Martin Puhvel (9 December 1933 – 7 December 2016) was a Canadian literature researcher.

Early life and education

Puhvel was born in

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

Jaan Puhvel Jaan Puhvel (born 24 January 1932) is an Estonians, Estonian comparative linguistics, comparative linguist and comparative mythologist who specializes in Indo-European studies. Born in Estonia, Puhvel fled his country with his family in 1944 f ...

is his brother. The family moved to

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

in 1944, thereafter to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

the same year and to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

in 1949. Puhvel studied at

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

from 1949–1954, and at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

from 1954–1958.

Career

Puhvel was a lecturer at the McGill University for old and medieval English literature from 1957 to 1996. He had been a professor since 1980 and professor emeritus since 1998. Puhvel published 52 works, including the books "'Beowulf' and Celtic Tradition," "The Crossroads in Folklore and Myth," "Cause and Effect in 'Beowulf,'" and "'Beowulf': A Verse Translation and Introduction." He lectured in Canada, the United States, Britain and Italy. He was a member of a number of academic organizations.

References

External links

* * 1933 births 2016 deaths Canadian philologists Canadian people of Estonian descent Estonian emigrants to Canada Estonian World War II refugees Harvard University alumni McGill University alumni People from Tallinn {{Estonia-academic-bio-stub