Covington Scott Littleton (July 1, 1933 – November 25, 2010) was an American anthropologist who was Professor and Chair of the Department of Anthropology at Occidental College. A co-founder of the '' Journal of Indo-European Studies'', Littleton was an expert on

Indo-European mythology Proto-Indo-European mythology is the body of myths and deities associated with the Proto-Indo-Europeans, speakers of the hypothesized Proto-Indo-European language. Although the mythological motifs are not directly attested – since Proto-Ind ...

and

Shinto , also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...

, on which he was the author of numerous works.

Biography

Covington Scott Littleton was born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, California on July 1, 1933, and grew up in Hermosa Beach, California. He was the son of Covington Scott (an investigator and writer) and Adelaide Littleton. Littleton served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, having lied about his age in order to get into the army. Attending El Camino College from 1952 to 1954, Littleton subsequently studied at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

, where he received his A.B. (with the highest honors) in 1957, M.A. in 1962, and Ph.D. in anthropology in 1965. He was the Graduate Commencement Speaker at University of California, Los Angeles in 1965. Littleton's 1965 PhD dissertation was published in 1966 under the title ''The New Comparative Mythology: An Anthropological Assessment of the Theories of Georges Dumézil''. He played an important role in disseminating Dumézil's theories

Trifunctional hypothesis The trifunctional hypothesis of prehistoric Proto-Indo-European society postulates a tripartite ideology ("''idéologie tripartite''") reflected in the existence of three social classes or castes—clergy, priests, warriors, and commoners (farme ...

to an English-speaking audience. Littleton's work on the theories of Dumézil is still considered the most comprehensive source on the subject. Littleton was a research assistant in folklore center at University of California, Los Angeles from 1961 to 1962. Since 1962, Littleton worked at Occidental College as assistant professor of anthropology (1962–68), Associate Professor of Anthropology (1968–80), Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology (1967–72, 1974–93), and Professor of Anthropology and Chair of the Department of Anthropology (1994–98). He continued to lecture at Occidental until 2002. Littleton was a member of the editorial board of the '' Journal of Indo-European Studies'' from its inception, and served as its Mythology Editor since 2000. Littleton specialized in the study of religion, mythology and folklore, particularly

King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...

and

. He was the author of numerous works on these subjects. He also authored a personal memoir and a science fiction novel. Altogether, Littleton authored hundreds of articles, reviews, monographs and other publications throughout his career. Littleton was the member of a large number of scholarly organizations. He was a

Fulbright Scholar The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the peopl ...

and a member of

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

. Littleton died of pneumonia after complications from heart surgery at

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...

on November 25, 2010.

Personal life

Littleton married Mary Ann Wuest on 26 August 1961, with whom he had two daughters, Leslie and Cynthia. He was a member of the Democratic Party and an avid runner, cycler, swimmer, photographer, and reader of science fiction.

Selected works

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References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Littleton, C. Scott 1933 births 2010 deaths American anthropologists Arthurian scholars El Camino College alumni Indo-Europeanists Occidental College faculty Academics from Los Angeles University of California, Los Angeles alumni University of California, Los Angeles faculty United States Army personnel of the Korean War