He received an MA at Harvard and his PhD

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

at Ghent in 1947. He gained 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 ...

at Ghent in 1954 with the thesis ''Runica Manuscripta''. ''Runica Manuscripta'' has remained a standard work on

up to the present day. After gaining his habilitation, Derolez became a lecturer at Ghent, and was in 1959 appointed Professor of

and Germanic Philology at the Ghent University. From 1962 to 1964, Delorez was also

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

of the Faculty of Philosophy at Ghent University. He retired from the Ghent University in 1984. Delorez was elected a Member of the

Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts The Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts ( nl, Koninklijke Vlaamse Academie van België voor Wetenschappen en Kunsten, or KVAB) is one of an independent learned society of science and arts of the Flemish Community in Belgium. ...

in 1970. He was elected a Corresponding Member of the

British Academy The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars span ...

in 1971. Delorez was Co-Editor of ''

Anglo Saxon England Anglo-Saxon England or Early Medieval England, existing from the 5th to the 11th centuries from the end of Roman Britain until the Norman conquest in 1066, consisted of various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms until 927, when it was united as the Kingdom of ...

'' in 1972 and Co-Editor of ''

English Studies English studies (usually called simply English) is an academic discipline taught in primary, secondary, and post-secondary education in English-speaking countries; it is not to be confused with English taught as a foreign language, which ...

'' from 1964 to 1979, serving as its Editor in 1970. In 1983 he was elected the founding President of the

International Society of Anglo-Saxonists International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

. Delorez specialized in the study of

early Germanic culture Early Germanic culture refers to the culture of the early Germanic peoples. Largely derived from a synthesis of Proto-Indo-European and indigenous Northern European elements, the Germanic culture started to exist in the Jastorf culture that de ...

, particularly runes,

(particularly

Beowulf ''Beowulf'' (; ang, Bēowulf ) is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature. The ...

) and

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 ...

. His books on Germanic religion won him wide acclaim, and were translated into several languages. During his studies at Harvard, Delorez met Gabrielle von Steiger, daughter of Swiss politician

Eduard von Steiger Eduard von Steiger (2 July 1881, in Langnau im Emmental – 10 February 1962) was a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council (1940–1951). He studied law at the universities of Geneva, Leipzig and Berne. He became a member of ...

, and the two subsequently married. His brother Albert Derolez is a

medievalist The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...

and professor at the

Free University of Brussels University of Brussels may refer to several institutions in Brussels, Belgium: Current institutions * Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), a French-speaking university established as a separate entity in 1970 *Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), a D ...

. Delorez died in Aalst on 24 March 2005.

Selected works

* ''Runica Manuscripta'', 1953 * ''Götter und Mythen der Germanen '', 1959 * ''Les Celtes et les Germains'', 1965 * ''The Origin of the Runes'', 1998

Sources

* Albert Derolez: ''René Derolez (1921 – 2005).'' In: Alfred Bammesberger, Gabriele Waxenberger (eds.): ''Das fuþark und seine einzelsprachlichen Weiterentwicklungen'', Ergänzungsbände zum ''

Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde ''Germanische Altertumskunde Online'', formerly called ''Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde'', is a German encyclopedia of the study of Germanic history and cultures, as well as the cultures that were in close contact with them. The first ...

'' Vol. 51. De Gruyter, Berlin – New York 2006. * 1921 births 2005 deaths Anglo-Saxon studies scholars Belgian editors Belgian magazine editors Belgian non-fiction writers Belgian philologists Belgian resistance members Corresponding Fellows of the British Academy Germanic studies scholars People from Aalst, Belgium Ghent University alumni Ghent University faculty Harvard University alumni Runologists Writers on Germanic paganism 20th-century non-fiction writers 20th-century philologists {{Belgium-linguist-stub

Biography

See also

Selected works

Sources