Gilbert Trathnigg (29 April 1911 – 25 September 1970) was an Austrian archaeologist and 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 tex ...

Biography

Gilbert Trathnigg was born in

Wiener Neustadt Wiener Neustadt (; ; Central Bavarian: ''Weana Neistod'') is a city located south of Vienna, in the state of Lower Austria, in northeast Austria. It is a self-governed city and the seat of the district administration of Wiener Neustadt-Land D ...

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

on 26 April 1911. His father, Fritz Trathnigg, was a high school teacher and

scholar, and had a strong influence on the scholarly interest of the young Gilbert. Growing up in

Sankt Pölten Sankt Pölten (; Central Bavarian: ''St. Pödn''), mostly abbreviated to the official name St. Pölten, is the capital and largest city of the State of Lower Austria in northeast Austria, with 55,538 inhabitants as of 1 January 2020. St. Pölte ...

, Trathnigg studied

German philology German studies is the field of humanities that researches, documents and disseminates German language and literature in both its historic and present forms. Academic departments of German studies often include classes on German culture, German hi ...

, prehistory and

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, r ...

at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich h ...

, where he received his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

in 1934 under the supervision of

Rudolf Much Rudolf Much (7 September 1862 – 8 March 1936) was an Austrian philologist and historian who specialized in Germanic studies. Much was Professor and Chair of Germanic Linguistic History and Germanic Antiquity at the University of Vienna, du ...

. His thesis concerned the names of

East Germanic peoples The Germanic peoples were historical groups of people that once occupied Central Europe and Scandinavia during antiquity and into the early Middle Ages. Since the 19th century, they have traditionally been defined by the use of ancient and ear ...

. After gaining his Ph.D., Trathnigg continued his scholarly career at the . He received a scholarship from the

Notgemeinschaft der Deutschen Wissenschaft The ''Notgemeinschaft der Deutschen Wissenschaft'' (Emergency Association of German Science) or NG was founded on 30 October 1920 on the initiative of leading members of the '' Preußische Akademie der Wissenschaften'' (Prussian Academy of Sciences, ...

in 1935–1936, and worked as a research assistant at the Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte from 1936 to 1938. Trathnigg was a member of the SS, and was since 1938 affiliated with the

Ahnenerbe The Ahnenerbe (, ''ancestral heritage'') operated as a think tank in Nazi Germany between 1935 and 1945. Heinrich Himmler, the ''Reichsführer-SS'' from 1929 onwards, established it in July 1935 as an SS appendage devoted to the task of promot ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Trathnigg served in the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previou ...

. After the war, Trathnigg worked as a clerk, archivist, research assistant and museum director in

Vöcklabruck Vöcklabruck () is the administrative center of the Vöcklabruck district, Austria. It is located in the western part of Upper Austria, close to the A1 Autobahn as well as the B1 highway. Vöcklabruck's name derives from the River Vöckla which r ...

and

Wels Wels (; Central Bavarian: ''Wös'') is a city in Upper Austria, on the Traun River near Linz. It is the county seat of Wels-Land, and with a population of approximately 60,000, the eighth largest city in Austria. Geography Wels is in the ...

. He was an honorary curator of the

Federal Monuments Office The Federal Monuments Office (BDA; german: Bundesdenkmalamt) is a department of the Federal Chancellery responsible for cultural heritage in Austria. History The BDA was established in 1853 under Emperor Franz Joseph I, as a central commissi ...

since 1954, and a corresponding member of the in 1961. He carried out archaeological excavations thrughout Austria, and published a number of articles in scholarly journals. In 1967 he was made a professor. Trathnigg died in

Ancona Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic ...

, Italy on 25 September 1970.

Selected works

* mit

Joseph Otto Plassmann Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the m ...

(Hrsg.): ''Deutsches Land kehrt heim. Ostmark und Sudetenland als germanischer Volksboden.'' Ahnenerbe-Stiftung Verlag, Berlin 1939. * ''Die Religion der Germanen.'' In: Werner Müller, Gilbert Trathnigg: ''Religionen der Griechen, Römer und Germanen.'' Leitner, Wunsiedel 1954. * mit Kurt Holter: ''Wels von der Urzeit bis zur Gegenwart.'' Friedhuber, Wien 1964. 2. Auflage: Welsermühl, Wels 1985.

Sources

Kurt Holter Kurt is a male given name of Germanic or Turkish origin. ''Kurt'' or ''Curt'' originated as short forms of the Germanic Conrad, depending on geographical usage, with meanings including counselor or advisor. In Turkish, Kurt means "Wolf" and is ...

: ''Gilbert Trathnigg.'' In: ''Jahrbuch des Musealvereins Wels.'' Band 16, Wels 1969/70, S. 11–16. * Georg Wacha: ''Gilbert Trathnigg.'' In: ''Jahrbuch des Oberösterreichischen Musealvereines.'' Band 116, Linz 1971, S. 9–12
PDF (1,1 MB)
auf '' ZOBODAT'' * Bernd-A. Rusinek: ''"Wald und Baum in der arisch-germanischen Geistes- und Kulturgeschichte" – Ein Forschungsprojekt des "Ahnenerbe" der SS 1937–1945.'' In: Albrecht Lehmann, Klaus Schriewer (Hrsg.): ''Der Wald – Ein deutscher Mythos? Perspektiven eines Kulturthemas.'' Berlin/Hamburg 2000, S. 267–363
Volltext bes. S. 66–68
(PDF; 483 kB). * ''Das Berliner Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte. Festschrift zum 175-jährigen Bestehen.'' In: ''Acta praehistorica et archaeologica.'' 36/37, Berlin 2005, S. 564–565. 1911 births 1970 deaths Austrian archaeologists German military personnel of World War II Germanic studies scholars People from Wiener Neustadt University of Vienna alumni Writers on Germanic paganism {{Austria-archaeologist-stub

Biography

See also

Selected works

Sources