Friedrich Heinrich von der Hagen (19 February 1780 – 11 June 1856) was a German

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...

, chiefly distinguished for his researches in

Old German Old High German (OHG; german: Althochdeutsch (Ahd.)) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally covering the period from around 750 to 1050. There is no standardised or supra-regional form of German at this period, and Old High ...

literature. He was born at

Angermünde Angermünde () is a town in the district of Uckermark in the state of Brandenburg, Germany. It is about northeast of Berlin, the capital of Germany. The population is about 14,000, but has been declining since its traditional industrial base, ...

-Schmiedeberg in the

Uckermark The Uckermark () is a historical region in northeastern Germany, straddles the Uckermark (district), Uckermark District of Brandenburg and the Vorpommern-Greifswald District of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Its traditional capital is Prenzlau. Geogra ...

region of the

Margraviate of Brandenburg The Margraviate of Brandenburg (german: link=no, Markgrafschaft Brandenburg) was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806 that played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe. Brandenburg developed out o ...

. After studying law at the

University of Halle Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (german: Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg), also referred to as MLU, is a public, research-oriented university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg and the largest and oldest university i ...

, he obtained a legal appointment in the state service at Berlin, but in 1806 resigned in order to devote himself exclusively to letters. In 1810 he was appointed professor extraordinarius of German literature at the

University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...

. In the following year he was transferred in a similar capacity to the

University of Breslau A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

, and in 1821 returned to Berlin as professor ordinarius. Although von der Hagen's critical work is now entirely out of date, he is credited with awakening an interest in old German poetry. Principal publications: *the ''

Nibelungenlied The ( gmh, Der Nibelunge liet or ), translated as ''The Song of the Nibelungs'', is an epic poetry, epic poem written around 1200 in Middle High German. Its anonymous poet was likely from the region of Passau. The is based on an oral tradition ...

'', of which he issued four editions, the first in 1810 and the last in 1842 *the ''Minnesinger'' (Leipzig, 1838–1856, 4 vols. in 5 parts) *''Lieder der altern Edda'' (Berlin, 1812) *''Gottfried von Strassburg'' (Berlin, 1823) *a collection of Old German tales under the title ''Gesammtabenteuer'' (Stuttgart, 1850, 3 vol.) *'' Das Heldenbuch'' (Leipzig, 1855). *'' Die Thidrekssaga''. *''Hundert Deutsche Erzählungen'' (includes ''

Der Busant ''Der Busant'', also known as ''Der Bussard'' (both German names for the Common Buzzard), is a Middle High German verse narrative, containing 1074 lines of rhyming couplets. The story tells of a love affair between the Princess of France and the P ...

'', 1850; republished 1961) He also published ''Über die ältesten Darstellungen der Faustsage'' (Berlin, 1844); and from 1835 he edited ''Das neue Jahrbuch der Berlinischen Gesellschaft der deutsche Sprache und Altertumskunde''. His correspondence with

Christian Gottlob Heyne Christian Gottlob Heyne (; 25 September 1729 – 14 July 1812) was a German classical scholar and archaeologist as well as long-time director of the Göttingen State and University Library. He was a member of the Göttingen School of History. ...

and

Georg Friedrich Benecke Georg Friedrich Benecke (10 June 1762, Mönchsroth – 21 August 1844, Göttingen) was a German philologist. Beginning in 1780, he was a student at the University of Göttingen, where he was a pupil of Christian Gottlob Heyne. In 1814 he be ...

was published by K. Dziatzko (Leipzig, 1893).

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hagen, Friedrich Heinrich von der 1780 births 1856 deaths People from Angermünde German untitled nobility German philologists People from the Margraviate of Brandenburg University of Halle alumni Humboldt University of Berlin faculty University of Breslau faculty German male writers