Ernst Alfred Philippson (6 April 1900 – 9 August 1993) was an American philologist who specialized in

Germanic studies 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 te ...

Biography

Ernst Alfred Philippson was born in

Mönchengladbach Mönchengladbach (, ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany, west of the Rhine, halfway between Düsseldorf and the Netherlands, Dutch border. Geography Municipal subdivisions Since 2009, th ...

, Germany on 6 April 1900 to a prominent

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family. He was the son of the dentist Ernst Moritz Philippson (1871-1924) and Johanna Mühlinghaus (1878-1945). He was first cousin to a distinguished geographer

Alfred Philippson Alfred Philippson (1 January 1864 – 28 March 1953) was a German geologist and geographer. He was born at Bonn, son of Ludwig Philippson. He received his education at the gymnasium and university of his native town and at the University of Lei ...

, and the husband of Margarete Josephine Hecker (1903-1989). Since 1918, Philippson studied

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

and history at the universities of

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

and

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

. He received his Ph.D. in

German philology German studies is an academic field that researches, documents and disseminates German language, German literature, literature, and culture in its historic and present forms. Academic departments of German studies therefore often focus on Culture ...

at Cologne in 1924 under the supervision of Friedrich von der Leyen with a thesis on

fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...

s: ''Der Märchentypus von König Drosselbart''. He completed his

habilitation Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in Germany, France, Italy, Poland and some other European and non-English-speaking countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excelle ...

in 1928 under the supervision of Herbert Schöffler with a thesis on

Anglo-Saxon paganism Anglo-Saxon paganism, sometimes termed Anglo-Saxon heathenism, Anglo-Saxon pre-Christian religion, Anglo-Saxon traditional religion, or Anglo-Saxon polytheism refers to the religious beliefs and practices followed by the Anglo-Saxons between t ...

: ''Germanisches Heidentum bei den Angelsachsen''. Starting in 1928, Philippson became a lecturer in

English philology English studies (or simply, English) is an academic discipline taught in primary, secondary, and post-secondary education in English-speaking countries. This is not to be confused with English taught as a foreign language, which is a distin ...

at the University of Cologne. He emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in September 1933, because of anti-Jewish policies being implemented at universities in Germany. His Ph.D. from University of Cologne was rescinded on the orders of

Joseph Goebbels Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and philologist who was the ''Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief Propaganda in Nazi Germany, propagandist for the Nazi Party, and ...

. Philippson subsequently served as assistant professor of German at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he taught German 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 ...

. Philippson transferred to the

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United States. Established in 1867, it is the f ...

in 1947, where he served as Associate Professor (1947-1951) and Professor (1951-1968) of

Germanic Philology Germanic philology is the philology, philological study of the Germanic languages, particularly from a Comparative method, comparative or historical perspective. The beginnings of research into the Germanic languages began in the 16th century, wi ...

. Philippson specialized in the study of

and

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

, and

Germanic religion Germanic religion may refer to: * Germanic paganism Germanic paganism or Germanic religion refers to the traditional, culturally significant religion of the Germanic peoples. With a chronological dating, chronological range of at least one t ...

, and taught

Old High German Old High German (OHG; ) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally identified as the period from around 500/750 to 1050. Rather than representing a single supra-regional form of German, Old High German encompasses the numerous ...

literature through to the period of 17th century literature. Elmer H. Antonsen, one of his students, replaced him upon his retirement at the University of Illinois. Philippson was deeply involved with the ''

Journal of English and Germanic Philology The ''Journal of English and Germanic Philology'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal of medieval studies that was established in 1897 and is now published by University of Illinois Press. Its focus is on the cultures of English, Germani ...

'', where he served as Editor (1953-1957) and Co-editor (1957-1971). He was a member of several learned societies, including American Association of Teachers of German, the

Modern Language Association The Modern Language Association of America, often referred to as the Modern Language Association (MLA), is widely considered the principal professional association in the United States for scholars of language and literature. The MLA aims to "str ...

and the

Linguistic Society of America The Linguistic Society of America (LSA) is a learned society for the field of linguistics. Founded in New York City in 1924, the LSA works to promote the scientific study of language. The society publishes three scholarly journals: ''Language'', ...

. Philippson retired in 1968, but continued to lecture at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

after his retirement. In 1972 the University of Cologne honored Philippson with another doctorate upon the 50th anniversary of obtaining that degree which the Nazi regime had taken away from him. This was the first time in history that a doctorate was re-awarded among any of the German universities. He died in

Urbana, Illinois Urbana ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 census, Urbana had a population of 38,336. It is a principal city of the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, which had 236,000 residents i ...

on 9 August 1993.

Selected works

*''Der Märchentypus von König Drosselbart'' (Greifswald 1923) *"Der Germanische Mütter- und Matronenkult am Niederrhein". In: ''

The Germanic Review ''The Germanic Review: Literature, Culture, Theory'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by Routledge covering German studies, including German literature and culture, as well as German authors, intellectuals, and artists. The e ...

'' vol. 19, 1944, pp. 81–142. *"Neuere Forschungen Zum Westgermanenproblem und Zur Ausgliederung der Germanischen Stämme." In: ''Symposium: A Quarterly Journal in Modern Literatures.'' 8:1 (1954), pp. 18-32. *''Germanisches Heidentum bei den Angelsachsen'' (Leipzig, B. Tauchnitz, 1929. Reprinted: New York, Johnson Corp., 1966) *''Die Genealogie der Götter in germanischer Religion, Mythologie und Theologie.'' Illinois Studies in Language and Literature, Vol. 37, No. 3. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1953. Pp. 94. *"Phänomenologie, vergleichende Mythologie und germanische Religionsgeschichte". ''PMLA'', vol. 77, no. 3 (June 1962), pp. 187-193.

Sources

* Johanna Philippson: ''The Philippsons, a German-Jewish Family 1775–1933''. In: ''

Leo Baeck Institut The Leo Baeck Institute, established in 1955, is an international research institute with centres in New York City, London, Jerusalem and Berlin, that are devoted to the study of the history and culture of German-speaking Jewry. The institute was ...

e Yearbook '' 7 (1962), 95–118. * Christoph König (Hrsg.), unter Mitarbeit von Birgit Wägenbaur u. a.: ''Internationales Germanistenlexikon 1800–1950''. Band 2: ''H–Q.'' De Gruyter, Berlin/New York 2003, , pp. 1405–1406. (in German) * James M. McGlathery: ''German and Scandinavian at Illinois: a History'', Urbana: University of Illinois Pr., 1990, pp. 64-65. 1900 births 1993 deaths American editors American people of German-Jewish descent Germanic studies scholars People from Mönchengladbach University of Cologne alumni University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Department of German faculty University of Michigan faculty American academics of German literature Writers on Germanic paganism American medievalists 20th-century American philologists German emigrants to the United States Emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States Denaturalized citizens of Germany Linguists from the United States {{US-linguist-stub