Godfrid Storms (4 May 1911 – 20 October 2003) was a Dutch professor of Old and Middle English Literature at the
Catholic University of Nijmegen
Radboud University (abbreviated as RU, nl, Radboud Universiteit , formerly ''Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen'') is a public research university located in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. The university bears the name of Saint Radboud, a 9th century ...
. He published his seminal dissertation on
Anglo-Saxon charms in 1948, superseding a work that had stood as the authority for forty years, before obtaining his professorship there in 1956. Among his many other works were articles on ''
Beowulf'' and the
Sutton Hoo ship-burial.
Early life and education
Godfrid Storms, known as "Frits", was born in
Sittard, Netherlands, on 4 May 1911. He was educated at
Radboud University Nijmegen
Radboud University (abbreviated as RU, nl, Radboud Universiteit , formerly ''Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen'') is a public research university located in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. The university bears the name of Saint Radboud, a 9th century ...
where he had Aurelius Pompen as his doctoral adviser, and on 4 June 1948 successfully defended his dissertation.
Career
In 1956 Storms became a Professor of Old and Middle English Literature, also at Radboud University. During his time there he published many articles on the subject, notably ''The Subjectivity of the Style of Beowulf'' and ''Grammatical Expressions of Emotiveness''. Other articles also took the Anglo-Saxon epic poem ''
Beowulf'' as a subject, and another the
Sutton Hoo ship-burial discovered in
Suffolk in 1939. Among the doctoral students that Storm promoted was
W. J. M. Bronzwaer (
nl), in 1970, a year after Storms had visited the
University of Nottingham
, mottoeng = A city is built on wisdom
, established = 1798 – teacher training college1881 – University College Nottingham1948 – university status
, type = Public
, chancellor ...
as part of an exchange program between it and Radboud.
Storms continued to be known for ''Anglo-Saxon Magic'', his 1948 dissertation which was soon thereafter published. The work comprised an anthropological and psychological discussion of "magic" as understood by the
Anglo-Saxons
The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...
, and a discussion of 86 Anglo-Saxon charms in
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th c ...
and
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
. A lengthy review by the
Harvard Anglo-Saxonist
Francis Peabody Magoun
Francis Peabody Magoun, Jr. Military Cross, MC (6 January 1895 – 5 June 1979) was one of the seminal figures in the study of medieval and English literature in the 20th century, a scholar of subjects as varied as soccer and ancient Germani ...
called it an "interesting and important" work that would supersede a work published by Felix Grendon in 1909. "All students of the Anglo-Saxon charms," wrote Magoun Jr., "will be grateful to Dr Storms for his edition, in all respects an advance on Grendon's once important study."
Personal life
Storms had a wife, Gré Wilmink, as well as children, grandchildren, and a great-grandchild. His wife died before him; he himself died on 20 October 2003, at the age of 92, in
Nijmegen.
Publications
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References
Bibliography
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External links
* Three photographs at:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Storms, Godfrid
1911 births
2003 deaths
Dutch medievalists
People from Sittard
Radboud University Nijmegen alumni
Academic staff of Radboud University Nijmegen