Otto Gschwantler was an Austrian philologist who was head of the Institute for Germanic Studies at the University of Vienna.
12 Facts About Otto Gschwantler
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Otto Gschwantler specialized in the study of early Germanic literature.
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Otto Gschwantler was born in Brixen im Thale in Tyrol, Austria, on 13 April 1930.
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At Vienna, Otto Gschwantler gained his PhD with a thesis on early Germanic literature.
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Otto Gschwantler habilitated under the supervision of Hofler in 1971 with a thesis on Germanic philology.
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Otto Gschwantler was a specialist on the Eddas, runology, early Germanic literature and the Christianization of the Germanic peoples.
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Otto Gschwantler led the Institute for Germanic Studies at the University of Vienna, until 1996.
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In 1992, after a long effort, Otto Gschwantler succeeded in establishing Scandinavian Studies as a distinct study at the University.
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Otto Gschwantler eventually retired as professor emeritus, but continued to teach and research, particularly on his native Southern Bavarian dialect.
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Otto Gschwantler was a devout Roman Catholic and actively engaged in mountain sports.
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Otto Gschwantler contracted Parkinson's disease in his later life after a traffic accident, and was for many years admirably cared for by his beloved wife Gertraud.
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Otto Gschwantler died in Vienna on 31 October 2016 at the age of 86.