Theodor Benfey
Theodor Benfey · Philosophy & Social Sciences
German Sanskrit scholar who advanced the migration theory of folktales.
1809, Nörten, near Göttingen, Germany — 1881, Göttingen, Germany
Germany
Theodor Benfey is recognized among Jewish contributors to Philosophy & Social Sciences — German Sanskrit scholar who advanced the migration theory of folktales.
Benfey was a German philologist and Sanskrit scholar whose edition and study of the Pañcatantra advanced the 'migration theory' of folktales—the idea that many European tales spread westward from Indian sources. He was born into a Jewish family and converted to Protestantism in 1848, in part to secure a university professorship then closed to Jews.
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Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Linguistics
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German Sanskrit scholar who advanced the migration theory of folktales.
Source: Jinfo.org — Jews in Linguistics
