Edith Hörandner (''née'' Klenk) (1939 – 2008) was an Austrian

folklorist Folklore studies (also known as folkloristics, tradition studies or folk life studies in the UK) is the academic discipline devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currency in the 1950s to distinguish the ac ...

and educator. On receiving her doctorate from the Folklore Institute at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...

, she worked as a researcher at the Gesellschaft für den Volkskundeatlas in Österreich on the Austrian Folklore Atlas (1966–68). From 1968 to 1986 she was a research assistant at the Vienna Folklore Institute, after which she was appointed Professor of Folklore at the

University of Graz The University of Graz (, formerly: ''Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz'') is a public university, public research university located in Graz, Austria. It is the largest and oldest university in Styria, as well as the second-largest and second-old ...

until her retirement in 2007. Her work included research into folk medicine, food, costumes, and beliefs and superstitions. She later devoted attention in her teaching and publications to ageing, the everyday life of children and Halloween.

Early life and family

Born on 12 February 1939 in

Korneuburg Korneuburg (; Central Bavarian: ''Korneibuag'') is a town in Austria. It is located in the state Lower Austria and is the administrative center of the district of Korneuburg (district), Korneuburg. Korneuburg is situated on the left bank of the ...

, Edith Klenk was the daughter of the

gendarmerie A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (). In France and so ...

officer Anton Klenk and his wife Anna. On graduating from high school in 1957, she studied philosophy, German and English at the University of Vienna, including a semester at the

University of Boston Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

(1958/59). When the Folklore Institute was opened in Vienna in 1963, she adapted her studies to folklore and English. With a dissertation titled ''Terminologie, Methoden und Zielsetzungen einer Wiener Volkskunde in Verbindung mit Darstellung und Einordnung zweier erneuerter gegenwärtiger Brauchformen'' (Terminology, Methods and Objectives of Focus on Viennese Folklore with a Presentation and Classification of Two Revived Customs), she earned a doctorate in July 1966. In 1972, she married the Byzantinist Wolfram Hörander with whom she had a daughter Magdalena (1973).

Career

At the university, Klenk had been a student of Richard Wolfram who encouraged her to join him at the Gesellschaft für den Volkskundeatlas in Österreich where she worked on the ''Österreichischer Volkskundeatlas'' (ÔVA, Austrian Folklore Atlas) from 1966 to 1968. She was then employed as a research assistant at the University of Vienna's Folklore Institute. After her marriage, Hörandner spent a period as a freelancer at the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation. In 1986, she was appointed Professor of Folklore at the University of Graz. While with the ÔVA, she investigated traditional food and eating customs. Her later research dealt with noise, sowing and harvesting and Christmas. From 1976, she coordinated work on traditions in pre-industrial Europe for the preservation of meat, bacon and sausages. She is also remembered for her work on superstitions and beliefs, the everyday life of children, ageing and the Celtic origins of Halloween. In 1982, she published ''Model. Geschnitzte Formen für Lebkuchen, Spekulatius und Springerle'' (Model. Carved shapes for

Lebkuchen (), or () are honey-sweetened German cuisine, German cakes, moulded cookies or bar cookies that have become part of Germany's Christmas traditions. They are similar to gingerbread. Etymology The etymology of ''Leb-'' in the term is unc ...

Speculoos Speculoos (; ; ) is a biscuit, originally manufactured in Belgium, made from wheat flour, candy syrup (from beet sugar), fat, and sometimes cinnamon. Speculoos were developed in the 20th century around the area of Verviers, as an alternative fo ...

and

Springerle Springerle () is a type of South German biscuit or cookie with an embossed design made by pressing a mold onto rolled dough and allowing the impression to dry before baking. This preserves the detail of the surface pattern. While historical molds ...

). One of her most significant achievements was her work from 1988 on the Graz contribution to European Ethnology (Grazer Beiträge zur Europäischen Ethnologie). Edith Hörandner retired from the University of Graz in 2007 and died in Graz just nine months later on 20 June 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Horandner, Edith 1939 births 2008 deaths People from Korneuburg Austrian folklorists Austrian women folklorists University of Vienna alumni Academic staff of the University of Vienna Academic staff of the University of Graz 20th-century Austrian writers 20th-century Austrian women writers 21st-century Austrian writers 21st-century Austrian women writers