Wolfgang Golther

Wolfgang Golther (25 May 1863 – 14 December 1945) was a German philologist who specialized in Germanic studies. A professor at the University of Rostock, Golther was a prominent authority on Medieval German literature and Germanic religion.

Biography

Wolfgang Golther was born in Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg on 25 May 1863, the son of Ludwig von Golther (1823-1876) and Fanny Autenrieth. His father was a prominent public official in the Kingdom of Württemberg. The family was Protestant.

Golther gained his abitur in Stuttgart in 1881. In 1882-1883 he served in the German Army. Since 1882, Golther studied Germanic philology and Romance languages and literature at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. He obtained his Ph.D. in Munich in 1886 with a thesis on The Song of Roland. He habilitated in Munich in 1888 with a thesis on Tristan and Iseult.

Golther served as a lecturer in Germanic philology in Munich from 1885 to 1895. From 1885 to 1934, Golther was Professor of German and Modern Literature at the University of Rostock. During this time he also served as Director of the German-Philological Seminar (1895-1934), Dean (1902-1903), Senior Librarian (1907-1934), Rector (1909-1910) and Vice Rector (1910-1911). He received the Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art in 1912.

Golther retired from Rostock in 1934, but continued to be affiliated with the university as Honorary Professor of German Philology. He received the Goethe-Medaille für Kunst und Wissenschaft in 1939. Golther died in Rostock on 14 December 1945.